Mostly back road pavement riding, is the T700 for me?

[AZJW]

On 5/18/2021 at 6:05 AM, Bocephous said:

I haven't gotten my T7 yet (it finally arrived at a warehouse and is on it's way), but I've been struggling on whether to trade my 2014 FJR1300 in when I buy the T7.  I think I'm going to keep it, though.  Too much of a downside trading it in. 

 

The FJR is great at two-up and highway travel, just not what I want in a backroad commuter.  I think the T7 is going to be perfect for that, and hitting the dirt roads that are in abundance around where I live. 

 

Multiple bikes for multiple purposes are a nice option, if you can swing it.  Like I said, I don't have my T7 yet, but if I could only have one of the two, I'd take the T7 even before I've had a chance to ride it.  I believe it will be the right tool for 95% of the riding I do.  I'd rather compromise on the 5% than the 95%.

@BocephousKeep the FJR!  I miss mine everytime I'm putting down serious mileage (on decent pavement), right up to the point where I turn onto a dirt road.  

[Bocephous]

13 hours ago, AZJW said:

@BocephousKeep the FJR!  I miss mine everytime I'm putting down serious mileage (on decent pavement), right up to the point where I turn onto a dirt road.  

I think I've made up my mind that I will do just that.  As well as eating miles on tarmac well, it will hustle through the corners quicker than most would think possible, especially with fresh(er) tires, and at only 3000 miles a year (current rate), it should outlast me.

[JimmyTheHuman]

Not to mention when you twist the throttle on the FJR it feels like you are going back in time, the T7 NEVER gives you that feeling. You have to own another bike if you like the warp speed feeing. I have an XJR1300 for that.

[TeabagInsurance]

My T7 is on order (hopefully arriving by the end of next month...), but I have to imagine there are many bikes that fit your bill, OP. A Tracer 700/900 could be really good for you, or an FJ-09, as many have mentioned. Or maybe a Versys 650. Those bikes are similar in weight and are more road oriented, but will still have no problem bombing down FSRs and other light dirt shenanigans if you wanted. A Triumph Tiger could be nice too, but you'll be looking at more money generally. There's so many more too.

[DT675]

On 5/10/2021 at 9:20 AM, hawk45 said:

Right now I've got things semi-narrowed to the MT-09 to keep things light and compact.  I've also looked at the Triumph Street Triple, but I've got history with Yamaha and trust them, so I lean this way.  I've not checked out the FJ/Tracer series as I thought they may be a much bigger bike than I'm looking for, but will revisit that just to be sure.   

I have both the T7 and a 2013 Triumph Street Triple 675. IMO if your not even riding any dirt roads at all I'd look at a different bike. Compared to my Street Triple the T7 is tall, heavy and top heavy (yes they are 2 different things- heavy and top heavy)  and turns in sloooooow.  I'd love to race @Cruizin down that hill on my Triple...

Edited May 26, 2021 by DT675

[REDHORSECA]

Got the T7 for ADV off roading vs. taking my truck and the dirt bikes out. I'm having a blast on it on the twisties.

 

I've got a set of Alpina tubeless wheels for my off-road tires, as to make tubeless tire repairs easier and faster out in the hot desert. Plug it and go!

 

I'm going to make the stock OEM wheels as my canyon carving street set. Going to replace the front 21" rim with a smaller diameter tubeless rim for a T7 Motard setup for quicker turning in the canyons.

[DT675]

22 hours ago, DT675 said:

I have both the T7 and a 2013 Triumph Street Triple 675. IMO if your not even riding any dirt roads at all I'd look at a different bike. Compared to my Street Triple the T7 is tall, heavy and top heavy (yes they are 2 different things- heavy and top heavy)  and turns in sloooooow.  I'd love to race @Cruizin down that hill on my Triple...

 

I'll try to add a little more substance to this.  If not off-roading at all I would definitely get a street bike.  And I'd go out and test a bunch of them (T7 included!) because that's half the fun! I definitely wouldn't stick to just one manufacturer either. Their are so many great bike offerings out there these days. My one example is- my buddy just picked up a "pristine" 2012 Triumph Tiger. We've swapped back and forth a bunch of times. Light dirt roads both are great. Rougher off- road I'd prefer my T7. On road i prefer his Tiger. It still has that ADV look (if your looking for that) but very much handles pavement and rides comfortably like a street bike should. All IMO ofcourse. 

Edited May 27, 2021 by DT675

[Rapid Dog]

I dunno, I had a KTM 950A and I was surprised how well it handled the SoCal canyons.

Looking  forward to owning a T7...

[Stoltec Moto]

I've had the privilege of owning (and working on) MANY bikes over the years.  All genres except cruisers, of which I've only ridden a couple.  And while it's true that the T7 will never give you that warped sense of time when you twist the go stick, it's no slouch, either.  In fact, if I'm being honest, it's no slower on the road than any of my faster bikes.  With the exception of hanging with the 'busas on the interstate, how fast are you going?

