5:45 did i just hear great looking for the R7 its a MT07 with plastics on it and same ugly cyclops headlight in what world is that pretty? My opnioun hasnt changed one bit about this vid RS660 is king more hp more im not going to die that badly tech and sound like an rsv4 if you put an SC project pipe on it. And looks hella good.
Looks are subjective my friend. R7 follows the design language that Yamaha has been putting with R line motorcycle so if some people like the looks of R6 or R1, then they might think it's pretty. I've seen both bikes in person and although I do think RS660 looks better, R7 doesn't look that bad either. R7 looks sharper than RS660 and I like the Yamaha's signature deep blue color but RS660 with blue/red/black looks stunning.
@@dressing2877 Yeah, that's a shame but Yamaha decided to put just fairing around the MT07's headlight instead of reposition it to make it look more like R6 & R1. I guess they did that to reduce the production cost. Well it is what it is. It kinda grew into me though. I hated it when I first saw it too lol.
It doesn't need to..If you want head to head comparison. Check out Yammie Noob RU-vid Channel Which Is The Aprilia RS660 VS Yamaha R7.. You will find what you asked for
Owned my RS660 for two months now with 6,000kms on the clock and absolutely loving it. I know some riders are questionable on aprilia’s reliability from the past (back in the early 2000s) but aprilia has come a long way since. I haven’t experienced a single issue with my little aprilia and she’s an absolute gem. Built with proof that this motor can do the hard yards if looked after, that offers tons of fun on the track and on the streets. Like anything keep it maintained without doing anything drastic to the motor and she will stay happy.
@@kloppskalli it’s not the motor that aprilia had issues with in the past, it was the electrics. I’ve owned a couple of aprilias in the past, the RST1000 was most certainly a bullet proof motor racking up 80,000kms on the clock.
@@kloppskalli hey I had an RST1000 too and a Millie R, great motorcycles and yes awesome motors! Personally I never had an issue with neither of the motors, I racked up 190,000 miles on my old Futura but the electronics were a bit tricky haha. Had to make a couple of wiring modifications to by pass some issues but other than that BRILLIANT bike.
Problems are showing up with the RS660 in Moto America Twins Cup. They have lots of Aprilia mechanics on hand/site to help those running the RS. Aprilia wants to keep this hush hush, even controlling those who have spoke regarding some of the issues.
Haha on the hush hush how did you gather the news then. Look in the world of racing bud you’ll always come across problems, no matter the make and model. Motogp Honda is having trouble this year with their latest model, the Yamaha engine had major malfunctions in 2020. That’s racing! You’re forgetting motorcycles in competitive racing are modified with lighter running gear so wear and tear is bound to happen.
How is this a Comparison? Which handles better, which braking system is better, which suspension is better and by what margin? Only things relevant from your review (because this is what it is) are the price, power, electronics and weight but we can all find these out by looking at a specs sheet, c'mon Visordown, I know you guys can do better. Don't tell us both machines are great, go buy any of them, this is a comparison, it should be about the riding experience and relevant information to help us differentiate between the models.
Sad. Didn't even ride em back to back lol - aren't y'all a motorcycle outlet? Can't get your hands on both bikes for a video? Better check out our video where we rode them back to back and actually compared them
No, it's not just the extra technology that separates the two. the RS660 not only has a much stronger engine, It slso has better chassis, better brakes, better tyres and overall better components all around. Thanks for the review .
@@rampage3337 i have an r7 and an r7 and I can tell you the r7 is 100% a sports bike. The riding style and the feeling is the exact sports feeling you get on a sports bike, at the top you don’t get the explosiveness of the in-line four but on the bottom you smoke an r6 with the amount low in power you get… the thing wants to wheelie on second gear! 😄 it’s a mid to beginner bike.
what I find funny is every one thinks they need a 1000cc bike I see a lot of them and 8 out of 10 bikes I see have a chicken Strip that can feed a family of 4 🤷♂️
honda need to bring a real super sport bike back the cbr600rr is and will kill the cbr650 so why make a shit bike I don't get it 50cc more but about 20bhp less
@@garethprice2245 different classes/categories.. cbr650r, r7, rs660, ninja 650 are all sports touring. But yeah they have a lot of money to continue 600cc supersports!! We need them not only for the roads but tracks. Smdh.
