After months of rumors, speculation, and direct teasing from Yamaha, the 2022 YZF-R7 is finally here. This is Yamaha’s offering for anyone whose heart had an R6-shaped hole in it when Team Blue announced that bike would be discontinued. It’s also the bike for anyone who loves the MT-07 engine, but wants something that looks much sleeker and more streamlined.
The 2022 R7 is powered by Yamaha’s 689cc,
liquid-cooled, in-line twin CP2 engine, which you may already know and love
from the MT-07. Features include forged aluminum pistons and direct-plated
cylinders to lighten the weight while simultaneously increasing strength.
Additionally, the 270-degree crank creates an uneven firing sequence for a
sound and feel that sets it apart.
Suspension consists of an inverted 41mm
KYB fork, which is fully adjustable. A forged aluminum lower triple clamp and a
gravity-cast aluminum upper triple clamp hold it together up front. The
horizontally-mounted rear linked-type Monocross single shock has adjustable
preload and rebound, as well. It’s mounted to the crankcase for those
all-important mass centralization purposes.
Now, for the brakes, because every rider
loves the added confidence of having a good brake setup out of the box. How do
you feel about a Brembo radial brake master cylinder paired up with 4-piston
radially-mounted Brembo front brake calipers? The rotors up front are 298mm, if
you wondered.
Other niceties include a full LED display
up front, as well as LED lighting all around. There is, of course, the design
language that looks fast even while it’s standing still. It sounds like a
cliché, a bit, but it’s not—it’s a very good-looking bike, designed to draw the
eye around it as smoothly as it flows through the wind.
The 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 will hit your local
Yamaha dealer in June, 2021, in your choice of either Team Yamaha Blue or
Performance Black. MSRP is US$ 8,999.
