2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 Review | Motorcyclist
Yamaha aims to give sportbike riders more bang for their buck with its twin-cylinder-powered YZF-R7 ($8,999). As opposed to the more racy (and now retired YZF-R6), the R7 pairs affordability with ease of use for sport riders looking to move up from the YZF-R3.
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Despite its nomenclature, the R7 is closer to the R3 than to the inline-four-powered YZF-R6. Racers and performance-minded riders will likely bemoan this comparison, but the majority of folks seeking an easy riding full-fairing streetbike will appreciate the R7.
Powered by an MT-07-sourced 689cc CP2 parallel twin, this liquid-cooled engine delivers pleasing low and midrange grunt. It offers upwards of 87 percent of its torque peak (46.3 pound-feet) from 3,500 rpm. Unlike a middleweight four-cylinder, it doesn’t need to be revved to the moon to deliver optimum acceleration. At the business end of the 180-series Bridgestone Battlax S22 tire, the R7 pumps out around 67 hp. Redline is just above 10,000 rpm.
Find out more: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2022-yamaha-yzf-r7-review/
Photography: Drew Ruiz
Video/edit: Ray Gauger
Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn
Helmet: AGV Corsa R
Custom Helmet Paint: Tagger Designs
Suit: Dainese Misano 2
Gloves: Dainese Full Metal 6
Boots: Dainese Axial D1
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
--
Despite its nomenclature, the R7 is closer to the R3 than to the inline-four-powered YZF-R6. Racers and performance-minded riders will likely bemoan this comparison, but the majority of folks seeking an easy riding full-fairing streetbike will appreciate the R7.
Powered by an MT-07-sourced 689cc CP2 parallel twin, this liquid-cooled engine delivers pleasing low and midrange grunt. It offers upwards of 87 percent of its torque peak (46.3 pound-feet) from 3,500 rpm. Unlike a middleweight four-cylinder, it doesn’t need to be revved to the moon to deliver optimum acceleration. At the business end of the 180-series Bridgestone Battlax S22 tire, the R7 pumps out around 67 hp. Redline is just above 10,000 rpm.
Find out more: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2022-yamaha-yzf-r7-review/
Photography: Drew Ruiz
Video/edit: Ray Gauger
Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn
Helmet: AGV Corsa R
Custom Helmet Paint: Tagger Designs
Suit: Dainese Misano 2
Gloves: Dainese Full Metal 6
Boots: Dainese Axial D1
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hey folks, we just got done riding Yamaha's all new 2022 YZF-R7.
00:08 This is a new super sport style motorcycle from the Tuning Fork brand.
00:15 Now Yamaha introduced this model because they had a void in their sport bike lineup.
00:22 The YZF-R3 sport bike, it's a nice bike, but it's easy to outgrow that motorcycle, especially
00:31 in terms of power.
00:33 YZF-R1 and R1M, we love that motorcycle.
00:37 So where does someone go that wants a middleweight Yamaha sport bike?
00:42 The Yamaha YZF-R6, we have loved that motorcycle, but at $12,200, they weren't selling very
00:51 many of these things.
00:53 Enter this $9,000 YZF-R7.
00:59 Let's start with the engine.
01:00 This motorcycle is powered by the Tuning Fork's brand tried and true 689cc CP2 liquid cooled
01:09 parallel twin.
01:11 This powertrain was introduced for the 2015 model year with the FZ07 turned MT07.
01:20 Now this powertrain is really nice because not only does it make for a very compact vehicle,
01:28 but it has a good amount of usable torque.
01:32 An uneven engine firing order gives the engine a V-twin like feel.
01:38 The engine's got a nice uneven rumble to it.
01:41 You can really feel the power pulses.
01:44 And I like that this engine produces most of its torque from as low as 3,500 RPM.
01:50 From 3,500 RPM to the 10,000 RPM, you have near peak torque, which makes for a motorcycle
01:57 that's really easy to ride.
02:00 Now I'm not going to lie, with 67 horsepower at the back tire, this motorcycle is by no
02:06 means the fastest sport bike out there.
02:09 But if you're someone who's just looking for a mellow sport bike that you can ride on track,
02:16 ride on the street, something that's going to put a smile on your face without having
02:20 to worry about the power getting away from you, this YZF-R7 would be a good option for
02:27 you.
02:28 Chassis.
02:29 Now one of the things I really like about this motorcycle is how agile it is.
02:34 And not only how agile it is, but how good the steering is.
02:38 When you have this thing banked over in a corner, it's really easy to turn a little
02:42 bit more or go a little bit wide all mid-corner.
02:45 This thing has really good steering feel.
02:48 The chassis on this thing has been beefed up a little bit compared to the MT-07.
02:54 There's these nice aluminum plates that mount to the side of the frame to give it a little
03:00 bit more rigidity.
03:02 The rubber mounts on the MT-07 are actually also gone.
03:06 This is a solid mount engine setup for a little bit more rigidity.
03:11 Suspension.
03:13 Up front the inverted KYB fork.
03:16 I'd be lying if I didn't say the bike is a little bit soft.
03:19 The overall suspension action is a little bit fast.
03:22 But this fork has independent spring preload, compression, and rebound damping adjustment
03:29 so you can tune the action of the fork to your liking.
03:32 The shock offers spring preload and rebound damping so you can control the action and
03:38 the pitch of the suspension to some degree.
03:41 Brakes.
03:42 Triple disc hydraulic brakes slow this bike down with a full tank of gas.
03:46 It weighs right around 414 pounds.
03:49 It's about five pounds less than the YZFR-6.
03:54 The brakes are very effective at shedding speed.
03:58 Of course, the brakes are not as sharp feeling as they would be on a modern leader class
04:03 super bike, but they get the job done.
04:06 You can brake with confidence on this bike.
04:09 Fixed always on ABS ensures that you'll never have any front or rear wheel instability when
04:16 you're grabbing handfuls of the brakes.
04:19 At six foot tall, I fit pretty decently on the bike.
04:22 I like how much seating room the seat has.
04:25 I like that the windscreen's tall enough for me to tuck behind.
04:28 The fuel tank's nice and short.
04:31 It's a fairly comfortable motorcycle to ride on track.
04:34 The foot pegs aren't too high, nor are they too low.
04:37 It's just a good all around general purpose motorcycle.
04:42 We didn't get a chance to do any street bike riding on this bike, but just looking at the
04:46 seat, the seat is so much thicker than the outgoing YZFR-6.
04:51 I bet that this bike would be pretty cozy on the street.
04:56 But for $9,000, this is a very nice bike.
05:01 Sure, there aren't any electronics like you can get on some other middleweight super sport
05:06 bikes, but again, for the price and considering how friendly the engine power is, how friendly
05:13 the chassis is, you know, I'm not much of an electronics guy anyways.
05:17 I'd always prefer a vehicle that has good riding dynamic and good ease of use.
05:23 And this bike has that feature at its core, and that's what's important.
05:28 All right, folks, that's a wrap from the 2022 YZFR-7 Press Introduction First Ride.
05:36 Make sure to surf on over to MotorcyclistOnline.com.
05:39 That's where all of my written content lives.
05:42 Give this video a thumbs up if you liked it.
05:44 Please thumbs it down if you don't.
05:46 I see you thumbs downers too, by the way.
05:48 And thanks for watching.
05:49 We'll see you guys next time.
05:50 [Music]