@@garethprice2245 Honda still makes CBR600RR but only for Japanese market. 600cc supersport bike class is dying breed and there is no reason for these company to invest money to meet Euro5. It's one of the reason why Yamaha made R7 to replace R6. R6 is track only now and Kawasaki pretty much ended ZX6R production this year for the same reason. It's sad but it is what it is and we have to live with 650cc class sport tourer now. Also just because bike has 50cc more it doesn't always means that it has more hp. It depends on how the engine is engineered for what purpose. Edit: I guess ZX6R is still coming back as 2022 model so I guess Kawasaki is doing great.
The CBR650 is a heavy 4cyl sporty bike focused on comfort. If you tried to make it more like these bikes, you'd basically end up with a CBR600RR. A Suzuki SV650 with supersport ergos, geometry, and bodywork would be an excellent addition to this segment. Especially if it were to come in cheaper than the R7.
@@bk83082 thats what they already do with the sv650! In bsb and some races. They convert it into a superaport ergos and race em' its an awesome super twin as they call it
Another few things to keep in mind is running cost, dealer network and reliability. Aprilia dealers are almost non-existent in the U.S. and the RS has already had engine trouble. Having said all of that damn it's beautiful though. The eventual R9 should be a worthy competitor as well.
I agree. I have ridden RS660 for few days and I absolutely loved it. Has more than enough power to have fun on the street and on twisted road while looking good on it. However, it's hard to find dealers around here and the price is a bit stiff since lot of dealers, who actually has them, put ridiculous amount of mark ups to an already high price. Also I talked to the owners and although they love their bike, some told me that they are already having an issue with engine. It is under warranty so they fix it for free but the issue is that it takes way long to fix. I heard that it usually takes few weeks for Triumph and Aprilia to get serviced because they are smaller brands here in the US. If Yamaha tweaks CP3 a little bit to fit better for sport bike, I think it will be the best bang for the buck competitor to Panigale V2 in terms of price and performance since MT09 is faster up to 80~90ish mph than most liter sport bikes. While RS660 is great sport bike for its class, R6 was faster and MT09 is even faster than R6.
Tuono owner here...you're completely right. Dealers are impossible to find, and incompetent when you do, parts are impossible to find and expensive when you do, and as much as I adore mine, I have a handful of gremlins I'm always fighting that NEVER showed up on my Japanese bikes.
I got lucky, had a preorder of an R7 that kept being delayed, I had my eye on the RS660 from the get go but the R7 was gonna be more available or so I thought. I looked up the nearest aprilia dealer and to my surprise it was 15 minutes away from my house. I went the next day and picked up my RS660 and cancelled my R7 preorder.
@@claytonsautodetailing8070 lucky the closest one to me is 361 miles away and I live in Atlanta. How do you feel about it since purchasing it? Is it a good little street hoonigan?
@@MadWilli I’m very much a fair weather rider, so I haven’t ridden it since I posted that, but I’m itching to death to get it out, still just a smidge too cold. It’s the perfect street bike in my opinion.
Calling the R7 an R is a travesty. It literally cannot keep up with the 600cc supersport competition. Yamaha wants to make a new class? Cool. Give it a new name. You don’t get it both ways. You don’t get to capitalize on the brand recognition of the R that you carefully built up to mean racing excellence and then slap it on this and be upset with comparisons.
yamaha don't whant to make a new class. they have litteraly ben making that kind of bike for ages now. R7 is not the first low power sport bike look alike package out there. they use to just put the R in the end of the bike it was based of. like FZ6 turned in to FZ6R so the real name of the R7 is MT-07R . the name is the worst part of the bike and makes it a trash useless POS. if it was named MT-07R it would be a great bike because now you are not comparing to to sport bikes but rather just sport bike fairing cruisers
please do a side by side, IRL road and track test of these two. YammieNoob already did one and it's really surprising. Would be great to get different perspectives on these two.
