The Yamaha RW700 is Yamaha’s first adventure scooter, and it hides a motorcycle drivetrain under scooter bodywork. It uses the 689cc CP2 twin from the MT-07 and Ténéré 700 family, a six-speed automated gearbox and chain drive.
Yamaha revealed it in Milan on Monday evening, alongside a better-equipped RW700 Explore and a smaller RW350. All three are on Yamaha’s EICMA 2026 stand this week.
What is the Yamaha RW700?
The Yamaha RW700 is a 2027 adventure scooter: a step-through scooter with long-travel suspension, spoked wheels, knobbly tyres and off-road riding modes. Yamaha calls it a crossover between a motorcycle and a scooter. Reviewers see Honda’s X-ADV, which has defined this niche for years, as its obvious target.
The reveal came at Yamaha Motor Europe’s premiere on November 2. Product pages and launch videos went live at 8:00 PM Milan time, which was 12:30 AM IST on Tuesday. Motorcycle News had its story up that minute, and Indian outlets including Overdrive, Times Now and Autocar India followed by the afternoon.
The name is not new. Yamaha trademarked an “RW700 Explore” logo in August 2025, which set off months of guessing.
Interest is real. “Yamaha RW700 Explore” was a Google Trends trending search in Brazil on Tuesday morning, with more than 2,000 searches.
How powerful is the RW700’s CP2 engine?
The RW700 makes 51 kW, or 69.3 PS, at 8,250 rpm and 65 Nm between 6,500 and 6,750 rpm, according to Yamaha. The 689cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin meets Euro 5+ rules. Yamaha also lists a 35 kW version for riders with Europe’s A2 licence, on both the RW700 and the Explore.
Yamaha claims fuel use of 4.1 litres per 100 km, and the tank holds 14 litres. On paper that suggests a range of about 340 km from a full tank. That is our arithmetic, not a Yamaha figure, and real-world use will vary.
Unlike most scooters, the engine sits fixed in a high-tensile steel frame. A swingarm and chain carry drive to the rear wheel, as on a motorcycle.
How does Y-AMT work on a scooter?
Y-AMT is Yamaha’s automated manual gearbox. The RW700 has six real gears and a wet clutch, but no clutch lever or gear pedal. You can let it shift on its own, or change gears with a paddle on the left handlebar. Yamaha says each paddle shift takes about 0.1 seconds.
There is no foot brake either. Both brakes work from the hand levers, as on any scooter.
Yamaha first used Y-AMT in 2024. Here it gets its first off-road calibration. In the GRAVEL modes, the gearbox does not upshift the moment the rear wheel spins, so the rider can use controlled slip on loose ground.
If the rear wheel locks or the scooter slows sharply, the electronics work the clutch to stop the engine stalling. Yamaha also added a rubber damper on the clutch for smoother shifts.
What chassis and electronics does it get?
The RW700 uses a 41mm upside-down fork with 160mm of travel and a linkage monoshock with 155mm, adjustable for preload and rebound. It rolls on a 17-inch front and 15-inch rear spoked wheel with tubeless Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres. A six-axis IMU runs the rider aids.
Two 298mm front discs with radial four-piston calipers and a 267mm rear disc handle braking. Ground clearance is 170mm and seat height is 810mm.
The rider gets two foot positions. Central enduro-style pegs, adjustable to four positions, allow standing. Folding floorboards ahead of them give the usual relaxed scooter posture.
There are five modes. ROAD covers SPORT, STREET and ECO, and GRAVEL covers EXPLORE and a configurable EXPLORE+. Rear ABS can be switched off only in GRAVEL.
Standard kit includes cruise control, a speed limiter, a smart key and a 5-inch TFT screen with Garmin StreetCross navigation. The underseat space can take a full-face helmet, depending on its shape.
What does the RW700 Explore add?
The RW700 Explore keeps the same engine, frame and suspension travel but adds a fork with preload and rebound adjustment, heated grips, a heated rider seat, a centre stand and backlit switches. Those extras add 3 kg, taking it to 224 kg wet. It comes in Forest Green or Midnight Black.
The standard RW700 weighs 221 kg with a full tank and comes in Sage Blue or Power Grey.
What about the smaller RW350?
