Yamaha’s MT-07 naked bike ($7,699) has been a home run hit for the Tuning Fork brand since its 2015 MY introduction. Pairing fun, versatility, and ease of ownership, this parallel-twin powered street bike has 25,000 happy owners to date. For ‘21, Yamaha adds a level of refinement making it a more worthy choice for novice and more experienced riders alike.
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Swing a leg over the 406-pound MT and you’re welcomed with a slim riding position courtesy of its ultracompact 689cc CP2 engine. The ergonomics are a tad taller-rider-friendly courtesy of a wider and higher-positioned aluminum handlebar. Still, the bar bend is a tad conversative for our tastes with considerable rearward sweep. The seat affords above average level of comfort and the foot controls are neither too high, nor too low.
Release the well-weighted cable-actuated clutch and the torque-rich twin pulls off the line without fuss. This engine delivers 87 percent of its peak torque (46 pound-feet) from upwards of 3,500 rpm. This makes for plenty of passing power in any of the six gears. Speaking of the transmission, the second and third gears have been massaged for smoother shifts. Unlike the R7, the powertrain doesn’t include a slipper clutch.
Find out more: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2021-yamaha-mt-07-mc-commute-review/
Photography: Joseph Agustin
Video/edit: @AdamWaheed
Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn
Helmet: Shoei RF-SR
Jacket: Saint Unbreakable Denim Shearling Collar
Pant: Saint Unbreakable
Gloves: Racer Guide
Boots: TCX X-Cube Air
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
--
Swing a leg over the 406-pound MT and you’re welcomed with a slim riding position courtesy of its ultracompact 689cc CP2 engine. The ergonomics are a tad taller-rider-friendly courtesy of a wider and higher-positioned aluminum handlebar. Still, the bar bend is a tad conversative for our tastes with considerable rearward sweep. The seat affords above average level of comfort and the foot controls are neither too high, nor too low.
Release the well-weighted cable-actuated clutch and the torque-rich twin pulls off the line without fuss. This engine delivers 87 percent of its peak torque (46 pound-feet) from upwards of 3,500 rpm. This makes for plenty of passing power in any of the six gears. Speaking of the transmission, the second and third gears have been massaged for smoother shifts. Unlike the R7, the powertrain doesn’t include a slipper clutch.
Find out more: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2021-yamaha-mt-07-mc-commute-review/
Photography: Joseph Agustin
Video/edit: @AdamWaheed
Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn
Helmet: Shoei RF-SR
Jacket: Saint Unbreakable Denim Shearling Collar
Pant: Saint Unbreakable
Gloves: Racer Guide
Boots: TCX X-Cube Air
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hey folks, good morning and welcome to this episode of Motorcyclist MC Commute
00:05 starring Yamaha's 2021 MT-07 naked bike. Let's swing a leg over this bad boy and
00:12 tell you what it's like to ride. Well folks, there it is, Yamaha's 2021 MT-07.
00:19 This is an entry to mid position placed naked bike from Yamaha. Below it is the
00:28 twin cylinder MT-03. Above it is the triple cylinder MT-09. Above that is the
00:35 inline four powered MT-10. This MT-07 is powered by Yamaha's CP2 generation 689cc
00:45 parallel twin. This was also introduced for the 2015 model year of the
00:50 originally FZ-07 turned MT-07. Now what's really cool about this powertrain is
00:57 it's very compact. Look at how small the dimensions of it are. It also puts out a
01:03 very pleasing spread of torque and horsepower based on its CC size.
01:10 Yamaha's put new body panels. I love this LED lighting kit. These LED turn
01:17 signals are neat but they mount a little sloppily to the motorcycle and have a
01:22 tendency to pop out once in a while. Nice masters of torque LED tail light.
01:28 Also very nice brightness adjustable display which we'll talk about in a
01:33 little bit when we're riding. I really like the aesthetic of this motorcycle. I
01:38 like that it looks like a premium full size motorcycle and it only costs $7,700
01:44 $100 more than the 2020 MT-07. All right, folks, enough talking about it. Let's
01:51 swing a leg over this thing and tell you what it's like to ride. Well, guys, here we
01:56 go and look a good old-fashioned mechanical key but this isn't any
02:00 ordinary Yamaha key. This has a new design. We appreciate it, Yamaha. Good job.
