I have no problem with the T7 or Yamaha and had the bike been available and properly priced it would have been a contender for my latest bike.
I ended up with an F850 Adventure, which I drove out of the dealership 4 days after deciding on it for less than 170K. It's comfortable and performs well enough for my needs. It has a 5 year warranty so if my Chinese motor explodes I get a new one. If that does happen BMW on call will come to my rescue so no need to camp in the bush for a month while I rebuild the motor using termites and braided palm fronds. Not only that but my local dealer gives me coffee and muffins while they wash my bike for free after my weekend getaways, it's an all-round win.
While reliability is a factor it is hardly the most important one (or KTM would never sell a bike). If you are over-landing through deepest darkest Africa, battling carnivorous pygmies and Tsetse flies, there are more reliable and easier to maintain options than any of the latest generation 'adventure' bikes. None of the major brands could afford to sell bikes that would result in a large number of warranty claims so while there maybe some differences it's not like the T7's will be around in hundreds of years for future generations to marvel at their reliability while bikes from other brands implode three kilometres from the dealership.
There are a lot of great options out there with slightly different strengths and weaknesses, for 95% of riders anyone of them will be more than adequate. So if the T7 is what excites you and you feel the wait and price is worth it, that's great, from all the reviews and feedback it seems like a good bike. It won't turn you into a Pol Tarres leaping like an inebriated Gazelle from rock to rock, or give you a bigger smile than a the guy blasting past you on his ready to race 790 (with his pillion dog for the long walk home) or give you a never ending supply of high quality BMW muffins.
Happy trails !!!
The lack of electronics is exactly why so many are buying this bike. I have watched many videos of guys doing long trips solo and they all mention this is the main reason they bought a T7, less stuff to go wrong and Yamaha reliability. I believe the CP2 is the motor with the least amount of faults reported by owners world wide according to a German study.
Not disputing that at all - reliability is always important when you are far from help.
The issue is the price that we are expected to pay for what is just a basic bike. The whole reason behind the development of this bike was to bring an affordable bike to market that was stone reliable and to sell truck loads of them. This has been done in most markets around the world but not here in sunny SA - here Yamaha has got greedy.
Given the asking price, as a business transaction, we are effectively paying for Yamaha to take bits off the bike that you would otherwise have been getting and this okay because it is reliable?
Yamaha did much the same thing in the outboard boat market - these days Suzuki has taken this market as the motors are just as reliable and they are cheaper.
Dunno I just see it differently, if i am putting money down then I expect reliability - I am not going to pay extra for it. If it is not reliable then I will walk past and get a product that gives me what I am looking for.
At the moment Yamaha has got this segment of the market cornered but hopefully Honda will release an Africa Twin light in the not too distant future and others may follow. Then its game on and the consumer benefits.
Topic: Yamaha T7 - No longer a Concept (Read 301788 times)