The RW350 uses a new 327cc single making 29.2 hp at 7,000 rpm and 31.5 Nm, with a CVT instead of Y-AMT. Its engine is bolted to the frame and only the CVT swings with the rear wheel, a layout Yamaha calls Dynamic Ride. It weighs 192 kg and goes on sale in spring 2027.
Its wheels are 16 inches at the front and 14 at the rear, and rear travel is a modest 105mm. Motorcycles.news lines it up against the Honda ADV350.
How do the RW700, RW700 Explore and RW350 compare?
The two RW700 models share the twin engine, Y-AMT gearbox and suspension travel, and differ in comfort kit and weight. The RW350 is a different machine, with a single-cylinder engine, a CVT and smaller wheels. All three share an 810mm seat height, cruise control and a 5-inch TFT screen.
| Spec | RW700 | RW700 Explore | RW350 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 689cc CP2 twin | 689cc CP2 twin | 327cc single |
| Power | 51 kW (69.3 PS) @ 8,250 rpm | 51 kW (69.3 PS) @ 8,250 rpm | 21.5 kW (29.2 hp) @ 7,000 rpm |
| Torque | 65 Nm | 65 Nm | 31.5 Nm @ 5,750 rpm |
| Gearbox | 6-speed Y-AMT, chain | 6-speed Y-AMT, chain | CVT, belt |
| Wheels | 17 / 15-inch spoked | 17 / 15-inch spoked | 16 / 14-inch cast |
| Travel (F/R) | 160 / 155 mm | 160 / 155 mm | 140 / 105 mm |
| Wet weight | 221 kg | 224 kg | 192 kg |
| Fuel tank | 14 litres | 14 litres | 13 litres |
| On sale | No date | No date | Spring 2027 |
Will the Yamaha RW700 come to India?
Yamaha has not announced India plans, prices or an on-sale date for the RW700 anywhere. Times Now notes that an India launch would depend on local specifications and pricing. For now, it is a Europe-first model with no Indian timeline at all.
The closest rival is already here. Honda launched the X-ADV in India in May 2025 through its BigWing dealers, so a small market for big adventure scooters does exist.
Further down, adventure-styled scooters such as the Honda ADV 160 show the look has fans in India, even at much lower power.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| RW700, RW700 Explore and RW350 revealed, on show at EICMA 2026 | Confirmed by Yamaha |
| 689cc twin, 69.3 PS, 65 Nm, 6-speed Y-AMT | Confirmed |
| 35 kW A2 version of RW700 and Explore | Confirmed |
| 221 kg and 224 kg wet weights | Confirmed |
| RW350 on sale in spring 2027 | Confirmed |
| RW700 on-sale date | Not confirmed |
| Prices for any RW model | Not confirmed |
| India launch | Not confirmed |
| Real-world off-road ability | Untested |
CarBike Insight Analysis
The RW700 is a smart bet on a growing idea: riders who want a twin-cylinder engine but not a clutch. Y-AMT gives Yamaha a way to do that without a CVT, and the off-road calibration is the clever part.
The open question is how much off-road ability a 221 kg scooter with a 15-inch rear wheel really has. Yamaha talks about forest tracks and gravel roads, not hard enduro, and first rides will tell.
It is also a sign of how varied EICMA 2026 has been, from the RW700 to Yamaha’s Ténéré 4 Concept and Honda’s V3R 900 E-Compressor.
For India, treat it as a watch item. A premium import would face the same small audience as the X-ADV.
FAQ
What engine does the Yamaha RW700 use?
It uses Yamaha’s 689cc CP2 parallel-twin, the engine family from the MT-07 and Ténéré 700. It makes 69.3 PS and 65 Nm, with a 35 kW version for A2 licence holders.
Is the Yamaha RW700 automatic?
Yes and no. Its six-speed Y-AMT gearbox can shift fully automatically, or the rider can change gear with a handlebar paddle. There is no clutch lever or gear pedal.
How much does the Yamaha RW700 weigh?
Yamaha quotes 221 kg with a full tank for the RW700 and 224 kg for the better-equipped RW700 Explore. The smaller RW350 weighs 192 kg.
What is the Yamaha RW700 price?
Yamaha has not announced prices for the RW700, RW700 Explore or RW350 in any market. Only accessory prices have been published so far.
Will the Yamaha RW700 launch in India?
Yamaha has not said anything about India. The RW700 has no on-sale date even in Europe yet, so an Indian launch is not on the cards for now.
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