Yamaha T7 Concept
A baby Ténéré to come in 2018
At EICMA 2016, Yamaha unveiled the T7 concept; a prototype for a future adventure model we believe will slot beneath the Super Ténéré. Inspired by the XT600Z Ténéré, launched 33 years ago at the Paris Show, the T7 concept looks to draw on many of the attributes that helped Yamaha sell over 61,000 units of the XT600Z between 1984 and 1994 – mainly its simplicity and race-bred pedigree.
Yamaha commissioned a team composed of internal engineers, designers and product planners from the Official Rally Team in France, and the R&D team in Italy, as well as GK Design in the Netherlands, to come up with the next generation of adventure bike. Their mission was to “help steer the vision for the next generation of adventure riders,” says Yamaha.
Drawing inspiration from past Dakar-winning Yamahas, their design mates a hopped-up version of the 689cc parallel-Twin CP2 engine currently found in the FZ-07 (MT-07 in Europe) around an all-new chassis with high-specification KYB front suspension. Other bits include an aluminum fuel tank, 4-projector LED headlight, a carbon fairing and skid plate, and a custom made Akrapovič exhaust. The result looks like a cool mix between Yamaha’s own WR450F rally racer and an FZ-07.
Yamaha says to expect the production version of the T7 concept to be unveiled in 2018.
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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Could this replace my DR650? Me thinks yes.
I am really disappointed by what Yamaha has shown this year. Several models are disappearing in Europe because of euro4 standard, but Yamaha is not showing any reasons to run to the dealer for a test drive.
With the current hot trends, I did expect a modern SR400 or a XSR300.