 

And since I'm being honest, I'll admit that I didn't expect to like the T7 as much as I do.  The MT-07 was underwhelming to me (said no one, ever) and I never gel'd with it the way the rave reviews said I should.  I'm happy to report that the revised gearing, intake, and exhaust all make the T7 a more engaging ride.  The tall suspension and ground clearance really make the bike feel like an 'adult' motard, which is half the fun.  If you're not careful, you'll find yourself riding down sidewalks and over curbs - because you can.  Or maybe you'll be a better at #adulting than some of us...

 

Literally, the ONLY gripe I could possibly drum up would be a lack of tubeless wheels/tires from the factory.  It's amazing how often I find pointy things on the road.  Cruise control would be cool, but to the OP's point, if you need cruise control, you're doing it wrong.

 

So yeah, it might 'feel' wrong to buy a T7 and use it wholly on road, but who cares?  It's a backroad ripper.

[Rich TT]

3 hours ago, Stoltec Moto said:

I've had the privilege of owning (and working on) MANY bikes over the years.  All genres except cruisers, of which I've only ridden a couple.  And while it's true that the T7 will never give you that warped sense of time when you twist the go stick, it's no slouch, either.  In fact, if I'm being honest, it's no slower on the road than any of my faster bikes.  With the exception of hanging with the 'busas on the interstate, how fast are you going?

 

And since I'm being honest, I'll admit that I didn't expect to like the T7 as much as I do.  The MT-07 was underwhelming to me (said no one, ever) and I never gel'd with it the way the rave reviews said I should.  I'm happy to report that the revised gearing, intake, and exhaust all make the T7 a more engaging ride.  The tall suspension and ground clearance really make the bike feel like an 'adult' motard, which is half the fun.  If you're not careful, you'll find yourself riding down sidewalks and over curbs - because you can.  Or maybe you'll be a better at #adulting than some of us...

 

Literally, the ONLY gripe I could possibly drum up would be a lack of tubeless wheels/tires from the factory.  It's amazing how often I find pointy things on the road.  Cruise control would be cool, but to the OP's point, if you need cruise control, you're doing it wrong.

 

So yeah, it might 'feel' wrong to buy a T7 and use it wholly on road, but who cares?  It's a backroad ripper.

You called this spot on in my opinion. It's a cracking bike with a brilliant engine and actually handles so well on the road with the standard tyres. I just tweaked my suspension with harder rear spring, and stiffened up the rebound and compression and that's all it really needs for the road. Often I forget it has a 21 inch front wheel.

 

My last bike was a Tuono V4R, remapped to 170BHP which was awesome. But like you said, on the twisty small and bumpy roads (the fun ones), I'm as fast if not faster on the T7.

 

Plus you can of course go off road which I do. Two bikes in one!

 

Rich

[Stoltec Moto]

7 hours ago, Rich TT said:

You called this spot on in my opinion. It's a cracking bike with a brilliant engine and actually handles so well on the road with the standard tyres. I just tweaked my suspension with harder rear spring, and stiffened up the rebound and compression and that's all it really needs for the road. Often I forget it has a 21 inch front wheel.

 

My last bike was a Tuono V4R, remapped to 170BHP which was awesome. But like you said, on the twisty small and bumpy roads (the fun ones), I'm as fast if not faster on the T7.

 

Plus you can of course go off road which I do. Two bikes in one!

 

Rich

 

I'm a sportbike rider, through and through - so I can appreciate your Tuono and similar bikes.  But like the rest of us, I'm not as young as I used to be.  The T7 is SOOOO comfortable, and it swallows up the goat paths Pennsylvania has turned into 'roads'.  

 

Kinda surprised the fuel economy didn't come up.  This thing is miserly, even when beat within an inch of its life...plus, it only needs 87 octane!  

[AZJW]

37 minutes ago, Stoltec Moto said:

 

 

 

Kinda surprised the fuel economy didn't come up.  This thing is miserly, even when beat within an inch of its life...plus, it only needs 87 octane!  

@Stoltec MotoCurious as to what kind of gas mileage and performance you're getting from 87 octane fuel?  I've run the owners manual specified " Premium unleaded gasoline" since day one and have averaged right around 50 mpg, with no pinging. Interested in feedback as I'm wondering how the bike will perform when the good stuff isn't available. 

[Hobes]

When it comes to offroad capable bikes, T7 is an absolute hoot on a pavement. It's much more fun than ie. 790/890 if you ask me. Having said that I also say, that T7 is also a compromise bike through and through. Even though it's very comfy on bad pavement it's also a bit wobbly, has a very high center of gravity and could behave way better on a smooth surface. None of those qualities make it a bad on road bike, but if you are choosing T7 because it's comfy, I bet I can list many other bikes that are even comfier. 

 

I think the bread and butter of t7 is absolutely it's offroad manners. If you take it way you get a bike that is OK. It's a bit hard to handle because of the tall seat, sizing of tyres makes it a bit cumbersome,  it's veeery thirsty on a freeway (can be fixed with new sprockets though but then the engine feels a bit lazy IMO), it has that small insecureness on high speed turns because there is just too much travel on the suspension and so on. If I would like to have a comfortable onroad bike I would definitely go for a Tiger. Very fun engine, way better street manners. If you're on a budget, Versys and CB500X give you about the same features without the offroad compromises that had to be made in T7 in order to get it behave so nicely offroad. And still the suspension is soft enough to eat all the bumps and holes on a pavement without it feeling so wobbly on corners. Also seat height is much more manageable. 

