Buy a used MT-07

Lightweight twin is a learner’s friend and a hooligan’s delight

AFTER A LONG period in the doldrums, Yamaha came out swinging with the MT-09 in 2013, neatly followed up the next year by this - the MT-07. All-new, with a lightweight twincylinder engine in a simple frame, with budget suspension and plasticky bodywork, it should have been a worthy commuter or the ideal first bike after passing your test. And so it was, but it was also huge, huge amounts of fun - and not just for newbies.

Like Suzuki’s Bandit, SV650 and Gladius, Honda’s CB500 and Kawasaki’s ER-6, it drew enormous grins from experienced riders as much as new licence holders. It helped that it was cheap — hundreds less than the Gladius and ER, and thousands less than the Triumph Street Triple that was its only serious rival for fun factor.

Dealers couldn’t get enough to satisfy demand and 15,000 MT-07S were sold in Europe in its first year, rising to nearly 70,000 by the time the revised 2018 model came out, with uprated suspension and brakes and a few other tweaks. That popularity hasn’t bred contempt though. Owners love it, and there’s a thriving community sharing tips on owning and maintaining the MT-07. We’ve enlisted the help of UK Owners’ Club founder Janis Strelkovs, owners and professionals to find out what’s so great - and occasionally not so great - about the MT.