Yamaha YZF R7 Spied On Madras Race Track Ahead Of Launch

Months after Yamaha's dealer meet, where it showcased its upcoming big bikes signaling Yamaha's big comeback in the premium performance-motorcycle segment, the R7 has been spied at an Indian race track possibly shooting a TV commercial (TVC). Spied at the Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai (city where Yamaha bikes and scooters are made in India), the bike made its first appearance outside of that dealer meet.

At the dealer meet, Yamaha showcased the R7, MT-07 and MT-09 along with the smaller R3 and MT-03. This was exciting because for some time now Yamaha's India lineup had started to feel a bit stale. These premium bikes on paper seem ideal for the new and aspirational Indian biker. Though Yamaha's flagship supersport - YZF R1 - has a strong fan following in India, its launch isn’t planned yet, so the R7 should serve the middleweight-supersport-seeking enthusiasts nicely. 

The R7 is powered by a 689cc, liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder motor which makes roughly 74PS and 67Nm. While that's considerably lower than the Triumph Street Triples which churn out upto 130PS from their 765cc three-pot motor, the R7 will be the friendliest jump from the likes of a KTM RC390.

We did a guesstimate of how much Yamaha's big bikes would cost considering they might be CBUs (Completely built units), and concluded that the R7 could cost around Rs 9 lakh (ex-showroom). In India, it will rival the Kawasaki Ninja 650, Honda CBR650R and Aprilia RS 660. That said, optimistically speaking, we can expect the motorcycle to launch around Diwali in November.

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