While the R7 is the slower bike, my insurance company wants to charge the same as for an R6/ZX6R. Meanwhile they only want slightly more for the RS than I'm paying for my R3. Weird
I had nationwide on my R3 paying $117 a month. Purchased and added the RS660 to my stable, and switched to progressive. I’m now paying $68 a month for BOTH bikes. Should’ve switched a long time ago
i got quoted 83$ per month from one insurance company and 40$from another for my fz6n. and i have seen Kawasaki have their own personal insurance for the bikes where it could go down to like 20$ a month. insurance in Sweden is fairly cheap though i believe. don't really know about other places in the world but it does seem like people complain about insurance prices while i myself here have not really experienced any major insurances
@@ur2slob724 is it your first bike? did you use more than first 2 gears? I am just saying if you are a beginner, and you want to have some fun and a safety net, tc is good
I like them both and hope to see the R9 make a debut. With the 90% new MT09SP as base and multiple peg heights available in would get it slap some risers on & call it a day.
Do you really need those electronics? The answer is NO. Those electronics are made for much bigger engines with more power and torque. For the Aprilia are not necessary. They are only marketing gizmos for some nubbies like the one commenting on how good Aprilia is packing those adding features 😂 I also tested both bikes, they are very close to each other with Aprilia a bit better on the suspension. But for £2000 more, honestly it doesn't worthy that spend. On the other hand Yamaha is extremely reliable and keeps its price high for years and if you are a committed rider then you can easily take down the Aprilia in any circumstances.
@@CS-pl8fc and if you hit an oil spill then no Aprilia traction will save you...there are many scenarios every day. At the track I am not going with an underpower Aprilia 660. I will take an R1 or a V4 Aprilia or a R6 GYTP. :))
Both cool bikes, that would perfect with 750-850cc engines and 120 hp effective, stock, no tuning required. That would be even good for the naked counterpart, like the Tuono. Modern sport 1000cc are exaggerated for street use.
Hard time agreeing ...do own the RS 660 and as a bike owner since over 30 years I never saw or had a better bike. Do have the 105 bhp version as there are 2 different ones out there and could never complain. Plus you also forgot all the fancy things it comes with like the GPS navi on your bike main display which is great, ABS, AWC,ATC as well as even a cruise control which makes it great for long runs when you want to give the right arm / hand a rest. Overall....for the price plus more horsepower, plus better handling, plus more fun on track the Aprilia...although a clear winner by its look and design but this is a matter of taste, is clearly the better bike !!! Safe riding folks
@@CS-pl8fc yeah, well said! I want the Italian bikes so bad but it’s a hard transition when I’m so use to Honda and Yamaha reliability and big dealer network. That RS660 is a bad ass bike though, I’d love one!
Fully agree. Between them in performance & Price, with 2 extra cilinders (& nice grunt), U have the Honda CBR 650-R. Bottom line on the 2: great looks, Japanese reliability, and cut-throat price favour the R7. Tech, grit & style do it for the Italian.
This is a great reminder of actually how good the Triumph 675 engine really is and how it’s still very relevant today. The torque curve and overall HP beats or matches both class leaders these days.
I just had a call this morning from a Yamaha dealer, as I'd expressed an interest in the R7 earlier in the year. I had to tell him that I'd since bought the RS 660.
The R7 for the road and my R6 for the track.. I saw a video of taking of the handle mode switch of the 660 Aprilia you have to dismantle the whole front end as all the plugs under underthe screen and behind the TFT display and if you want to adjust the rear shock you have to take off the seat and side panel... OH those 🇮🇹 's looks great goes great just a pain to work on... Lol 😂
Every commentator I've seen who's suggested have said the Honda is not well equipped for its premium and is a bit too heavy to compete with these (but still a good bike in its own right). Not my comments - I own none of them but I'm the market so watching carefully
@@sjay7292 absolutely. I’ve owned 3 Hondas (hornet 600, cbr 600rr and a fireblade) loved them but the market has moved on, I want my whizz-bangs, I want to endlessly play with settings and have the safety of Corning abs. The R7 has something beautiful about it but it’s not much of a contest next to the 660. If I had the cash and just passed my big bike test I’d get the 660 - no danger!
