2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 Aims at Riders Moving Up

If your riding skills are advancing but your budget isn’t keeping pace, there’s a new option on the market.

The Yamaha YZF-R7 is looking to claim riders in their 20s and 30s whose skills have outpaced their small-displacement sportbikes but whose wallets haven’t increased in size along with their talents.

The all-new 2022 model is an “attainable race-ready supersport,” according to Yamaha Canada. They claim that positive Yamaha YZF-R3 sales data suggests that “affordability is important.” (No argument here.) So, they’ve stuck an MSRP of $10,799 on the new machine.

If you can picture an R3 going on a diet but bulking up at the same time, this is the bike you get. Its 689cc inline twin packs a bigger punch yet delivers the slimmest front profile of any R bike, the little 300 included.

Here are the specs: DOHC CP2 engine with a 270-degree crank. First Assist and slipper clutch. Inverted, fully adjustable 41mm KYB fork paired with a horizontally mounted shock adjustable for preload and rebound. 298mm front brake rotors grabbed by radially mounted four-piston calipers with a Brembo master cylinder. Full LCD instrument panel and full LED lighting.

Little bike, big tires

Shifting gears here a little bit – pun intended – we’ll look at the other 2022 Yamaha model announced today.

I swear when I saw the BWs125 scooter, I immediately thought BW200. Those chunky monkey tires put me in mind of Yamaha’s former fat-tired dirtbike, but a metaphorical step back let me look at the entire machine. With asymmetrical headlights, raised front fender, fork boots, and DURO tubeless fat tires, it calls to mind a tiny adventure bike. At least to my mind, anyway.

For your MSRP of $4,299, you get a Blue Core 125cc engine with variable valve timing and automatic V-belt transmission. 12-inch wheels. 245mm wave-type front disc and 230mm rear disc with unified braking. Adjustable headlights. LCD instruments. USB-A charging port. Plenty of storage.

Both models should be in dealer showrooms sometime in June.