An Original Yamaha R7
- Paul
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
One of the most iconic modern classic sportsbikes
Here in Ireland our motorcycle distributors and dealers have always had a knack for getting an outsize share of very special motorcycles. From Indian and Harley-Davidson machines, from Triumph to Ducati, we’re good at getting our hands on the limited, the unusual and the downright special. One of these machines was the Yamaha R7 way back in 1999. This machine had the working title of OW02 and was built in extraordinarily limited numbers, 500 for the entire global market, to homologate it for WSB use.
Just to be clear this is the original of the species! While the current parallel twin R7 is to be commended, it’s never going to be legend that the original was.
What we ended up with was a thoroughbred race bike with lights and indicators. And Haga San ended up with a real chance to beat the Honda and Ducati teams with their bigger bikes to the top step. In full battle readiness the bike put out 135bhp, but in order to keep the eurocrats happy Yamaha dumbed it down to just over 100. This was a real shame as the engine itself is a thing of wonder. Titanium, and lots of it, feature with a lightened crank being complimented by valves and conrods being made of the stuff.
The chassis was inspired by the 5000GP class and it sat on a set of Öhlins as standard.
Now a quarter of a century later an original Yamaha R7, a pristine one of the original Irish registered bikes, has appeared. But even it’s not as standard. While all the original parts are available this one has been dressed with a full Akrapovic system as well as Marchesini wheels. The really stunning thing is that it has only covered 1,059 miles in all that time.
James in Kennedy Motorcycles is the man to talk to if you’d like to add this to your collection, just don’t ask for a test ride! Give him a call on 0419838177.