I'd like to try one (no one has a test bike as of yet) ... as every parallel twin I've ridden so far was quite underwhelming, which makes me wonder if these are just "sheep in wolves clothing." The specs and etc don't make these any sort of replacement for the outgoing super sport bikes, yet the manufacturers are charging about the same price. I'm guessing tons of them will turn up in the used market in the not-too-distant future.
The CP2 is the enigne that will change your mind. It's peppy and fizzy, and in the R7 it's even got that all-important growl you need from a sports bike
Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder and purely subjective. I've owned 3 Yamahas and 3 Aprilias. Yamaha is way less expensive and way more reliable. Apparently the Italian motorcycle makers at Aprilia aren't good electricians because I had electrical issues with all 3 Aprilias I owned. I ultimately got rid of all my Aprilias because I just don't TRUST their electronics or reliability. Never had any issues w/reliability or electronics w/Yamaha so my vote goes to Yamaha all day every day!
I think it’s more about making motorcycles more affordable for the general public. There’s not many people that can afford £20.000 plus for a superbike, these are more affordable for the masses, I use the term affordable lightly as they are still serious money!!
I agree with the verdict on price alone but let's be honest most people who own bikes keep them for a few years and chuck additional money into them in upgrades, I think you are in a far better place with the RS660 both in terms of out the door value, premium features and just an overall better set up bike that can do anything. I put my money where my mouth is in this case and purchased an RS660, I opted for this over liter or near liter contenders such as the supersport, s1k and rsv4 which are far different from a price standpoint. My riding is a bit of everything but very little track time as I have a family and limited leisure time. If it had been more track time focused I think the more single-minded, larger displacement bikes would have been a better choice. As it stands I think the RS660 is the best bike I have ever ridden out of the box that really can do everything.
I don't understand why the Kawasaki Zx6r seems very underrated ... Inline4 .. 130bhp...great looks .... Enough electronics ...n probably the value for money...
I rather pay little extra for Aprilia. Leaving the looks aside (because it's all subjective) all that Yamaha can show off is the price, and its by no means cheap.
Nice comparison, thanks. Where I live the RS costs 44% more than the R7. And with that 660 engine producing so much power I wonder about the total cost of ownership of the Italian screamer. Here the RS660 costs more than a Street Triple R and almost as much as the Street Triple RS. No comparison. The RS660 not competing with the R7 at all, in Australia and New Zealand anyway. BTW, I ride a Street Triple R. Would not contemplate a RS660.
moved down from a R1M TO R7. R7 very fun, great for city or back roads, not great for hwy. Rideable on hwy just don't try to ride with anyone more than a 600 if you are hitting the hwy. Anyting below 3 digits on the speedo it will hang with but after that let them go.
@@jgr9610 I would to have both but may be just a regular R1. But 2 reasons. When I do ride I like to ride hard or cruise so in the back of my mind I think $$ if anything goes wrong from scratches to a crash. The cosmetic parts for that bike a super high . 2 it looks great but for the street a regular R1 would be better. So I sold it and I can almost buy two bike for the price of 1.
having ridden the rs660, i can say that it's definitely fun to ride. not as much insane power as a liter bike, but plenty enough for the street. i actually felt way more like a responsible street rider on it than on my cbr1000rr definitely put an exhaust on it though, stock sounds like garbo. i was also recommended to let the bike warm up for about three minutes before riding, which was not a big deal. worst parts about the bike, i kept flicking the high beams on when going for the clutch, which was super irritating; the buttons and controls felt tacky and cheap; and it was a bit difficult to find neutral at times overall, fun bike to ride. feels quick and responsive to input, looks really cool too
I really wonder if R7 would some day get a 750cc Triple Cylinder motor and probably after learning about their mistake, Yamaha would call it R8 with slightly above 125bhp motor. Hope then MT09 motor would be tweaked up to get slightly over 150-160bhp.
