2015 Yamaha FZ-07 Announced for Canada

Yamaha announced it would import the MT-07 to Canada as the 2015 FZ-07. Until now, the twin-cylinder roadster had only been announced for Europe as the MT-07; there is no word the FZ-07 will be offered in the U.S., but the Canadian announcement is a good sign it may be coming soon.

Revealed at EICMA, the FZ-07 slots in under the three-cylinder FZ-09 (known as the MT-09 outside of the North America) with a newly-developed liquid-cooled 689cc parallel-Twin engine. The engine uses a 270-degree crank, giving it what Yamaha calls its “crossplane concept”, promising a linear throttle response and reduced inertial torque. Yamaha claims a maximum output of 75 hp and 50.2 ft.-lbs.

Yamaha says the camshafts were designed to accentuate low- to mid-range power, delivering strong torque from 3000-6500rpm. Each cylinder has four stainless steel valves, with the intake valves set at 14 degrees and exhaust valves at 15 degrees to keep the combustion chamber compact. Yamaha Canada says valve adjustment intervals are every 40,000 km (24,855 miles).

The six-speed transmission is also all-new, with input and output shafts stacked to keep mass centralized and reduce the length of the engine, allowing engineers to optimize the front-to-rear weight balance when mounting it to the new diamond-type backbone steel frame.

Yamaha says the FZ-07 offers an upright riding position that balances sporty handling and rider comfort. The seat is 31.7 inches from the ground while the 3.7-gallon fuel tank has a slim design, giving riders an easy reach to the ground.

Suspension is comprised of a 41mm fork and a horizontally-mounted rear shock with nine preload adjustment settings. Both front and rear suspension offers 130mm (5.1 inches) of travel.

Braking duties are handled by Advic four-piston monobloc calipers gripping dual 282mm discs up front while a single-piston Nissin caliper grips the 245mm rear disc.

Other features include an all-digital LCD display, adjustable brake lever and a new handlebar switchgear design that combines ignition and kill switches.

Yamaha Canada is offering the FZ-07 in three color options: Matte Metallic Gray, Bluish White and Vivid Red. Canadians should expect to see the FZ-07 in showrooms starting in June with a price of CN$7,299 (US$6560) compared to CN$8,999 (US$8080) for the FZ-09. That’s not far off the $7,999 Yamaha Motor USA is asking for the FZ-09, so if the FZ-07 does get announced for the U.S., it could be priced at around $6500.

[Source: Yamaha Canada]

By Dennis Chung