Track-Built Icon: 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7 OW02 for Sale

1999 Yamaha YZF-R7 OW02
Miles: 11,110
Rebuilt, Rebuildable, & Reconstructed Title
Listed Price: $20,000 Or Best Offer
Listing Ends: Jan 7th, 2026

There is an undeniable mystique surrounding homologation special motorcycles that goes well beyond their rarity. In an effort to boost the performance of their racing counterparts, they were often stuffed full of lightweight engine internals made of exotic materials, carefully chosen gear ratios, frames with adjustable geometry, updated carburetors, lightweight bodywork, and so on. The problem is, those changes didn’t always make them better street bikes for the owners who actually intended to ride them. Flat-slide carburetors chosen for peak racing performance were far too large for a bike tuned for the road, tall gear ratios ideal for the race track required heavy clutch slip in traffic, and so on. Such was the case with the Yamaha YZF-R7 OW02, a 750cc homologation special packed with exotic materials and a wildly oversquare engine, fully-adjustable Öhlins supension at both ends, and a GP-derived aluminum frame with an adjustable steering head and swingarm pivots. Unfortunately, the roadgoing version made a disappointing 106hp, on par with the company’s 600cc R6, unless you fitted one of Yamaha’s obviously-not-road-legal and difficult-to-obtain race kits that included a new ram-air carbon fiber airbox and activated a second, dormant set of fuel injectors. The relative lack of performance was really never the point of the bike though, and its racing associations and rarity made it an instant collectible, with just 500 made worldwide over two years of production. A lack of performance, however, is not a problem with this particular example…

1999 YZF-R7 OW-02 equipped with an 07 fuel injected R1 motor. Millage on odometer reflects actual miles on donor motor with complete wiring harness with running lights/connectors intact for street conversion. Built for track day purpose. No track day use since its completion. Head light, turn signals and brake lights would have to be installed to be street legal, which does not come with the sale. Never been registered. Comes with bill of sale. Sole purpose of the build was to preserve the other 3 in my collection. 4 in total in different paint scheme and iteration. Sacrificial lamb, of you will. Recently sold one with original factory colors/carburated r1 motor.

2 decades of collection netted 4 r7s. Frame was originally modified for a 99 1000cc carburated motor, but I decided to modify it to accept an 07 motor instead. As a certified welder and fabricator, I machined, fabricated and welded all necessary brackets fixtures and jigs to accomplish this task. Gas tank is modified to run an 07 fuel pump. Brackets for battery, ecu and cdi was integrated to original seat frame. Dash, radiator, exhaust manifold are from donor 07 r1. Graves titanium mid pipe and muffler, Brembo master cylinder, radial conversion mounting brackets, Brembo radial calipers and floating rotors. Bazzaz fuel injection and traction controller, wet and dry switch, quick shifter, shift light, gp pattern. Attack performance rearsets. 17″ Marchesini magnesium 5 spoke front wheel, 17″ 10 spoke forged magnesium rear wheel. Michelin front tire/Dunlop sportsmas Q3 rear. New DID 520 chain, 17t front/45t rear sprocket. Inboard ohlins steering damper.

Sharkskins fairing, ex Gobert/Buckmaster, original tail section. Adjustable folding clutch lever. For the cons: Fairings and tail section has chips, cracks and scratches. Same goes for gas tank. O2 sensor is bolted but not connected electrically. It interferes with the Bazzaz controller, from what I was told, when it was equipped on the donor 07 r1, hence the service light on the dash. Lithium battery, distilled water in cooling system. Last and second to last photos are part of my collection.

Let’s get this out of the way up front: if you’re a collector, looking for a museum-piece Yamaha YZF-R7 OW02, this is obviously not your bike. It’s a highly modified machine intended for track use, using the popular R1 motor swap, instead of the problematic original engine. A way for an enthusiast to experience the R7 as it might have been in its full-power iteration, without the headaches associated with obtaining the… unobtainable factory go-fast bits. I’m sure some will have feelings about cutting up and thrashing a bike this rare [one of just 50 imported to the US], but modifying what is essentially a neutered racebike to let it be a real racebike seems fully in keeping with the spirit of the thing. Is it worth the $20,000 being asked? No idea, but the build quality on display is undeniable, and it sure as hell makes a more interesting twenty-grand track day toy than a modern literbike with loads of ass-saving traction-control tech does. Will you be faster on that modern superbike? Probably. Will you be cooler on this R7? No question.

-tad