The street R7 was already a whole lot of fun on the track of Assen, heck, I would already be satisfied if it was the only bike I had the chance to try out. But, when reviewing my session on the R7 after coming back to the paddock I saw that the GYTR R7 was available too.. Oof, I felt some tingling, this one I had to try as well!

I walked up to Monique, the girl who was woking her magic on the complicated looking schedule for the day, and I bluntly asked her: “I see the R7 isn’t being used this session.. Is that correct?” She glared at me with a small smirk on her face and took a look in her advanced schedule with so many labels and marks that would definitely make me dizzy for the rest of the day. She ran her finger down the screen and said “Yep! I see that it’s still available.. You want to try it out?” EHR YES?!
So said and done, that session I hopped onto the GYTR R7, the guys at the Yamaha pitbox made sure it was fueled and ready to go. I had to take my transponder from the street R7 and placed it onto the GYTR R7.

First thoughts @ Assen

When I got to the pitlane of the track I immediately felt a difference in the bike, I braked a few times to get acquainted with this bike, and tucked in and out behind the higher wind shield. When rolling into the first corner I was already leaning further than I did all session with the R7 street! The GYTR R7 has slick tires and they use tire warmers to keep them at the right temperature. This gave such an immediate feeling of confidence! The GYTR R7 is also equipped with a quick shifter, different suspension and different brakes. The dashboard looks like that of a real race bike, with an on and off ignition module, and no key to be seen. Perfect for track, but it’s certain: This bike is not made to be used on the open road!
The braking, quickshifter and overall feeling on the bike made it feel a lot quicker than the street R7. All of a sudden it felt like I might was in the wrong group (group 2, with 1 being the “beginner” group, and 4 being the “professional” group) because I was overtaking other riders left and right. I came back to the Yamaha pitbox with the biggest smile from ear to ear. The first thing I said when I got off was: “I want to take this one home!!!” 
No lies there, I was astonished by the fun and ease of the GYTR R7, the looks, the overall feel.. I had honestly more fun on this bike than any litre bike I had ridden before this day. Litre bikes of course also being tons of fun, but that’s fun in acceleration, whereas on the R7 it’s fun in how easy and thrilling it is in the corners. You could do laps around a super bike in corners, technically.

Riding the R7 @ Spa Francorchamps

A few weeks before the Yamaha trackdays at Spa Francorchamps I heard that I could ride again. This time I wasn’t scheduled in on a specific bike, I was free to see what was available and try it out. I was super stoked of course, trackdays are my obsession and I had loved my time at the day at Assen. A couple of our friends would be going too so we would be with a nice group of people, all riding the amazing track of Spa.
The first day I was able to ride on the GYTR R7 in my second session of the day. Before that I had a session on the Street R7 and got to learn the track a bit on this bike at lower speeds.
On the GYTR R7 it was time to learn the track some more, and experience once again the difference between the Street R7 and the GYTR R7. I will say it again: The immense difference between the street version and the GYTR R7 is exhilarating. Probably because they adjusted so much on the bike to build it into this track beast!

GYTR?

GYTR stands for “Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing”. It’s an R7 Yamaha designed for Yamaha Racing enthusiasts who want to go on track but think the R6 is just a bit too much. 
Don’t be fooled, though, this is not a beginner bike! The options put on this bike with this pack make it a real thrill seeking bike that with no doubt will “yeet” you off right into the air if handled wrong.
So, what are some of the parts fitted on this bike that’s different from the street R7? Well, quite a lot I found out upon research. But let’s keep it to the biggest differences to not make this blog a huge list going on pages and pages. (because it really is pages and pages of adjustments..!)
The bike is equipped with an Öhlins rear shock absorber with adjustable compression and rebound dampening. It also has an Full option exhaust system manufactured by Akrapovic. It has a pretty set of race fairings and a different dashboard without key and a lot of *fun* buttons to press (hehehe). It also has a quick shifter, Brembo braking system and a lot of other amazing small(er) adjustments like the rear set and the extra protection all over like you’d want on a track/race bike.

Conclusion

All in all, this bike has everything you need for a great day on track, and a successful career in racing. With 75 hp it still won’t be faster than a bare stock R6 from the year 2005 on the straight, but will make up for it in corners. Certainly a bike you, when given the opportunity, have to try out for yourself to experience the difference!

Ok, but what about the price? I don’t know for sure because there still isn’t a direct price available, or at least, none that I could find in my search on the good ol’ interwebs.. and I certainly wasn’t going to do math by adding up every little nut and bolt that’s listed in the GYTR catalogue to get an estimated price.
ut with the GYTR R6 kit released for 2022 being €17.354,55 (ex. VAT) we can only expect it to be a BIT lower than that. Hopefully.. 

Thanks for reading bikerfam! Have a nice day and I will see you next time!