YAMAHA MT-07 (2021 - on) Review

For the 2021 Yamaha MT-07, the firm have added the finishing touches to the aesthetics, ergonomics, engine and brakes of this incredibly popular naked bike, ready to tackle its seventh season on the market. Since 2013, around 250,000 MTs have been sold in Europe, with half of those being MT-07s. As you'll see below, they then updated it again in 2023 to keep it ahead of increasingly impressive competition.

• Related: 2021 Yamaha MT-09 review

It continues to be the flagship of the MT range, which goes from the learner-legal MT-125, all the way to the superbike-derived, aggressive MT-10 SP. The upgrade to Euro5 has been used by Yamaha to tweak small weak points, such as the tyres, which didn’t perform at their best, and improve the handlebars, which were a bit tight. The bike now gets Michelin Road 5 tyres and the bars have been altered to be 30mm wider.

Its arrival on the market dates back to 2014, followed by 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.

Are Yamaha MT-07 good for beginners? Definitely - as a first big bike there aren't many better. Following roughly 200,000 kilometres of intensive testing, it still maintains its familiar character and lightness, with the ability to perfectly accommodate the needs of riders of all skill levels.

2023 Yamaha MT-07

Yamaha have updated the MT-07 for 2023 and it gains a 5in colour TFT dash and mobile connectivity.

The 689cc parallel-twin will now get a full-colour display with two screen layouts which can be paired with your phone via the Yamaha MyRide app to enable incoming calls, emails, message notifications, and more.

Alongside this, the bike is ready to take a quickshifter, which is available as an optional extra.

The price has also risen to £7500 before any optional extras, though...

Watch: 2021 Yamaha MT-07 video review

Neevesy takes the new MT-07 to task, to find out if it stays at the top of the tree in the middleweight naked sector.

The latest Yamaha MT-07 maintains the same frame and suspension set-up from the 2018 update, when the bike underwent major upgrades. However, the dual front discs have increased in size from 282mm to 298mm. The result is a slightly easier time of it when you apply the anchors – removing some of the stress of riding.

Premium Michelin Road 5 tyres now also come as standard and offer high-performance instantly. Warming up quickly, there is the right dose of grip even when the road is wet and in bad condition. Combined with the fatter brakes, both additions offer an increased safety net to beginner riders.

Outside of the safety blanket, the 2021 MT-07 is extremely light and agile. Euro5 has not compromised its performance, sitting just 1kg heavier now at 184kg, in running order.

This is a bike that truly is within everyone's reach. That is why 43% of MT-07s sold are snapped up by more experienced riders. The refreshed suspension, which arrived in 2018, made the forks less supple and the whole bike is born to entertain, with an engine always ready and eager to accelerate.

It’s responsive and light and offers everything you need for an active, yet enjoyable ride. And yet, when you get off the MT-07, you are not tired – thanks to that ease of use. The leg area is now also redesigned, with the bars 30mm wider and closer to the rider by 10mm. They are 12mm higher, too.

The engine has been significantly refreshed to comply with Euro5 emissions regulations, which came into force at the beginning of 2021.

Gaining an extra cat in the revised two-into-one exhaust pipe, without compromising the soundtrack, the new machine achieves the latest standard with hardly any drop in performance. Yamaha claim 72.4bhp and 49.4lb.ft in this latest model, meaning a loss of just 1.6bhp and 0.7lb.ft of torque.

That said, changes to the intake, valve plates and gearbox mean you enjoy the same popular engine characteristics as before, with Yamaha actually promising a more linear delivery. For A2 licence holders, a restricted 35kW power version will also be available.

It feels responsive and perfectly connected to your right wrist. It can be a bit of on/off, but it’s nothing to be concerned about and there’s a rich torque curve that pushes well in the low to mid-range.

The twin-cylinder CP2 engine therefore invites the rider to enjoy the pleasure of riding. It is never over the top, always manageable and quite frugal. At the end of our 124-mile test, on a mixture of roads, the onboard computer reveals just shy of 51mpg.

The 2021 bike is still too new for reliability feedback, but a look at the 2018 model - which shares the closest resemblance to the latest model – reports a relatively good reliability.

That's not to say reliability is bulletproof: One owner did report of a swingarm being replaced under warranty due to rust problems, so keep an eye out here. It's important to monitor for potential rust issues in any bike, particularly in areas like the swingarm. Despite overall good performance, some components may be susceptible to wear or manufacturing defects.

So are MT-07 reliable? Our 2021 Yamaha MT-07 owners' reviews show a few buyers reckon their bikes are lacking in the cosmetic build quality department: There was an instance where the front indicators had become loose, pointing to potential shortcomings in the build quality. These concerns, while not necessarily detracting from the bike's overall performance, do suggest the occasional issue.

Outside of this, the engine is a proven unit and expect service intervals of 6000 miles, or annually – with valve clearances done at every 24,000.

