We were riding some of the best roads in Europe, but the heavy rain and wind put a damper on our fun–and work. This photo pass was the only one we got before the photographers called it off. (Photos and illustrations courtesy of Yamaha)
New model press launches are usually carefully curated affairs?perfectly curvy roads, impressive scenery, cool coffee stops and, of course, plenty of gastronomic delights. There?s one aspect, however, that?s completely out of even the most fastidious event planner?s control: the weather.
Read our comparison test of the FZ-07, Suzuki SV650 and Kawasaki Ninja 650
Yamaha thought it was playing it safe by booking the global launch of the refreshed 2018 MT-07 (formerly known Stateside as the FZ-07) in Marbella, on southern Spain?s Costa del Sol (?Sun Coast?). Situated on hills overlooking the Mediterranean and backed by picturesque mountains covered with squiggly pavement, it?s an ideal base for a day?s test ride with a gaggle of throttle-happy journalists. Well, usually. Our day started out nice enough, as we cruised through several towns on our way to the mountains. (Photo by the author)
Instead of sunny skies and fast roads, our test ride day dawned cool and cloudy, and after a meager 40 km (about 25 miles) the skies opened up, slowing us down considerably but giving us a great opportunity to put our waterproof boots and rain gear to the test. On the one hand, this meant our ability to evaluate the MT-07 at an aggressive pace was limited...