More Triples Coming Soon? | Rumor Mill

We were frankly surprised to see just two new models from Yamaha this spring—one (the Super Ténéré) an update of an existing bike and the other (the SR400) an existing bike borrowed from another market. Because of this, we’re betting on an additional mid-year release of more early 2015 models. Here are our three best guesses at what those might be:

» We expect the next variant of Yamaha's roundly received FZ-09 triple to appear sooner rather than later. We're guessing the next one will be a half-faired "S" model with improved weather protection and a sportier riding position—though a midsized, 850cc adventure-tourer would certainly be cool.

» It's been seven years since Yamaha's R6 supersport has received any attention, making an update long overdue. Changes in the marketplace have made displacement categories—not to mention acceptable engine configurations—more fluid. Imagine Yamaha pulling a page from Triumph's playbook and slotting a sleeved-down FZ-09 triple into a pure sportbike chassis to create a "supermid" R675. Yes, please.

» Our final (and most probable) pick for a mid-season delight is a stateside showing of Yamaha's MT-07, the 689cc parallel-twin already on sale in Europe. Yamaha USA officials remain mum, but our spidey-sense says it's coming soon, riding the wave of momentum created by the FZ-09. For a quick MT-07 preview, jump forward to European Correspondent Roland Brown's First Ride report on page 34.

ILLO: Kar Lee