Tracer 7 (MTT690)

The Tracer 7 takes Yamaha's 689 cc CP2 parallel twin and wraps it in a steel diamond frame that keeps the whole machine down to 432 lb wet. That combination is the entire point of the bike. You get 73 hp, 50 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm, full 17-inch sport rubber front and rear, suspension that adjusts at both ends, a TFT dash, and LED lighting. It lives at the light, agile end of sport-touring, built for a rider who wants back-road pace and honest daily usability instead of the mass and horsepower of the class heavyweights.

Ridden hard across a season it holds up the way a well-sorted mid-size Yamaha should. Reliability is a non-issue, running costs stay low, and nothing about the chassis asks you to grow into it first. It suits riders doing 200 to 400 mile days on good roads who want the bike to disappear underneath them. The honest caveat is class context. At 73 hp it doesn't carry the highway reserve of a big-bore tourer, so loaded two-up into a headwind you plan your passes rather than just twisting. Seat height is 33.1 in, and not everyone will flat-foot that.