ROAD TEST: YAMAHA MT-07

The family of naked Yamaha expands with the new MT-07, a twin cylinder, street fighter looking machine . With 689cc, 74.8hp, 68.0 Nm (6.9 kg-m) @ 6,500 rpm, 179kg in order march and CBU price tag of RM42,000, has the recipe for a Yamaha motorcycle brilliant and economic seems to have hit the mark. 

After the MT-07 launch  in MotoGP Sepang by Valention Rossi & Jorge Lorenzo , i-moto had an exclusive Road Testing the MT-07 from an authorized Yamaha dealer T WAY MOTOR SDN BHD.

We had our first ride in the city, took some photos in the Sepang International Circuit then the weekend to the curvy hill of Genting Highland and Bukit Tinggi, we really enjoy the MT-07 as we did with short time we had with the MT-09, the bigger sibling in the Maximum Torque series.

Well back to reality, with the world disrupted by the economic crisis, it is now evident that the motorcycle manufacturers are giving more and more importance in their lists of so-called models “entry level”, or motorcycles as accessible as possible both for the price, both for ease of driving.

Even when Yamaha unveiled the MT-07 during the Sepang Malaysian Grand Prix 2014 and the Malaysian Yamaha distributor Hong Leong announced that 100 units of MT-07 would be Complete Built Unit (CBU) has presented its new proposal to strengthen it big bike division and capture the mid-range class would be coming the CKD version of MT-07, expect it to be lower by RM5k~6k.

As the most frequent criticism concerns the entry level being little exciting, and then with little attraction for bikers more experienced and accustomed to the benefits of the sports models, those of Yamaha have thought to contaminate their new naked “economic “with that character subtly ignorant and out of the box that was much appreciated on a three-cylinder MT-09 . In short, the performance is lower, the target is different, but the “dark side of Japan” you should review also clearly on the MT-07.

 The basic concept is that an entry level does not necessarily have to be boring; and because a motorcycle is not boring to be agile, lightweight, agile, and has an engine ready and responsive in response to the throttle. Easier said than done, having to return to the list price so content, but Yamaha was not discouraged.

The basic concept is that an entry level does not necessarily have to be boring; and because a motorcycle is not boring to be agile, lightweight, agile, and has an engine ready and responsive in response to the throttle. Easier said than done, having to return to the list price so content, but Yamaha was not discouraged. 
For starters have made ​​a slight and brief single-beam frame steel, where they stuck an unprecedented parallel twin cylinder 689cc engine as member of the chassis. To break through in a segment dominated by the twins – for Yamaha MT-07 have been taken up many of the concepts that led to the creation of the eccentric MT -09, one of the bikes most amazing and exciting year. The new engine has been developed according to the philosophy “crossplane”, with an irregular timing to 270 ° that favors the fluidity of thrust at low and medium engine speeds. These performances of 74,8hp maximum power and 68Nm of torque available at just 6,500 rpm.

If the fork is a traditional element 41mm, on the special Yamaha MT-07 there also were in the suspension, with the mono mounted horizontally and rests directly on the engine casing. The circles are the same elements in aluminium 10-spoke mounted on the MT-09, so as to give the MT-07 a more aggressive thanks to the extra large rear tire 180/55, while the front brake discs were used two wave by 282mm with four-piston calipers but no ABS units sold in Malaysia.
As you should have already understood, in Yamaha have given themselves a lot to do also with regard to the details, so that wherever the MT-07 presents valuable technical and aesthetic solutions : the compact LCD instrumentation directly mounted on the handlebars, the asymmetrical swingarm in boxed steel , the rear LED light. One thing interesting, finally, about the weight: only 179kg in running order with a full tank. You can ride it like a supermoto or superbike style, and in any way you choose.

In fact, the first thing that impresses once riding the Yamaha MT-07 is its lightness. The location is convenient and natural, with a saddle cleverly narrow in the front, which would allow to rest your feet firmly on the ground even at a garden home, and very wide seat is comfortable and coupled with soft suspension – to pamper your ass, even though the most bumpy roads. But as I said, soft rear suspension you may feel the MT-07 very soft in the corners but for serious weekend bikers who want to have some serious corner fun in the weekend should think of upgrading to a stiffer rear suspension. 

To put you immediately at ease is the sense of lightness that tries just doing maneuverer to exit the parking lot. The handlebar is particularly short compared to other naked, but it is what it is enough to handle the gracefulness with which the front allows you to slip away in the city traffic, but we only don’t like the standard mirrors.

Also because of the responsiveness to throttle – to be honest, until can keep your naughty little ‘throttle hand, cool, it would seems almost abrupt, not to gas the MT-07 after the first few minutes of riding the Yamaha MT-07, which is an amazing experience: you expect the MT-07 to pull of some nice second geared wheelies of the traffic light. But as we are responsible professional test rider we pop a few wheelies on private roads and not in public road. The MT-07 is a nimble, agile and ready to fly out in the first surge from a traffic light.

