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Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7 Is Very Rare, Costs as Much as Three R1Ms

The world is changing, and if we're going to survive, we need to change along with it. As the automotive industry accelerates towards a zero-emission future, motorcycle companies have to make a move too. Last year saw Yamaha announce that they'd be giving up on the R6 as a road-going motorcycle, and rumors have it that a new R7 may be on the way.
1999 Yamaha YZF-R7 With Zero Miles 23 photos
Photo: Craigshonda
Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7Zero-Mile 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7
While this R7 might just be based on the big hit that is the MT-07, I doubt that it will ever be worshipped as the YZF-R7 OW-02 is. The OW-02 is a race homologation motorcycle built by Yamaha in 1999 with a clear goal of competing in the Superbike World Championship and the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance races.

Back in the day, the R6 was just introduced to the market, and the R1 was made available to the public just a year earlier. But while the R6 and R1 were just "regular bikes," the R7 was going to be a collector item for sure, with only 500 built in total. It retailed for $32,000, and performance levels would range between 106 horsepower to 162 horsepower, depending on which race kits you had on it, if any at all.

What's interesting about the YZF-R7 we're talking about here is that it has never been registered or used, for that matter. This is a zero-mile motorcycle, and the odds are that whoever is going to buy this will probably never ride it either. Which is kind of sad, but then again, the risks of crashing it are quite high, and it would be a shame to rid the world of one of these already rare bikes.

If you're wondering what's so special about these bikes, the answer is quite simple. These were developed with racing in mind, and the chassis was built using knowledge and data acquired with Yamaha's YZR500, the motorcycle they were running in the MotoGP series. Even though this is a 749cc bike, it is still some 22 lbs (10 kg) lighter than the smaller R6 of the day.

This example is one of three very special bikes, all with zero miles on them, that the seller has had for sale. While the Kawasaki has been sold, only the R7 and the 1299 Superleggera remain available. If you want to get your hands on this legendary machine, you're looking at spending £59,995 ($83,908). To put things in perspective, a brand-new 2021 Yamaha R1M has a starting MSRP of $26,099 before taxes ($430 destination charge).
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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