02:08 It looks new and feels new too. And away we go, folks. That ignition is positioned
02:17 on top or ahead of the backlit instrument panel which is kind of new
02:24 too. All right, right away sitting on this motorcycle, this is a very cozy little
02:32 street bike to ride. The parallel twin engine configuration makes for a
02:38 motorcycle that's very, very slim. This motorcycle is slim. The seat is nice and
02:45 low. I like that the handlebar has been, the position has been modified. It's a
02:55 little over an inch wider and about 3/4 an inch taller. The bend is still a
03:04 little funky for my taste. I like street bikes that have a more forward
03:11 handlebar bend. This thing has a ton of rearward sweep. So not my favorite bend
03:17 but I do like the direction Yamaha is going with this ergonomics package. It's
03:26 a little bit more tall rider friendly yet if you are a smaller human being you
03:34 are still going to feel comfortable at the controls of this vehicle. 406 pounds
03:43 with a full tank of fuel and this motorcycle feels very light, very nimble.
03:53 I like how maneuverable this thing is but we'll get to that in a second. Now
04:02 this MT-07 is powered by Yamaha's 689 cc CP2 parallel twin. This is a water-cooled
04:13 engine with an 8 valve cylinder head. It benefits from an uneven firing order.
04:21 That gives this powertrain the feel and character of a V-twin. I love V-twin
04:30 engines. They're awesome but their packaging can be a little problematic
04:37 just because those engines are so long due to their V-angle. Now that's
04:45 where this parallel twin really comes into play. It's super compact yet it
04:50 still offers that V-twin like character. I love how much torque this engine
04:58 delivers. 87% of its peak torque figure which is right around 46 pound-feet. 87%
05:08 of its peak torque is made from right over 3500 rpm. Isn't that crazy? That
05:16 means you have good propulsion from the moment you let out the cable actuated
05:23 clutch. In terms of horsepower nothing really to write home about. 67 horsepower
05:29 at the business end of this Michelin Road 5 tire. So certainly not the fastest
05:37 motorcycle out there but I like this powertrain a lot. I like it a lot more in
05:43 the MT-07 than I like in the YZF-R7. I know we're getting a little sidetracked
05:50 but in the R7 the engine is very underwhelming. In this chassis for this
05:59 application it is much more well suited. Six-speed gearbox puts power back to the
06:10 wheel. Yamaha has tweaked the transmission. The second and third gear
06:16 dogs are a little bit wider so they have less space in them, less gap so that
06:21 transmission has reduced driveline lash. Now while I can't really tell it has
06:27 reduced driveline lash, I definitely feel that the engagement between
06:34 second and third is a little bit more stout. It has a little bit sturdier engagement
06:39 which I really like. I'm a guy who likes a lot of feel from the engine, the chassis,
06:46 the shift lever, the brakes, everything. So anytime you can boost mechanical feel I
06:53 am gonna be very very pleased. So good job Yamaha. Cable actuated clutch
07:00 augments. The six-speed transmission has very nice light lever pull yet even
07:07 though it's light has some substance to it. There is a decent level of weight to
07:14 it which I like. Now another cool thing about this motorcycle is the clutch
07:21 lever and the brake lever are black. They're now adenized black. They
07:27 look very nice and you can also adjust the position of the brake lever with a
07:36 five position detent. I like the brake lever closer to the handlebar so I can
07:43 use the brakes more effectively in a pinch. Now keeping tabs on the engine
07:53 vitals is this nice LCD screen. I like this display a lot. It has all of the
08:01 information of what you want and none of what you don't want. You have a gear
08:07 position indicator, fuel gauge which keeps tabs on the 3.7 gallon capacity
08:13 fuel tank. We've been averaging right around 34.7 miles per gallon. What? Yamaha
08:20 claims 50 some but 34.7 is what we have registered. To be fair we've been riding
08:28 this motorcycle at a very quick clip. I like this bike a lot. The engine is very
08:34 playful. It's very easy to ride this bike at full throttle hence the lower fuel
08:44 mileage figure.
