I saw (and sat on) this bike at my local Yamaha dealer
today. It's the new adventure-styled sports tourer from Yamaha. This is a
logical bike for them to make. Just as the Tracer 900 was based on the MT-09
triple the 700 is based on the MT-07 parallel twin (read these as FJ-09, FZ-09
& FZ-07 in the US) There seems to be uncertainty whether the 700 Tracer will
be sold in the States.
I've spent this summer riding my SV650 and I've come to
appreciate the qualities of a middleweight bike. My SV is light & nimble
but with plenty of power when needed. The Tracer 700 feels similar in size to
my SV, a little taller perhaps and with a wider tank and an adjustable screen.
This should make for an agile bike with touring ability.
The Tracer will compete with the Suzuki VStrom and Kawasaki
Versys but it isn't an exact equivalent. The VStrom is quite large and bulky
(the Versys less so) but the Tracer is a much more compact and sporty looking
package.
Yamaha have listed a wide range of extras for the bike
including luggage, engine bars and a comfort seat. The seat is only £130 but
I'd hope that a bike designed for touring would already have a good seat. The
bike I sat on had the comfort heated seat (£294) I doubt the value of this. I've
ridden in a lot of cold weather and lots of bits of me got cold, but my
backside was not one of them!
The only drawback is the sadly fashionable lack of centre
stand. SW Motech make one for the MT-07 which has the same frame so it's likely
that an aftermarket one will be available.
But there's more. Yamaha seem to be working on a dual
purpose bike using the 700cc engine.
 |
| Spy shot of a disguised bike |
We'll be lucky if they sell this bike here in the USA. So much of the population thinks bigger is better when it comes to bikes and cc's, but there is a huge group of riders that would prefer small and nimble as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree. A light, nimble bike with 75bhp is plenty for most folks needs.
Delete