Test rode R7 at njmp

[phanomenal07]

I got to test ride a R7 on track at R/world trackday at njmp so I figured I give those who are interested a brief review of the bike. 
 

first thing I noticed when sitting on the bike was the forks are just as bouncy as the FZ. It’s fully adjustable but I didn’t get to mess around with that so perhaps it could be made better. The riding position isn’t very aggressive for a sport bike at all but a lot more aggressive then an fz07. I would say it’s a relaxed sport bike position. Like an old gsxr 600. Pulling onto pit lane the bike power seems muted. Not as twitchy or punchy as a stock mt07. Blipping the throttle in first gear didn’t bring the front wheel off the ground as easy. Once the control rider waved me pass and I got to ride at my pace I noticed a few things. Firstly the throttle is much smoother. Secondly The bike seems a lot slower coming out of corners and that was true in all corners in any gear comparatively. One major improvement was the brakes. The stock brakes on this bike is much better then my fz07 with the same master cylinder and braided brake lines.
Overall it was a lot of fun. The bike is very nimble like an fz07. Euro 5 made the bike slower I guess. Suspension still feels terrible. Much stronger brakes 

[Triple Jim]

38 minutes ago, phanomenal07 said:

Blipping the throttle in first gear didn’t bring the front wheel off the ground as easy.

Do you know sprockets it comes with?  The MT-07 is geared really low from the factory.

[phanomenal07]

8 minutes ago, Triple Jim said:

Do you know sprockets it comes with?  The MT-07 is geared really low from the factory.

Suppose to be only 1 teeth down on the rear from the fz07. Didn’t think that would even be noticeable

[Lone Wolf]

1 hour ago, phanomenal07 said:

Suspension still feels terrible.

Well that confirms what Troy at Motorcycle.com said - in essence that the suspension didn't feel that much different than the MT-07. And he was allowed to make some adjustments on suspension.

Surprised me because of the whole new upside down forks etc. I thought he may have been a bit harsh on the judgement, but you confirm what he said. Video set to start at 8:15 for comments on chassis - suspension.

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Lone Wolf

[Triple Jim]

1 hour ago, phanomenal07 said:

Suppose to be only 1 teeth down on the rear from the fz07. Didn’t think that would even be noticeable

Right, I wouldn't have expected that to make a big difference.  Maybe the weight balance is different... putting more weight toward the front.

[cheddarpills]

I wonder how much better the brakes will feel with braided lines, pads, and a master upgrade. I've done it all on my MT07 and still don't have a confident brake feel.

Sounds like Yamaha have made a FZ07R fairing kit + brake upgrade for $1300. Not a shabby deal, I wish I knew this bike would come out in 2021 before dumping $4k in track goodies on the naked one!

Hope to see this trend continue, and more middleweights show up at the track.

[stickshift]

2 hours ago, cheddarpills said:

I wonder how much better the brakes will feel with braided lines, pads, and a master upgrade. I've done it all on my MT07 and still don't have a confident brake feel.

Sounds like Yamaha have made a FZ07R fairing kit + brake upgrade for $1300. Not a shabby deal, I wish I knew this bike would come out in 2021 before dumping $4k in track goodies on the naked one!

The slipper clutch would be nice too, I might have to see how much the R7 parts are when available. Or wait for some used bikes to broken for parts.

The R7 would still need $$ upgrades for front and rear suspension to be truly great on track in my opinion.

[phanomenal07]

8 hours ago, cheddarpills said:

I wonder how much better the brakes will feel with braided lines, pads, and a master upgrade. I've done it all on my MT07 and still don't have a confident brake feel.

Sounds like Yamaha have made a FZ07R fairing kit + brake upgrade for $1300. Not a shabby deal, I wish I knew this bike would come out in 2021 before dumping $4k in track goodies on the naked one!

Hope to see this trend continue, and more middleweights show up at the track.

I have upgraded master, brake lines and pads on my fz07. The r7 is still better stock. I definitely say the bike is worth the 1300 dollar price difference 

[phanomenal07]

5 hours ago, stickshift said:

The slipper clutch would be nice too, I might have to see how much the R7 parts are when available. Or wait for some used bikes to broken for parts.

The R7 would still need $$ upgrades for front and rear suspension to be truly great on track in my opinion.

Yeah the suspension still sucks. 

[Lone Wolf]

2 hours ago, phanomenal07 said:

Yeah the suspension still sucks. 

On the track - but what about semi street legal speeds on public roads?

Track suspension can feel like a brick if riding sane speeds on public roads.

If sag was set for the rider, and rebound was adjusted so not a pogo-stick, could this be a better canyon carver than the MT-07?

[phanomenal07]

1 hour ago, Lone Wolf said:

On the track - but what about semi street legal speeds on public roads?

Track suspension can feel like a brick if riding sane speeds on public roads.

If sag was set for the rider, and rebound was adjusted so not a pogo-stick, could this be a better canyon carver than the MT-07?

I think just having the full adjustability alone makes it better however I did not get to ride it on the street at normal pace. From the settings that was in there it didn’t feel any different from the stock fz07 suspension that I remember. Then again some people like the stock fz07 suspension for daily street riding. 

[FZ not MT]

On 6/7/2021 at 12:57 PM, phanomenal07 said:

Then again some people like the stock fz07 suspension for daily street riding. 

Then again some people like diarrhea

[robbo10]

I think I read that the first three gears are lower than on the MT.

[phanomenal07]

3 hours ago, robbo10 said:

I think I read that the first three gears are lower than on the MT.

I don’t believe that is tru 

[robbo10]

10 hours ago, phanomenal07 said:

I don’t believe that is tru 

It is mentioned here: 

2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 First Look

---

Yamaha has pulled the wraps off the 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7—a supersport based off the MT-07 and powered by the plucky and much-loved 689cc CP2 engine.

 

[shinyribs]

This thread is very relieving. I was a bit worried I'd have to trade my beloved FZ in on a R7, but if the suspension is still that lacking it'll be an easy pass.

More proof that just because it's a USD fork doesn't mean it's inherently magical!

[InsaneDawe]

On 6/9/2021 at 8:20 PM, shinyribs said:

This thread is very relieving. I was a bit worried I'd have to trade my beloved FZ in on a R7, but if the suspension is still that lacking it'll be an easy pass.

More proof that just because it's a USD fork doesn't mean it's inherently magical!

Yeah there is very little changed, took a closer look at Motoamerica this weekend.
 

• The rear subframe looks identical even though they reported it being stiffened. Probably just those solid mounted side plates.
• Rear shock and linkage looks identical
• Airbox looks identical
• Rearsets look like should bolt onto a FZ/MT
• Changed up triple tree

Minor changes you can make to a FZ/MT and some parts that'll probably bolt on.

[stickshift]

Here's a close up look at an R7 wearing some aftermarket parts (top triple clamp, rearsets, bodywork, fairing stay etc) by Sam Wiest (MotoAmerica supertwin racer).