Engine in the form

Seventy-five horsepower engine, of a naked any, would not seem a particularly exciting. But the Yamaha MT-07 seem to tell a different story. The work done at the level of cycling, with little weight (at about 25kg less than the XJ6 ) that were well centralized and moved towards the bottom of the bike, had the effect of multiplying the talents of the new two-cylinder engine , which in any case puts on the plate a remarkable determination considering the displacement of less than 700cc. The torque curve, if you are riding without haste, is sweet and smooth, with a good back that allows you to enjoy the ride without using too much change. If you want to begin to have fun, climbing a couple of gears and make sure to keep the tachometer around 6000: you will get all the necessary push to get out of the corners of a mountain road far stronger than you could ever expect from an entry level . If desired, you can also do the healthy hooliganism. Mind you, I am not exaggerating if I had been told I would not have believed it, but during the test drive, the MT-07 proved to be an exhilarating machine that can easily pull up wheelies . Thanks to the lightness of the chassis, the driving position is not too loaded with the torso forward and the ratios of short first gear, the MT-07 can make you withdraw the license for excessive numbers stuntman in the same, very small, amount of time it does with its sister hooligan MT-09 . To give an idea, in the day of testing, on some stretches of roads in Bukit Tinggi can hear my rear tyre screeching will see my front wheels up, at 80~100km/h.
The engine remains to say is not bad, with the indicator LED begins to lose enthusiasm only in the vicinity of 9,000 rpm, and a maximum speed indicated on the dashboard, in sixth, more than 210km/h, but I didn’t go to that extend.

Where they saved?        

The list price of the CBU Yamaha MT-07 is only RM42,000 means that somewhere must have even spared. And it’s true, they did it on the suspension and brakes, which are not the most sophisticated ever seen on a naked sporty mid-sized – but they are still in line, if not slightly better, the average entry-level category.

The fork is not adjustable but it works as it should for the 90% of the situations in which it is expected that the average customer of the Yamaha MT-07 – young, novice riders, certainly not with the requirements of driving on the track – you can find to use his bike . There you can go fairly strong, but not too much. Same for the mono, adjustable for preload only.

In one of the most beautiful stretches of the Ulu Yam dam to the twisty forest roads to Gotong Jaya, Genting Highlands – a handful of kilometres of small roads with asphalt super rough, followed by a sequence of fast corners in Bukit Tinggi – there were some moments when I actually had to turn off the gas to not accentuate some sway over the back (well, I was in the crease around 160 …) and having to limit the enthusiasm after a couple of inputs a bit ‘happy with kneedown, the pins of the platforms nailed in the asphalt and the fork of the MT- 07 screaming mercy . But as I said, I do not think that the average user of the MT-07 will never get to use it at this rate, and in any case the chassis feels quite clearly when you’re cool is something that is beyond their capacity.

Note for new riders, the tyre BT023 is touring and need to be warmed up before doing any corners fast, or will get a controllable slide, but I do advise not to go there when the tyres are cold and more during wet conditions and you will get a nice slide when you touch the white or yellow lines in the wet. Also be extra careful on cement or at gas stations when wet even on light throttle first gear.
As for the brakes, as on almost all bikes of this kind, even on the MT-07, the impression is that since there is no ABS version in Malaysia and failing to provide a range of sports bike, it is preferred to mount pads little aggressive, or not, you will screech the standard Bridgestone tyre and therefore in case of panic braking apply the tap, tap, tap braking method.

So, how is it?

In all honesty, I was surprised by the ability of the Yamaha MT-07 when I was told by Yamaha that MT-07 was for new riders and MT-09 was for more aggressive rider like me. But after few days of road test, i could fall in love with 07 as I did for 09.

Thanks to a biker friend nickname MILO, he told me I could get to test the CBU Yamaha MT-07 courtesy of owner of T Way Motor Sdn Bhd instead of waiting for weeks for the media test bike from the Yamaha manufacturer.

Summary  

While it boasts all the basic features of a naked entry level – low price, cost of maintenance, ease and accessibility – the MT-07, in terms of driving pleasure, fun and practical attitude to hooligan, goes to levels never before explored from other motion of this kind. Adding to this naked very attractive, well-made, and that seems to be worth far more incredible price at which it is sold, and you’ll understand why I’m sure you too, if you book a test ride, you will be equally impressed. For RM20 of petrol of 11 litres I could go 300km before the fuel lights came out with two liters of fuel in the tank.

Clothing used during the road test. Photo in suit: Helmet: Airoh GP500 & Shoei Z7  Suit: Alpinestar Carver & RS Taichi  Gloves: Alpinestar SP2 Boots: Alpinestar SMX-Plus

Yamaha MT-07 provided by

T WAY MOTOR SDN BHD

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