Our XSR700 is a daily commuter and weekend canyon blaster, and with the addition of saddlebags we can even stop along the way for a picnic lunch! Photos by the author.
We?ve thoroughly enjoyed Yamaha?s middleweight FZ-/MT-07 since it came out back in 2015, so it was no surprise when EIC Tuttle became somewhat smitten with its neo-retro XSR700 iteration. With a higher, wider handlebar, a taller, cushier seat and firmer suspension than the standard FZ-07, plus the FZ?s signature light, flickable handling, spirited Crossplane-concept parallel twin and strong brakes, the XSR700 is an ideal daily commuter and weekend canyon carver.
Read our 2015 FZ-07 review here.
The MicroCowl deflects a bit of air, but mostly just looks cool.
We decided to add one to our long-term fleet, but with a few tweaks; as a commuter and daily runabout luggage was a requirement, with a garage full of comfy touring bikes we figured we?d never ride it two-up and there were a couple of ?just because it looks cool? additions we wanted to make as well. So we ran it through Yamaha?s Genuine Accessory catalog and bolted on a set of Adventure Saddlebags ($505.98, including required Support Bars), a Solo Seat ($114.99) and Rear Rack ($119.99), a Smoked Micro Cowl windscreen ($174.99), a Radiator Guard ($149.99) and Radiator Side Covers ($119.99). The canvas-and-leather saddlebags are fairly small, but with ABS linings they hold their shape, making it easy to stuff them with the necessities: an extra pair of glov...