Is the Yamaha MT-07 a beginner bike? Well, at less than £7000 brand new, it is seriously good value for money, although the price in 2023 is £7500, so the new Honda CB750 Hornet is slightly cheaper, and thus four stars for the MT. It also puts it in direct contention with the Triumph Trident 660, Honda CB650R and Kawasaki Z650, with all bikes offering that first naked 'big bike' experience across a multitude of engine platforms, as well as attracting more experienced riders.

In 2023 there's also additional competition from the highly impressive Suzuki GSX-8S but at time of writing we've yet to review that.

• Related: First-generation Yamaha MT-07 vs Suzuki SV650 and Kawasaki Z650

While the new MT is a fresh take on an older design, its characterful engine and novice-friendly riding experience should stand it in good stead against its rivals. Whether it will be enough to fend off the slightly pricier, more tech laden Trident 660 remains to be seen. Keep an eye on MCN for a group test in the coming months.

Yamaha MT-07 vs Triumph Trident 660

First published on 7 April, 2021 by Jon Urry

Where sportsbikes grab headlines on track, it is the middleweight class that sees big sales and of late there has only been one winner – the MT-07. Launched in 2014, the parallel twin has dominated, making up 20% of all Yamaha’s motorcycle sales.

Now in its third generation, the 2021 MT-07 has matured into a more refined bike with a greater emphasis on comfort, but there’s a fly in the ointment: Triumph’s new Trident 660. Can it knock the class-leader off its perch around the UK’s toughest test route, the MCN250?

I kick off on the MT-07. I know it has been updated, but aside from the new nose and different dash it is very hard to tell if there have been any other upgrades. I think update may be stretching the point slightly, I’d call it a minor revision, but then again did it need much doing?

Taking to the B-road section of the MCN250 the Yamaha instantly puts me at ease. The riding position is comfortable for taller riders like me (it is actually slightly more relaxed this year) and the seat has a pleasing degree of padding. Everything about it is designed to be as reassuring as possible, starting with that parallel twin engine.

Quick-revving and surprisingly fast, it briskly builds up a head of steam and the slick gearbox (there is no option of a quickshifter but you don’t need one) ensures you can keep up with almost anything on the road. Up to a point.

Swapping from the MT to the Trident, the Triumph instantly feels more grown-up and modern. The styling is classical rather than outlandish, the dash is contemporary, there are electronic assists to explore (via hideously cheap-looking switchgear) and when you thumb the motor into life it feels and sounds far more like it means business.

Where the MT is subtle, the Trident is far more brash. The triple carries quite low gearing and responds instantly to any input from the throttle while also roaring out its intentions through its raucous exhaust note. On the go this spirit translates into a bike that, while not as relaxed as the MT, is brilliant fun.

In terms of handling, the Trident leaves the MT for dead and although firmer on its suspension and less forgiving over bumps, it is just so much more fun in the corners. Where on the MT you tend to roll off a bit due to its softer ride making things get wobbly, the harder you go, the better the Trident gets.

Yet it doesn’t feel like it has overstepped the mark and aside from a clunky gearbox (it gets better once the revs rise) the Trident is just as happy as the MT cruising around town.

I am a huge fan of the MT-07, but in the Trident it has more than met its match and despite a few updates for 2021 I can’t help but feel Yamaha have simply papered over the cracks when they needed to do more.

The MT is still brilliant but the Trident has moved the game on. Triumph have taken a proven base (the superb Street Triple) and pared it back without removing any of the elements that make it so good – namely its sporty chassis and lovely triple motor.

The result is an amazingly well-priced middleweight that looks great, responds well and has enough tech to make you feel it is a contemporary bike and not a bit old-hat, which is the issue the MT still suffers from.

Maybe I’m being a snob here but I feel that even if they don’t actually enhance the ride that much, owners still want their bike to look modern and that means inverted forks, a TFT dash, traction control and even radial brakes (not that the Trident has these).

I wish that in the 2021 update Yamaha had taken the chance to replicate what they did to the MT-09 – namely update its chassis to make it respond more like a traditional naked bike and add some modern tech, instead of resting on their laurels, doing the bare minimum and assuming the sales success would continue.

As Yamaha didn’t do this, Triumph were handed an open goal and the Trident has smashed the ball right into the back of the net.

Watch: Honda Hornet CB750 takes on Yamaha MT-07

Away from the engine internals and subtle ergonomic tweaks, one of the key changes for 2021 is the way the MT-07 looks. Up front, there’s LED headlights and an MT-09-inspired new face. It’s an element which has ignited a heated debate amongst riders and something I recommend you see it in the flesh.

Outside of this, there’s also a newly redesigned 14-litre tank. And fresh instrumentation. The new Euro5 compliant exhaust system now also adopts an extra catalytic converter.

Something the Yamaha lacks is electronic gizmos and outside of mandatory ABS, there are no electronic aids, quickshifter or anti-hopping clutch. These are all elements that could actually be useful to the enthusiasts Yamaha is addressing with this machine. It could also count against it when considered against more expensive rivals, like the £7195 Triumph Trident 660.