Yamaha may be working on a MT-07 based supersport, to be possibly called the Yamaha R7, which will replace the much-loved and popular, but now discontinued Yamaha YZF-R6. The Yamaha R6 was discontinued in November 2020, and even though the R6 was never sold in India, it has considerable fan following, both here at home, and an even stronger legion of fans abroad. The idea of a full-faired version of the MT-07 has been getting a lot of traction in recent times. In fact, Japanese publication Young Machine had even predicted the R7 before the R6 was discontinued.
Also Read: Yamaha YZF-R6 Discontinued
Now, there are even more murmurings of Yamaha working on a faired version of the MT-07 to fill the gap. And latest rumours suggest that the new R7 will likely be unveiled as early as the spring of 2021, and that's only a couple of months away, with sales beginning towards the later part of the year. With the R6 having been discontinued, there's a gap in Yamaha's product line-up between the R3 and the R1 superbike. And that gap, according to reports, will be filled by the new R7, a faired supersport, powered by the CP2 engine of the MT-07. The crossplane engine of the MT-07 makes 74 bhp, so it's not right up there yet to take the fight to the likes of the new Aprilia RS660.
Also Read: 2021 Yamaha MT-07 Unveiled
The new LED headlight and redesigned face is the biggest visual change in the 2021 Yamaha MT-07
The big question will be whether Yamaha will update the MT-07's engine to give it more performance to make it a more potent supersport. From all indications though, Yamaha may want to still retain the easy-to-ride, and accessible nature of the MT-07's CP2 engine, so eventually, the R7's (if it ends up being called that) engine may only produce around 80 bhp or so. To also keep costs down, the chassis will also likely be similar to the one on the existing MT-07. Wheels, suspension and other cycle parts are also likely to be similar, to keep costs down.
Also Read: Yamaha Tenere 700 Rally Racer Unveiled
Yamaha Tenere 700 powered by 689 cc parallel-twin engine borrowed from the MT-07
Eventually, what will matter is the price the new bike finally makes it to the market with. While the MT-07 is immensely popular in Europe, as is the mid-size adventure tourer based on the same CP2 engine, the Tenere 700. Although we have yet to sample the CP2 here in India, from what we gather, the engine has easy access to torque across the rev range, and that is something which the new R7 will have a strong point. We can't wait, to see where these rumours lead to, and if there's a new Yamaha supersport closer to production.