08:48 Now we rode this motorcycle after hours and I gotta hand it to Yamaha. This
09:03 LED lighting package, this headlight on this bike is so bright it makes it very
09:11 easy to see where you're going after hours. The only caveat is you have to
09:20 make sure you turn down the brightness of this display. That's right this display
09:27 is actually adjustable. You can adjust the brightness of it and if you don't
09:33 turn down the brightness it's actually pretty hard to see at night because the
09:40 screen has such a big glare. So if you're going to be riding after hours make sure
09:47 to turn down the brightness on this display. It's super easy to do. Now unlike
09:55 Yamaha's MT09 and now MT10 this motorcycle doesn't employ any
10:04 electronics asides from ABS. There's no adjustable throttle modes. There is no
10:11 traction control but I wouldn't necessarily write off Yamaha for not
10:18 including those features. The throttle connection on this motorcycle is just
10:24 awesome. These cross-plane equipped engines just have such a good torque
10:32 feel because the engines power pulses are spaced out more evenly. You have good
10:39 connection between your right hand and the business end of that Michelin Road
10:46 5 tire. So you have really good feel. You can ride this motorcycle hard. You almost
10:53 feel that the piston pulse is gripping the tarmac. It's a really interesting
10:59 feel and it mitigates the need for traction control to a certain degree.
11:06 The throttle response is sharp without it being overly so. It's also not too
11:13 tame. It works really good and I'm not much of a traction control guy especially
11:21 on these little bikes. I don't really want or need traction control so not
11:24 having it on this bike is gonna be okay for me.
11:30 Handling. Now this telescopic fork and horizontally mounted linkage equipped
11:40 shock has just over five inches of suspension for an aft. The fork is fixed
11:47 while the shock absorber offers spring preload and rebound damping. Now the
11:54 actual balance of the suspension components on this bike is pretty good
11:58 but the damping character is a little odd. Now you don't really notice it when
12:05 you're riding around town. When you're riding around town this thing actually
12:08 goes over the bumps really well. Like we mentioned before the balance of the bike
12:13 is good but when you really start leaning on the suspension, the damping just has a
12:19 very odd character and it limits your ability to really wail on this motorcycle.
12:28 Now I'm not gonna say the suspension is terrible but the dampening, damping
12:34 certainly could be better. Still we like that this motorcycle has a lofty level
12:47 of comfort. This thing goes over the bumps fairly well and it does a good job
12:51 of filtering out the imperfections of the road. If you hit a big bump you're
12:57 certainly gonna feel that especially in the rear suspension but based on
13:04 its positioning and MSRP we're not gonna knock Yamaha too much for its suspension
13:15 components.
13:17 Now triple disc hydraulic brakes keep the speed on in check on this MT07. The
13:29 diameter of the brake rotors has grown. The front brake rotors are now of
13:36 conventional design. No more pedals, no more pedal shaped rotors. Yamaha says it
13:45 did that to be more in line with the rest of the MT family. Rear brake has
13:52 good response. I love a good strong rear brake and this bike has that. Now folks
14:00 have been giving me some flack for not doing wheelies so here we go guys.
14:06 Oh god I just blew it. Let's try that again. That's better. Yeah much better.
14:12 This bike really is really good. Really good wheelies out of the MT07. Amazing.
14:19 Good job Yamaha. Excellent job on this bike. This thing definitely passes the
14:25 wheelie test.
14:27 I love how playful this thing is. For a little around town slash weekend fun
14:36 bike this thing definitely checks the boxes.
14:46 Now we talked a little bit about the engine character of this Yamaha MT07 and
14:53 another feature I really like is the intake. The intake funnel they modify the
15:01 design and that allows this engine to have a little bit more air entering it.
15:06 It also gives a more pleasing sound. I really like the sound of this MT07. It
15:13 has like a nice guttural feel and if you ever ridden a Yamaha YZF-R1 that's the
15:19 gold standard in Japanese sport bike character and there is some of that
15:27 pedigree alive in this MT07. The engine does have some vibration but it is the
15:38 good kind. Makes riding fun and it's very well calculated. It's not off-putting. It
15:46 doesn't make the motorcycle feel strange to ride. It's almost like Yamaha knows a
15:53 thing or two about acoustics and timing. Audio timing. Good job Yamaha. Now these
16:01 rearview mirrors are sourced from the MT09. They are a little taller a little
16:07 wider. They have a good view of what's going on behind the rider. They have a
16:13 little bit of clarity. It is compromised a little bit by the vibration of the
16:19 engine but I wouldn't say that is a deal breaker.
