VOL. 51 ISSUE 29 JULY 22, 2014 P55
BY TOM MONTANO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN J. NELSON
AND TOM RILES
M
otorcycles have come a long
way since I first started rid-
ing. Streetbike-wise you had
two choices: cafe racer or a cruiser.
There wasn't much in between.
Attitudes about riding have also
evolved over the years with the mo-
torcycle community embracing a
broader range of riding experiences.
When I started riding there weren't
the so-called crossover bikes that
motorcyclists enjoy today. These are
bikes that perform well in all seg-
ments of street riding – bikes that are
suited for everyday commuting, short
day rides, touring… but motorcycles
that still have the guts to get it done in
the canyons.
According to Yamaha the sportbike
market makes up around 20 percent
of total sales. Within that "Sport" cat-
egory you have Supersport, Sport
Touring, and Sport models. The
Sport models have enjoyed a steady
increase in sales - up from 32 percent
in 2009 to 50 percent in 2014. So
what if you could combine the very
nature of all three of these disciplines
into one bike?
Well, the European motorcycle
companies have been doing a good
job of producing naked-type sport-
bikes with a focus on giving more ac-
cessibility to the average biker. And
the Japanese manufacturers are start-
ing to get onboard with new naked
sportbikes of their own. When asked
the question by Yamaha: "What do
you really want in a streetbike?" most
bikers responded by stating that they
Summertime in
Washington State, a
brand-new Yamaha
FZ-07… what more
could you want?
