RW700 (MY2027)

The RW700 is a scooter that won't stop where the asphalt does. Yamaha calls it an Adventure Scooter, a crossover between motorcycle and scooter, and the hardware backs that up. It runs the liquid-cooled 689 cc CP2 parallel twin, making 69 hp and 48 lb-ft. A 6-speed gearbox is shifted by Yamaha Y-AMT, and a chain drives the rear wheel. The chassis is a high-tensile steel backbone frame with an upside-down fork. It rolls on spoked 17-inch front and 15-inch rear wheels wearing tubeless rally-pattern tires, and a six-axis IMU runs the rider aids. Under the scooter bodywork, that's motorcycle hardware. Unusual!

On paper, this is built for a rider whose week splits in two: traffic from Monday to Friday, then a gravel road on Saturday. Y-AMT gives you a fully automatic mode for town, or manual shifts on a handlebar see-saw switch that Yamaha says take 0.1 seconds. The YRC riding modes come in road and off-road settings, and Yamaha says the seat lets you move easily between sitting and standing. You still get a scooter's everyday kit: a full-face helmet fits under the seat (depending on its size and shape), and cruise control, a smart key and Yamaha Y-Connect with Garmin StreetCross are standard. Yamaha quotes about 57 mpg (4.1 L/100 km). Asphalt optional.