16:27 Now it's also worth noting that this motorcycle does not have a slipper
16:34 action clutch. While the YZF-R7 does have that feature this power train package
16:43 does not have that. I don't know why Yamaha wouldn't just include a slipper
16:48 action clutch on this motorcycle. That would be a nice touch but again
16:55 we
17:04 maintenance this motorcycle
17:10 goes 6,000 miles between regular scheduled oil changes. So after your
17:18 first initial service this motorcycle goes 6,000 miles between regular
17:24 scheduled oil changes. Oil filter changes are recorded required every 6,000
17:32 miles. Every other 6,000 miles. So 12,000 miles for oil filter changes. 6,000
17:38 miles for oil and valve inspection intervals have been extended to 26,600
17:44 miles. That is 2,600 miles more than its predecessor and Yamaha credits a
17:52 modification to the valve seats. That is how they were able to get that little
17:59 bit of extra durability. So very nice.
18:03 Love riding this thing. God it's so fun.
18:10 This 689cc's got some giddy up to her. Definitely not the fastest thing on the
18:16 road but but enough to put a smile on my face.
18:22 Well folks there it is Yamaha's 2021 MT-07. I really like this motorcycle. The
18:33 application of the powertrain, the chassis, the styling, the overall ride
18:37 dynamic is much better than the application of the YZF-R7. This is a
18:44 fun, affordable, and versatile motorcycle for $7,700. Alright folks let's do some
18:53 Q&A real quick. There is that floppy turn signal that I talked about so it has a
19:00 tendency to pop out but we have it back in right now. Alright what do you think
19:06 of the headlight? I love the headlight. It is bright. It is bold and it
19:11 looks cool. Good job Tuning Fork brand. We are paying attention. The exhaust, yes I
19:17 like the under belly swept muffler. Yamaha has moved the catalytic converter
19:24 to the front there. I like the exhaust. Like the exhaust note. This motorcycle
19:29 sounds more pleasing than its predecessor. It has nice character. How does it
19:35 compare to the Triumph Trident? Well this motorcycle is $400 less expensive
19:41 than the Trident. Although this bike looks neat, the Trident looks better in
19:45 my opinion. The Trident also has better suspension. The handling on the Trident
19:53 is superior to this vehicle but I'm really impressed with the power and the
20:00 character of this parallel twin. I like more cylinders. More cylinders are always
20:05 better for me but this CP2 engine configuration will give the Triumph
20:12 Inline 3 a run for its money. How does the conventional fork perform? Well the
20:18 spring rate and the balance front to rear is very nice but the damping
20:23 character of the fork and the shock is not my favorite. I'm not the biggest fan
20:28 of this suspension. Where does this stack up with its own siblings? The R7 XSR
20:33 Tracer. Yes, Yamaha has a very extensive product lineup. Whether you are a sport
20:39 bike track rider, a touring rider, a city rider, this motorcycle is a good
20:45 all-around city bike. If you're an urban rider who's looking for something that's
20:50 small, fun, practical, and manageable. Something that has a little bit more
20:55 peppin' it's step than the MT-03 but not quite the punch of a Inline 3
21:03 powered MT-09 or a four-cylinder MT-10, this would be a logical step. Would I
21:08 spend my $7,700 on this motorcycle? I would not. If I was in the market for a
21:15 naked bike like this bike, I would buy the MT-09. MT-09 is much more my style. I
21:21 like the character of its Inline 3. I like the track control and electronics
21:26 package that Yamaha has fitted for the 2021 model year. While we're talking
21:32 about the MT-09, make sure to check out, we did two video reviews and two
21:37 articles on the MT-09 so check out that content on MotorcyclistOnline.com.
21:44 That's where you will find all of my written content including a write-up on
21:48 this MT-07. Well folks, that is a wrap from today's MC Commute on the MT-07
21:57 2021 model year. Give this video a thumbs up if you liked it, thumbs it down if you
22:03 didn't, and we'll see you next time. Thanks for watching everyone!
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