2015 Yamaha FZ-07 Certified by California Air Resources Board

Although Yamaha has yet to announce the FZ-07 for American consumption, new documents from the California Air Resources Board lead us to believe it’s on its way to U.S. dealers. The FZ-07 was first revealed last fall at EICMA as the MT-07, which is the name it is being sold under in Europe, Japan and other markets. In March, Yamaha Canada announced it would offer the FZ-07 as a 2015 model, leading those south of the 49th parallel to look for signs Yamaha Motor USA would do the same.

2015 Yamaha FZ-07 Canadian Review

Signs such as a new executive order for the 2015 Yamaha FZ-07 issued by CARB, allowing its sale in the state of California and, presumably, the rest of the U.S. The document, executed May 19th, certifies three model codes, FZ07FCGY, FZ07FCR and FZ07FCW, each likely representing a different color option.

According to the document, the FZ-07′s 689cc engine emissions have been certified at 0.27 g/km for hydrocarbons (HC), 0.34 g/km of hydrocarbons and nitrogen (HC+NOx) and 1.2 g/km of carbon monoxide (CO), well below the allowable limits.

The CARB documents do not reveal any performance numbers, but Yamaha Canada claims 75 hp at 9000 rpm and 50 ft-lb. at 6500 rpm.

We’ll have to wait for Yamaha Motor USA to officially confirm it is offering the FZ-07. A CARB executive order is a strong indication a model will be offered in California but it’s not a sure thing. KTM, for example, obtained an executive order for the Freeride 350 in 2013 but the light-weight dirtbike still has not arrived on these shores.

Still, if the FZ-07 does arrive in the U.S., we hope Yamaha Motor USA matches its Canadian cousin’s aggressive pricing strategy. In Canada, the FZ-07 is priced at CA$7,299 (about US$6,695), compared to rivals like the Suzuki SFV650 (CA$8,299) and the Kawasaki ER-6n (CA$7,499).

[Source: CARB]

By Dennis Chung