Yamaha's Africa Twin?

YAMAHA T7

Yamaha hasn’t let the arrival of Honda’s Africa Twin go unnoticed. At the EICMA show in Milan there was a concept Tenere shown that got a lot of attention. That doesn’t mean much; the Milan show is a big tease on many levels. There are always bikes shown that never see the light of day.

But apparently the T7, as it’s called, is more than a show bike. It’s a real prototype slated for a late 2018 release in Europe. Oliver Grill, Yamaha Europe’s Product Planning manager, was quoted in Cycle News saying that the bike will be light, slim and suited to off-road riding. It will still have a large tank and range will be a high priority. If the final production bike delivers on all this, it will probably be the most dirt-worthy adventure bike yet. There’s still no word on a U.S. release.