Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 1 day ago
The 2026 Yamaha YZF-R7 gets a serious update, adding ride-by-wire throttle, a six-axis IMU, customizable ride modes, traction control, and a full electronics suite while keeping its price under $10,000. Powered by Yamaha’s proven 689cc CP2 parallel twin, the R7 remains playful and approachable, now with smoother throttle response, improved gearbox refinement, and a sharper, more rigid chassis. Revised ergonomics, updated KYB suspension, lighter wheels, and new Bridgestone S23 tires make it more comfortable for daily riding while still delivering confident performance in the twisties. With added features like cruise control, a quickshifter, and a new TFT display, the R7 continues to stand out as one of the most complete and accessible sportbikes in the middleweight class.

Check out the full story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/yamaha-yzf-r7-review/

Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast
Become a Channel Partner: https://octanemedia.co/home/become-an-advertiser/
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6CLI74xvMBFLDOC1tQaCOQ
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld

Category

🥇
Sports
Transcript
00:16behind me is the 2026 yamaha yzfr7 this is the blue cruise middleweight super sport it's been
00:22in their lineup since 2021 but for 2026 it gets some pretty significant upgrades to the chassis
00:28suspension engine and the addition of a six axis imu that gives multiple ride modes multiple levels
00:34of traction control abs slide control lift control all types of stuff cruise control is
00:39standard you have a bi-directional quick shifter there's a lot going for the new r7 and it only
00:43costs 200 more than the previous bike let's throw the helmet on and go ride all right we're on palomar
00:53one of the tighter roads one of the tighter mountain roads in the san diego county area
00:59a lot of tight hairpin corners and this r7 is perfectly matched for this road the chassis
01:06super agile easy to turn and this engine fun torquey gets out of the hole really nicely
01:12but it's not so fast that you feel like you're gonna get yourself into some trouble
01:19oh god it's so nice i love the cp2 engine it's so tractable there's such a great connection to the
01:26rear tire whoo that transition got good leverage on these clip-ons we're in the custom rider mode right
01:34now with powerful traction control slide control engine brake all at their minimum on this section of
01:42the road you can just stay in third gear on this bike we'll show you down in third gear still
01:46got
01:47good torque to get out of the hole get up to speed have plenty of revs to connect to the
01:52next corner
01:54ah the front end feels so good on this bike oh let's see we gotta get this thing on a
02:00racetrack
02:01i've actually never ridden the r7 on a racetrack just the r9 i actually think i might like this bike
02:08better than the r9 just because i love parallel twins hot take i know probably a not super popular
02:15opinion but i am such a parallel twin guy maybe it's my dirt background i love this just kind of
02:22dirt bike thumpiness of this engine it's a great wheelie engine too we'll pop some wheelies a little
02:28bit later oh the handling is so precise and agile on this r7 the entire chassis has been optimized to
02:38be a
02:38little bit more rigid new swing arm design updated suspension settings the engine has some updates
02:45as well to improve shift feel and reduce gear last yamaha added an additional gear dog to gears one two
02:51and three and revised the gear dog angle to gears four five and six that's supposed to help on and
02:56off
02:56throttle feedback and i have to say i have noticed that i spent a lot of time on this canyon
03:02specifically
03:03on the old r7 and i remember in some of these longer corners where you're on and off throttle just
03:09making slight adjustments it was a little herky-jerky at times or this one with the updated yamaha
03:16throttle control chip their ride-by-wire system it's really nice it's really precise it's very
03:21has a very good connection to what the engine and the rear wheel are doing
03:26the front end feel is really precise really positive we have bridgestone s23 tires and really
03:35this is a package that is a really well refined sporty very confidence inspiring super sport this
03:44is probably one of my favorite super sports it's a motorcycle that honestly i would totally buy i think
03:51if i had to start buying motorcycles this is exactly what i would be looking at both in the price
03:56range
03:57the features the performance good strong brakes like the r7 has always had the suspension is nice and
04:04controlled they uh reduced the fork spring rate by 0.5 newton meters and i have to say i noticed
04:12it
04:12felt a little bit soft when we got up in the canyons but with a fully adjustable but with compression
04:18and rebound adjustment on the fork i've added uh three clicks of compression just to help with
04:24the mid sort of mid corner control when adding front what kind of trail breaking into a corner
04:29the adjustment has given me a little bit more confidence to just kind of push
04:34into corner entries and through corners show you right now downshift a second
04:42oh this engine although at times i think i would like to see a little bit more power a little
04:48more
04:48performance out of the cp2 engine i have to say in stock trim it's it's really one of my favorite
04:55parallel twins on the market both in a sport bike a naked bike or an adventure bike like the tenere
05:01700
05:01it's so playful so tractable it just it's got punch but it's not so responsive and so
05:10you know powerful that you feel like you really got to be careful with it it's got character but you
05:16can really use up all the throttle on the tight back road like this now we got a bi-directional
05:22quick shifter which is working amazing yamaha has always had amazing quick shifters this one is no
05:27exception this thing is so easy to steer just look through the corner these ergonomics are really
05:33just about spot on i want my ergonomics of my super sport to be fairly aggressive i know not every
05:38rider does but for people buying a yamaha r7 i think that's part of it that's part of the appeal
05:44of
05:45this blue crew motorcycle is that it looks legit and it is legit it looks like something you would see
05:52at the races this yamaha super sport at least out of all the japanese super sports the next gen super
05:58sports this one i think is the most equipped for track riding and aggressive sort of sporty spirited
06:05riding and they've been very successful since this bike launched in 2021 selling a whole lot of them i
06:11think they said that i think yamaha told me yesterday that this is the r7 is their best selling model
06:16in the
06:16states and i gotta say i totally would be willing to sign up for this motorcycle to be parked in
06:25my
06:25garage this engine package and chassis are perfect for this kind of road second gear third gear
06:35that quick shift it works so well let's see tight real tight probably could have even gone to first gear
06:42there
06:47the clip-on's getting just a little bit wider a little bit more upright giving riders the ability
06:52to get a little bit more leverage when steering the bike but still having the traditional sporty clip-on
07:00style on tight roads like this where you're kind of just switching back and forth from one side of the
07:06tire to the other you have a lot of leverage on the handlebar to get the thing to turn into
07:10a corner
07:11but then on some of the longer faster sweepers you still have that clip-on style reach and controls
07:17that allow you to really hang off the side of the bike and ride aggressively
07:23if you loved the bike before you're gonna love it even more for 200 more than last year's bike you
07:29get
07:29a better motorcycle with more features more adjustability and more refinement this is a
07:35motorcycle that i absolutely would put in my garage it's one of my favorite motorcycles not
07:40only favorite street bikes sport bikes it's one of my favorite motorcycles under ten thousand dollars
07:44on the market so that's gonna wrap up this onboard review of the 2026 yamaha yzf r7 if you enjoyed
07:51the
07:51video hit the like button comment subscribe and we'll see you in the next one thanks for watching
Comments

Recommended