Review 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 LAMS | Motorcycle check

Review 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 LAMS

Wayne Vickers Yamaha R7 Test, Image by RbMotoLens

Admission time – I was very positive thinking Yamaha would put an R7 into production when I read the announcement headline. And then my shoulders sagged as I realized it wasn’t a fire-breathing Nori clone, full fruit, four cylinders aligned, angled beast. Harsh words were spoken in my breath. I was just as irritated the day Honda announced their first CBR that wasn’t a line four. Sacrifice. But I digress.

I have said many times to anyone who has heard that mid-size sport bikes (800 cc-ish, 120-150 hp) are the most affordable right now, and I think Yamaha will back me up. Yes, no. Having said that, I really like the direction Yamaha is taking with their re-engined replacement and I’m excited to see what else they can do.. *cough* R9 *cough* please.

The new R7 is in fact a complete sport bike version of the MT-07 that I tested some time ago. I love that little bike. Great balance, a great honest little tool. Lots of fun.

This particular bike is the LAMS version. And while the full fat version has around 75hp, this LAMS version drops it by a third to just over 50hp.

That’s thanks to another engine configuration that reduces capacity to 655 cc (instead of 689 cc in the HO version). The big question on my mind, is that while it makes sense to run that learner-friendly tune in the MT-07 naked version – does it make sense on a purely sport bike?

In fact, you should think of this car as a big R3 rather than anything that resembles an R6 or more. Because performance wise, it’s not that far out in the ballpark. This is a lot of entry-level stuff. So with expectations clarified – let’s dig a little deeper.

It definitely has the family look – No doubt about that. I think it looks pretty good, especially from some angles. In some ways, this made it even more confusing for people to understand that it wasn’t a rocket ship. Because it’s like one.

The finish is good, the components are solid, it’s well-equipped and clearly a build from the basement-budget R3 mentioned earlier. That is reflected in the significantly higher price tag. Which in itself is another matter.

Throw your feet over, you’re sure this has the right sportbike cockpit shape for the aggressive riding position required. Rest your elbows on your knees. Right race.

It certainly created a contrast when swapping to and fro Harley Sportster I can tell you… It’s not cramped. It’s actually quite roomy and has a long seat that allows you to push your backside a lot further than you might think.

I think the dash is a bit hard to read in terms of contrast, but other than that it’s ok. The gearshifts are all pretty standard stuff, to be sure – and when you bring it to life, the exhaust note is very socially conscious at idle. On the road at highway speeds, you can barely hear it. Without a doubt, a slip will help in that respect. I think it’s unnecessarily quiet for daily rides.

The immediate impression when loosening the clutch is something like this: ‘Oh, that’s a good usable clutch and it has a nice bottom end, which should be good’. But, that’s where the excitement ends from the engine department unfortunately. Because once on the bottom, the urge doesn’t increase, it’s still flatter than a stroller hat.

While it turns out very well, torque curves a lot at the bottom. There’s nothing wrong with refueling, the throttle feel is actually pretty good. But the LAMS config looks like everything on the bottom was backed up instantly.

Personally, I think it would benefit from a moving tone where torque increases in the mid-range a bit more – even if that means a bit softer bottom end. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it will give the engine a more rewarding mid-range, which is where you spend the most time.

That wheelie shot did some work, but I knew Trev would get grumpy if I didn’t manage it. He’s still not happy that I didn’t get the top wheel shots Triple speed. That is probably fair enough…

Even so, handling and brake-wise is where the R7 comes in at. You can push and push and push about angular speed and pitch and it still giggles at you as you explore its cornering limits on the road. It feels like it will lean quite a bit on its side before there are any grip issues. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the way it turns on the road. Nice and nimble while being completely sturdy.

I had to remind myself a few times that I don’t have slip-ons over my jeans because I’m used to swinging my knees in the wind on sport bikes. Overall, it feels rather low for a sport bike, possibly due to the relatively thin width between the knees. Saddle height stands at 835 mm but feels lower than the suggested numbers.

There’s also nothing wrong with the way it stops for that matter. I haven’t had a chance to do repetitive hard stops like you on a track day, but I doubt you’ve ever had a crash on the road. The 298 mm Advics twin four-piston stopper certainly does the job. Leverage feels good too.

ABS is standard. Even though you’re working really, really hard, or messing with something to get them to kick in… Besides, when a bike is capable of corners, you don’t really need to use it. Use the brakes a lot… and when it’s only 50 odd horsepower, momentum is crucial!

So you have a sweet handling bike that looks hot but is a bit tough in the grunt department. So how does it stack up? Well, drive it, the R7 LAMS will set you back around $14k, which is $1,500 more than the equivalent LAMS MT-07, which might make sense, but it’s starting to grow there .

If you’re a true beginner, these buffers will seem expensive to replace if you take into account the possibility that you accidentally drop it in the parking lot. That’s compared to $15k for the full-fruit R7, which in comparison starts to look pretty decent. Moving the other way, the next rung is eight and a bit big for R3 but that’s supposed to be much less bikes. But for a bike that will probably be shipped within a year or two, I don’t think it’s a downhill bike.

I can throw a wrench at works by comparing it to something like excellence Triumph Trident for 12 and a half hours showed that the R7 LAMS had some stiff competition. However, Yamaha fans may not be looking at Trident so that could be a moot point. They were supposed to look at the MT-07 LAMP for a bit less, then change to R7 HO. But I remember when I joined my Ls and all I wanted was a race representative…so… salt and all.

Thinking deeper – like the old CBR250RR, FZR250R and the like of their day, these will likely hold up well and should be quite mechanically strong. So they will probably be a good prospect for the second hand market in a few years…so that has to be taken into account. Maybe Yamaha is playing a long game here, which would be a pretty clever way to get some fresh blood for the brand now that I think about it that way.

Why I like the Yamaha R7 LA:

• Nice entry sport bike, well built.
• That steers and stops as you would expect.

I would prefer the Yamaha R7 LA if:

• Could be a bit cheaper for an entry level bike.
• Or have a little more hump – but that’s HO for you then, the non-learner version, I guess.

2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 LA (LAMS) Specifications