VOL. 52 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 20, 2015 P45
Y
amaha's race boss Keith McCarty has
been having a little fun of late, with Yamaha
showing off this awesome FZ-07-based
flat track racer at the American International
Motorcycle Expo in Orlando, Florida.
The DT-07 is only a concept but hints at
the sporting future of a machine that's sold
through the roof across the world. Using the
FZ-07 Crossplane Concept parallel-twin engine,
McCarty and his crew fashioned a purpose-
built swingarm, frame, modified YZF-R6
conventional-style forks, Öhlins shock, wheels
by Propulsion Labs and single piece bodywork
to create a rolling tribute to Yamaha's 60 year
legacy of manufacturing and competition, with
the bike resplendent in the company's famous
yellow and black Speedblock color scheme.
"When the FZ-07 was first introduced, we
knew that the bike's Crossplane Concept parallel-
twin engine had outstanding low-to-midrange
torque, which is ideal for flat track racing," said
Keith McCarty, Motorsports Racing Division
Manager for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
"The FZ-07 is a great bike and also a great
platform for customization. We wanted to see
what we could do with the bike as a flat tracker,
and we're very pleased with the results."
"One of our specific goals with the DT-07
was to retain some of the FZ-07's styling cues,"
Derek Brooks, Motorcycle Product Planning
Manager for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.,
added. "I worked with Jeff [Palhegyi] on the
design of the bike, and we literally used the
FZ-07's fuel tank cover as the basis for the body
mold on the DT-07 Concept. The entire bike was
essentially built from scratch, and it is Yamaha's
interpretation of what a dirt tracker designed
from the ground up in 2015 should look like."
Don't expect to see the DT-07 on sale anytime
soon, but it's always nice to dream, isn't it? CN
LOOK
BUT
DON'T
TOUCH
YAMAHA TEASES US WITH FZ-07
FLAT TRACKER. FOR NOW.
