New Yamaha Sportbike Announcement 5/18

I had my fully kitted (suspension, QS, ECU flash, full exhaust, 118hp/66ft lbs) MT-09 at The Ridge about 5-6 years ago for a TD.

I ran Dunlop Q3+ tires and wasn't serious about super fast laps - just wanted to see how it was on track.

Best lap time for me was 8 seconds off my race pace on my 636 with slicks. Coincidentally that lap time on the MT-09 was identical to my race lap time the one weekend I raced an SV650 at The Ridge.

That chassis and geometry is not meant for hot laps - killer street bike and hooligan machine though!

Ken Hill ran some comparo laps last year at the same track but on a KTM 890R Duke and if I recall he was 3-4 seconds/lap slower than when he was on a 636 as well.

890R would crush an MT09 on track.

 

Sounds like it's a great street bike that would be perfectly fine for an occasional trackday.

Damnit.

Admittedly, I'm still more drawn to the GSX-S750 for a street bike with occasional trackdays thrown in, but maybe the local Yamaha dealer is more desperate than the local Suzuki dealer...

 

Doesn't Champ School use MT-09s?

I still want to know how @younglion got his SV to 310 LB. By taking the engine out?

 

Hey now, I didn't say "I" had an SV down to that weight - I said that I've raced with guys who in SB trim (Gen 1's) got them down to 320ish.

There was one that was a Zlock built SB 744 engine and was well over 90hp too - older Canadian guy raced with us at WMRRA and Scott Featherstone who also had a super light built Gen 1 SV that he claimed to be 320ish.

The SV I raced for 1 round was 375lbs and made 79hp - fun machine!

 

The lightest one I have ever heard of was Ed Key's. I don't remember the weight but it was insane. He had made a subframe out of carbon handlebars IIRC. He was a machinist by trade I believe?

 

I believe it was well sub 300, may have been close to 275. The only ferrous based metal on the whole bike was the transmission and a few other gears everything else was ti or al. Ed was an electronics tech in the medical machinery industry. He made prototype stuff. He had a lathe with a milling attachment for making his stuff and was willing to spend the money to buy ti rods and cranks and stuff. Combining a bike like that with rider of Ed's skill, experience and weight made him pretty tough to beat.

 

Makes me wonder why Suzuki doesn't offer a more serious SV650. Real forks, real brakes, better ergos, aimed at the trackday/racer types. Maybe a few more HP. I mean, you go to the track and there are fleets of sv's. Maybe with Aprilia getting into it, it could motivate Suzuki to do it. Hell, it could practically be done out of the parts bin.

 

If they thought they could make money, I'm sure they would do it.

 

FYI, Yamaha is having a demo day at NJMP on Tuesday. Any body get a chance to demo a R7 ought to provide some feedback. I'm sure it will be a stock bike in all respects and in a fairly tame TD environment...still...

 

If anyone is curious what that looks like on track, it really is quite impressive. Here's a clip of one of those bikes chasing down a SuperSport 2nd gen SV on a long straight.

 

Since cash is lighter than steel, you just keep stuffing more $50 bills in place of whatever you want lighter.

There was a german guy who built a VFR RC36 race bike. Claimed 308 lbs, and build cost of $25k. Anything that could be aluminum, titanium, or carbon was.

 

Kevin VanEngen has one that is sub 300. Shannon Anderson also has one that is built almost identical. I had one but sold it just a while back earlier this year. Mine didn't have a lot of the fancy carbon bits but it still weighed 315 with a gallon of gas in it and made 92 on road ranger 87 octane. The carbon tank on mine and a lot of the carbon parts were built by Guy Bartz. His trademark name for building those cool carbon parts was "Mass Reduction". But I don't think he's building parts anymore. VanEngen's bike is pretty tricked out. He went back to a stock bore engine though for reliability and he's pretty much just instructing for learning curves to do race licensing now. If he enters a race he enters in the middleweight class to "challenge himself". That dude has a god gift on a road race bike and can flat out haul ass. His brain just operates that way.

 

If any of you CRA 1st gen weirdos needs a crank, I have 3 1g cranks taking up space (mileage unknown).

 

Send them out to @TWF2 for his garden decorations

 

I have a complete 1st gen motor that I got as part of a trade.
Condition is unknown.
It can be delivered to WERA West events.
Donation the the RRW/MCT Air Fence Fund is desired as payment.

 

If this has already been hashed out, I'm sorry, but I couldn't find it searching... does anyone else think the 180 rear tire is a bit much for this bike? seems a 160 would be more appropriate... oh, and who the F wants a quick shifter that can't be turned to GP shift? So I just went to Yamaha site and looked at 360 view... that thing has 2" long curb feelers on it!!! LMFAO!!!

 

Who uses OEM rearsets?

 

no one, but still think it's funny

 

Now that R7's have hit the dealers has anyone played around with them yet.

I am hearing good things about updated geometry numbers and slightly stiffer frame.
Rumor is they also did some kind of update to transmission.

 

I have a few questions regarding the R7 if anyone can answer...

will this be legal in twins (or what classes will it be legal)

and does anyone make (or developing) a traction control system upgrade for it