If yamaha just use the 7 number in the r7 name and up the bore and stroke to 750cc, tune up to 125hp.... It will fill the gap that have been left by the r6..........
In 2023 rs660 comes under £10k and r7 now costs £8700/- with quick shifter. Adding performance pack on r7 takes it’s cost above £10/- making a choice of rs660 is no brainer in 2023
I'm not convinced, will stick with modern retros, prices are better and the '90s sport revolution is over, cramming a mid sized bike with gizmos then charging top money for it seems like shooting yourself in the foot ! Yes we need electronics on the big stuff to make them safely rideable but 10k for a mid sized bike is suicide, I predict they will not outsell the Royal Enfield range. If I wanted an uncomfortable sports bike I'd buy BMW S1000RR, does trackies, cruises, gizmos, looks great too.
I think the R7 is a joke to the Yamaha R series of bikes. Yes, I also hate the R3. The R7 is a great starter bike that can handle anything from new riders to more experienced riders hoping to dial in cornering. I would have loved if they just named it fz7r a replacement to the Yamahas fz6r. Anyone who tries to convince themselves that the R7 is a supersport is delusional.
@@robertmarsh3588 I am mainly looking at the Tuono Base with 175hp and it's a $5000 premium over the 660, I would pay it personally, can't speak for others but I guess that is why we have variety. I just ordered the MG V100, be interesting to see where it lands price and spec-wise. I will make a decision after EICMA on which way to go. My personal choice would be a base BMW 1000R naked bike. I have a little Ninja 400 for the low-powered fun stuff ... =)
I don't really understand why these two bikes keep getting compared. The Aprilia is a premium bike that has been built from the ground up with love and passion. The R7 is an MT07 with plastics. It's cheap and lazy. You might as well just go buy a ninja 300. It's overpriced for what you're getting.
Because they are both part of the new breed of so-called sports bikes with parallel twin engines and low power outputs. The Aprilia might be a bit fancier, but it's the same soft-sports formula.
I am in the market for a mid-weight bike, getting my bike in December, but where I live, the bike I am getting is cheaper than these 2 overpriced bike. Well, about the same price as the R7. Z900. I'm well pleased with my choice.
good choise :) you geting mid weight bike as in just a mid sized bike or as in mid weight license? (called a2 license in sweden) i find it really cool that the manufacturers these days offer you a mid weight version of their bikes. no need to go to the tuners and no need to deal with the registration change from A to a2 (heavy license- mid license)
I think we may be talking apples and oranges U.S. vs Europe. In the U.S. you still have the ZX6R option. For the same approximate money you get the same tech+ and in every other area it blows the RS660 away. With exception of ergonomics and comfort. And if you are more track focused, you can opt for no ABS and get a ZX6R for less than the RS660. I think if Aprilia doesn't offer a lower tech/economy model they've outpriced their market, at least in the U.S. Which could result in low sales and a short run. A short run vehicle can result in poor resale value. And difficulty finding parts and mods long run. And the R7 outperforms the RS660 on the street with its power band. Unless your street riding goes in excess of 100mph. I just feel, unless you are looking for the flashy unnecessary tech or a more comfortable ride, the Aprilia has missed the price point for the even smaller market in the U.S. Again, in Europe, it may be a different story. I think RS660 owners should hope Kawasaki doesn't make a Euro5 compliant ZX6R. If they do, it's going to struggle with sustainability in the market.
Not the slightest bit interested in either machine; I'm naked-sports or Café-inclined (MT-07 rather than R7!), but without hesitation, if I had to choose one, I'd go R7 in the white and red race-livery with gold/bronze wheels. I'd venture a guess that only a small minority of these sorts of bikes ever see a race-track, and therefore the R7 is to me, the obvious choice.
