Gather around, motorheads! We’ve got some good news for you. As per the folks at Autocar India, Yamaha is planning to bring an interesting duo. And no, it’s not the slightly changed permutation and combination of the decade-old R15 or a sticker job for the FZ—we’re talking about some real stuff here. The news is that the Yamaha MT-07 and the bonkers R7 could be on their way here.
While speaking to Autocar, the Chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group, Eishin Chihana said, “Big bikes like the MT-07 or R7, we are trying to bring in some batches. Not big quantities, but enough to satisfy our top-range customers. If we can import within this year, we can avoid the OBD-2 regulations.”
About the regulations he was referring to, the Government of India has issued a mandate which requires every vehicle to be sold after April 1st, 2023 to feature an OBD-2 on-board diagnostic technology. Ever seen the ‘Check Engine’ light on your car? It is sort of like that but covers a wider array of aspects like emissions, fuel consumption, performance, and other parameters.
Since the current-gen Yamaha MT-07 and R7 don’t feature those, and we’re still a year away from the mandate, there’s no better time than now to introduce the hooligans in our market. Though both bikes share the same 698cc, liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine making 73.4hp and 67Nm, they couldn’t be further apart from one another. While the Yamaha MT-07 is a street-focused bike with its naked design, the R7 is a track bully with an aggressive riding stance that is sure to give you some back pain.
The same report also threw some light on whether the more adventure-focused sibling, the Tenere 700, would be brought to India. As per Chihana, since the ADV is manufactured in France, getting it here would be a costly affair for the customer, considering the state of our taxes.
As far as the Yamaha MT-07 and the R7 are concerned, they will come to India via the CBU route. Hence, expect a high price tag of around Rs 9 lakh for the MT, and Rs 11 lakh for the R7 (all prices, ex-showroom).
(Image credits: Yamaha Motors)
