FZ07 is good but not the next SV650
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The FZ07/MT07 is an awesome bike. I finally got to ride one and there are a lot of awesome feels about the bike but…
It’s not the next SV650. This is not to discourage anyone from going out and buying the Yamaha and having a ton of fun on the track. This is not to piss anyone off who builds and/or races the Yamaha. I would like to own one of these machines myself. The powerplant is a ton of fun with great midrange power with out spending a ton of money. Since I’ve only ridden one, my opinion on the chassis is narrow. The chassis was missing something and if it were my bike I know exactly what I would do to get the feeling I want. It’s very nimble but not confidence inspiring if that makes sense. I do believe if someone has deeper pockets, the Yamaha would be the way to go for an all out race bike. I don’t believe that applies to many of the guys who race in the lightweight twins class. Most of us are here because it’s a cheaper class to participate in.
Both bikes have their positives and negatives but there are some factors that stop the FZ/MT from becoming the new SV650. The Russell Masecar theory of “keep it stock” just doesn’t apply to the FZ07.
More effort needed to get the bike race ready. By this I mean how much money and time does it take for a rider to get his machine on the track comparable to the other bikes out there.
While there are kits available to help with this, it’s just no where near as easy as the 1st and 2nd generation SV650s. The MT07 does not have fairing stay mounts on the headstock. While the 3rd gen SV650 does not have this feature either, 1st and 2nd gen SVs do. This makes it easy for anyone to bolt up a fairing stay. FZ and 3rd Gen SV owners must either weld on tabs for a fairing stay or use a clamp on style. You could always run it naked.
Another “feature” shared with the 3rd Gen SV is that the subframe is welded on to the frame. Yes, there are guys who are cutting off the subframe and welding on mounts to have detachable subframes… but I don’t want to do this. I want to have my frame from the factory let me crash my bike and not have to worry about this. I want to be able to throw another stock subframe back on it and not worry about my custom one or bending the main frame. Not to mention, those subframes that are part of the main frame on both the FZ07 and 3g SV, are HEAVY!
The rear linkage unit on the FZ07 is weak from the factory. It seems like there are endless variations of race linkage coming out. None of which are cost effective when comparing to the SVs which does not need modified at all from the factory.
The rear chain adjusters and mounts for a rear stand are not ideal. There aren’t simple bolt mounts for stand pins on the swingarm.
SuperStock/Production performance. While by numbers, the FZ07 looks better than the SV650. It’s lighter, HP similar, good torque numbers. The power dies up top and most of that is because of the VERY restrictive air box. The air intake for the Yamaha is under the seat through a tiny snorkel. It’s gasping for air on the top end. This is not an issue once you go into superbike trim, but for stock rules in almost every club out there, you can’t change the air intake / air box of the bike. Why is this bad? Just go superbike ya dumb shit! Not everyone wants to do that. The 07 has been out since 2014 and I’ve yet to see any results that indicate that it’s a better starting platform for a stock class.
The transmissions are horrible. They shift like an older Ducati and have gear failures. Can this all be fixed? absolutely, but you’re sending it to a shop who knows what they’re doing. $$$
Yamaha hasn’t really changed the FZ07/MT07 since it came out in 2014. Maybe the next MT07 by Yamaha will address some of the short comings and it’ll become the next SV650 we’ve been waiting for. If you’re a builder and love to make your own stuff, get the Yamaha. If you’re a simple racer who just wants to buy some parts, slap them on your bike, and let it rip… get the Suzuki. I personally do not care which one you buy and race, just race lightweight twins and I’ll be happy.
Looking for FZ07/MT07 race parts? Andy Palmer @ AP MotoArts and Matt Spicer @ Robem Engineering can get you some trick stuff. JD @ Hord Power and Zoran @ TWFRacing can also assist in the motor category.
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