 

There are lot of bikes between 1000cc sports bikes and Tenere. I wouldn't recommend one of those (or their 600cc siblings) for back road pavement riding in a million years. If you want loads of power, good road manners, comfiness and so on get a Multistrada. That one is really fun with it's not so stiff suspension, but it's still sporty enough to really get your adrenaline glands pumping

 

 

[Hibobb]

I was a bit sad to see the bike ask for Premium Fuel. I prefer a simple workhorse bike, I wouldn't give a crap if I got 5 less HP. I am sure I can get by on lesser fuel in a pinch, but it will always make me wonder if I am hurting something.

[zaskar]

Thought I would post again to this thread as I have a new perspective on this bike.  My initial post was based mainly on my previous bike (FJ09) and how that related to the original poster's questions.  When I first posted I have little to no riding experience on the T7 yet.  That changed this past Sunday when I got the chance to log just under 600 miles for the day.  Most of the riding was pavement with some gravel mixed in.  I can now agree with what others have said regarding the street manners of this bike.  Yeah, the stock seat is a stock Yamaha seat and was a pain point at times.  The motor seemed more lively on this ride than previous outings.  Still not as exciting as the 900 triple of the FJ09 but still provided plenty of smiles.  It was cool being able to carve up some twisty roads and then also turn on to some gravel and enjoy that as well.  I was happy with the overall ergos of the bike. 

I'm really looking forward to getting some miles on dirt as I think that is where I will enjoy this bike the most.

 

 

[Canzvt]

I only run 87 octane, have the 2WDW tune, and all is fine. Never noticed any detonation (and have listened for it) at all.

[Stoltec Moto]

3 hours ago, AZJW said:

@Stoltec MotoCurious as to what kind of gas mileage and performance you're getting from 87 octane fuel?  I've run the owners manual specified " Premium unleaded gasoline" since day one and have averaged right around 50 mpg, with no pinging. Interested in feedback as I'm wondering how the bike will perform when the good stuff isn't available. 

 

45-55 mpg...engine is bone stock (for now).  No issues whatsoever.  No detonation, no lean spots where/how I ride the bike.

 

3 hours ago, Hobes said:

If you want loads of power, good road manners, comfiness and so on get a Multistrada. That one is really fun with it's not so stiff suspension, but it's still sporty enough to really get your adrenaline glands pumping

 

 

The Multistrada is a great bike.  I owned one for personal use for a while and even did track days with it.  I miss the bike...but it was LOADED with quirks, glitches, and maintenance - lots of 'character'.  

[Hobes]

6 minutes ago, Stoltec Moto said:

 

The Multistrada is a great bike.  I owned one for personal use for a while and even did track days with it.  I miss the bike...but it was LOADED with quirks, glitches, and maintenance - lots of 'character'.  

Well thats given  But they are getting better every year. If someone had told me twenty years ago, that we well see Monster without trellis or that Ducati will make an engine that isn't desmo I would've just take it as crazy people talking. I blame Audi and german engineers about all this ridiculous sensibleness.

 

It has taken them 10 years, but it seems that they are slowly taking away all that italian madness and character and Ducatis are becoming more and more mainstream and reliable everyday riders. I have owned pre Audi Ducati and man was it amazing bike. Ok it had it's quirks and after I changed to a german bike I realized what a handful it was, but still I have never hated and loved any bike that much. It kinda makes me sad to see all that Italian ridiculousness slowly fade away from the brand.

 

Oh well... maybe someday I'll find an old and scrumpy 998R that I can love and reminiscence about the good old days, while I'm waiting that to happen I'm more than happy to drive my sensible and reliable Japanese bike 

[Stoltec Moto]

2 hours ago, Hobes said:

Well thats given  But they are getting better every year. If someone had told me twenty years ago, that we well see Monster without trellis or that Ducati will make an engine that isn't desmo I would've just take it as crazy people talking. I blame Audi and german engineers about all this ridiculous sensibleness.

 

It has taken them 10 years, but it seems that they are slowly taking away all that italian madness and character and Ducatis are becoming more and more mainstream and reliable everyday riders. I have owned pre Audi Ducati and man was it amazing bike. Ok it had it's quirks and after I changed to a german bike I realized what a handful it was, but still I have never hated and loved any bike that much. It kinda makes me sad to see all that Italian ridiculousness slowly fade away from the brand.

 

Oh well... maybe someday I'll find an old and scrumpy 998R that I can love and reminiscence about the good old days, while I'm waiting that to happen I'm more than happy to drive my sensible and reliable Japanese bike 

Same here.  I had a 2011 MTS 1200.  It was fairly raw, and thoroughly earned the nickname we assigned "God's Chariot".  It was amazing, but it took considerable hands-on time.  The engine was actually dead nuts reliable.  It was the rest of the bike that drove me nuts...

 

But I hear you about the loss of personality and character.  One of the reasons we've nearly focused entirely on Yamahas.  Just the right blend of Japanese reliability/engineering and character.