Light, flickable handling and firm but compliant suspension help make the XSR700 a blast to ride. Photography by Kevin Wing.
When Yamaha?s 2014 FZ-09 triple was announced, anticipation of its arrival was so high that eager buyers lined up to put deposits down on the $7,990 bike sight unseen. With 105 horsepower and 60 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheel in a 413-pound package, the FZ-09?s bang-for-the-buck was off the charts, and its fresh muscular styling made it a standout among other naked bikes struggling for identity. It?s still Yamaha?s best-selling street bike, and returns for 2018 with the same MT-09 designation it has in other countries.
The newest member of Yamaha’s Sport Heritage line was inspired by the XS650s of the 1970s. The next step in the middleweight FZ progression was the lighter, lower priced FZ-07 twin, which came along a year later with a lot less fanfare, but there?s a hefty contingent of us motoscribes who like it better than the FZ-09. While its compact 689cc parallel twin makes 69 horsepower and 48 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheel to the FZ-09?s 105 horsepower/60 lb-ft, the FZ-07 is 15 pounds lighter and has much more linear, predictable power delivery, with most of its torque on tap before the engine is even spinning 6,300 rpm. It?s a ton of fun to ride and is a perfect commuter and weekend playbike, especially at $7,599 for the 2018 model, which is now called the MT-07 and gets a stylish refresh, standard ABS, adjustable damping on the rear...