I don't have a problem with a 600cc bike but l kinda have with non-4 cylinders one. Do the Aprilia need all that electronic? Wheelie control, traction control on a 100hp motorcycle? Electronic is cheap to fit for manufacturers but pricey to buy/maintain for us
Need is a relative term based off your skills as a rider. If this is your first bike then it lets you take it easy and gradually lower the traction control until you are comfortable with the feel of a faster bike. As for wheelie control, in first gear full throttle you could easily loop the bike when you hit the powerband. So having that available as a new rider to not loop your new bike when the front wheel lifts unexpectedly is a benefit.
got the r7 over the aprilia because I expect japanese reliability over italian (lol), and the r7 looks better, from the side and from the seat. the lack of electronics is also a bonus
Aprilia? Just hearing that name gives me chills, my experience with Aprilia was bad, very bad, the engines are not reliable, I will never buy a non-Japanese motorcycle again
Remember when sales of bikes between 125 and 600 dropped so manufacturers stopped making them, then "re-invented" them with the R3 etc? Seems like they are doing the same again. I wonder if proper 600's will be a thing again in a decade or two 🤔
@@jimtitchmarsh3786 I hope they would reinvent R7 with 750cc Triple Cylinder motor & R9 with same MT09 motor, which would make lot of sense to me.. Rest of the manufacturers would follow the trend i am sure..
I come from a XSR 900 Abarth edition, and I tested the aprillia but didn’t fancy the rear breaks… And haven’t ridden the R7 but I don’t know. Neither these bikes are so interesting to make me do the change. Maybe the new Tuono V4? It’s another tournament, I know, but on the aprillia 660RS, after 70 mph we can see nothing through the mirrors as they start vibrating immensely. The bike just isn’t the alternative to my Cp3 engine equipped retro style Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth Edition!
r7 would do well in moderate traffic. which requires low to mid rev more often than stay up high. and with the sportiest look in its catergory (mid sport tour city use) i believe the target market would be in middle east countries as well Asia's. i want to know what indian and korean opionion would be.
I would rather dream of R7 with 750cc Triple Cylinder, like R9 is Triple Cylinder. Twin Cylinder in India for that price tag may not work, alike R3 couldn't capture much of mass market either, but i still Love my R3. No doubt R7 would perform great on track too but it would need de-cat or full system plus may need ECU flash or piggy-back ECU etc all the rigmarole Yamaha makes people go through, for their bikes then to achieve top-notch or reduce the weight.. Indians have already got similar looking R15M so riders owning R7 would want to avoid being mistaken for R15.. I get that a lot even though my R3 look way different to R15. So price point is main Factor in India and believe me £8,200 is a lot because Indians would rather end up buying a 4 cylinder Honda cbr650r for that price point we get here.. So lesson to learn for Yamha is that, make in India or probably CKD route should cut the cost down to somewhere around £6,500 ex-showroom.
I think the RS660 is the better bike but I don't get the way people dick ride it so much. For what it costs, it's pretty meh on it's own. It's just a good bike where you pretty much get what you pay for. Same applies to the R7 really at its price point. For the price of an RS660 Im definitely just going with a regular 600 super sport anyways. I think the R7 is great for people where a $9k bike is already at the upper limit of stretching their budget or they want a bike they can push harder on the street. But if I can spend RS660 cost I'll just go the proper route and get a 4cyl 600.
and the R7 is only marginally better than my 21yr old SV650S... This isn't a "new" segment of motorcycles. One could argue the Honda Ascot started it.. a sporting twin. The Hawk GT made the segment relevant. The SV650 showed that they mattered.
There is no comparison. Period. Reliable and price cost goes to Yamaha. Aprilia only has the looks and performance but later on the ownership, Aprilia will give you headaches on recalls, electronic and mechanical failures.
That was a cheapskate “head to head”. I expected to see the bikes tested against each other at the same time - this said very little about how they stack up against each other.
