Photo: Yamaha
It's been more than once that we decried the disappearance of middleweight adventure bikes, but this is a day of joy. We can now confirm that Yamaha is working on a Tenere-like machine that draws inspiration from both the old and new eras.
We saw this bike being tested, albeit in an almost naked trim, with only minimal bodywork, but its stance and certain details lead us to believe that it will be a machine that will bring back the good old days of the Transalp and similar motorcycles.
The new Yamaha will be based on the MT-07 platform, meaning that it will pack a most usable 75 horsepower, and possibly, with the peak torque (68 Nm or 50.1 lb-ft) arriving lower than the current 6.500 rev bar. Even so, Yamaha's middleweight parallel twin lump looks like a decent choice for both street and dirt.
The mule Yamaha is currently testing comes with wire-spoked wheels and apparently with a better ground clearance than the MT-07. The bike already has an aluminum skidplate, and we can expect that Yamaha offers a bigger one with the finished model.
We can observe that the new machine comes with a different swingarm, a box type one that's more enduring on rough terrain. Also, the single exhaust silencer is mounted high on the right side of the tail section. Apparently, Yamaha will try to "hide" it partially under the tail, allowing for two identical sidecases to be mounted when needed.
The new middleweight adventure motorcycle from Iwata also has taller handlebars for easier steering on difficult terrain, and the forks are now upside-down units, unlike the ones originally on the MT-07.
Finally, the front fairing harks back to the Dakar bikes, with its tall and assertive stance and almost vertical windscreen. It looks like there will be plenty of room for navigation instruments and other gadgets in the bike's dash, and we love this.
Spy shots are expected to surface quite soon. Until this happens, we're already planning to have a beer tonight, celebrating this new machine, and we are ready to bet it will arrive before the autumn bike shows. Any thoughts, Honda?
The new Yamaha will be based on the MT-07 platform, meaning that it will pack a most usable 75 horsepower, and possibly, with the peak torque (68 Nm or 50.1 lb-ft) arriving lower than the current 6.500 rev bar. Even so, Yamaha's middleweight parallel twin lump looks like a decent choice for both street and dirt.
The mule Yamaha is currently testing comes with wire-spoked wheels and apparently with a better ground clearance than the MT-07. The bike already has an aluminum skidplate, and we can expect that Yamaha offers a bigger one with the finished model.
We can observe that the new machine comes with a different swingarm, a box type one that's more enduring on rough terrain. Also, the single exhaust silencer is mounted high on the right side of the tail section. Apparently, Yamaha will try to "hide" it partially under the tail, allowing for two identical sidecases to be mounted when needed.
The new middleweight adventure motorcycle from Iwata also has taller handlebars for easier steering on difficult terrain, and the forks are now upside-down units, unlike the ones originally on the MT-07.
Finally, the front fairing harks back to the Dakar bikes, with its tall and assertive stance and almost vertical windscreen. It looks like there will be plenty of room for navigation instruments and other gadgets in the bike's dash, and we love this.
Spy shots are expected to surface quite soon. Until this happens, we're already planning to have a beer tonight, celebrating this new machine, and we are ready to bet it will arrive before the autumn bike shows. Any thoughts, Honda?
Google News