RideFast March 2022

The MT07...
TWIN TORQUE
Last month we got to spend a few days in the saddle
of the MT03 - and in that class, especially at the
price, there is just about nothing to touch it. We
hope you read that feature. This month, we were
offered the (slightly), larger, faster, better MT07.
World of Yamaha was generous enough to let us
keep this nippy beast for a few days, and we made
proper use of it.
By Stefan VD Riet.
The masters of torque. I can’t think of a more fitting title for the the MT
line-up.
Did you know that since 2013, around 250,000 MTs have been sold in
Europe, with half of those being MT-07s? That’s flippen respectable in
anyone’s language and we’d love to know what the global figure is. The
bike saw a restyling in 2018. Now in its third generation, there’s a new
face, more eco-friendly twin-pot motor, fatter front discs and more.
And our blast of roughly 200 kilometres, proved that it still keeps its
great character and lightness, with the ability to make riders of all skill
levels grin.
The Parallel twin went under the knife in 2020, refreshed to comply
with Euro5 emissions regulations, which came into force at the
beginning of 2021. It received an extra cat in the revised two-into-one
exhaust pipe, but this did not compromise the sweet tunes.
The current model achieved the latest standard with hardly any drop
in performance. Yamaha claims 72.4bhp and 49.4lb.ft in this latest
model, meaning a loss of just 1.6bhp and 0.7lb.ft of torque over its
predecessor. Changes to the intake, valve plates and gearbox mean
you enjoy the same popular engine characteristics as before, with the
MT actually delivering more linear power.
Right from the dealership in Kramerville, we hit the highway all around
the south of Jo’burg up to Roodepoort and back, thoroughly testing
open freeway capabilities.