MT-03 (RM02)

Yamaha built the MT-03 around the 660 cc single from its XT660 dual-sport and wrapped it in a steel tube frame with a short 55.9 in (1,420 mm) wheelbase. The 48 hp figure reads modest until you notice where the 41 lb-ft arrives, low and early at 5,250 rpm. At 423 lb (192 kg) wet it stands closer to a street-legal supermoto than to a conventional roadster, and the shock mounted out on the side of the frame is the part everyone spots first. No rider aids, no screens, nothing to configure.

It rides light and direct, and it asks for commitment rather than horsepower. Who it suits is simple: riders who judge a road by how many corners it has, not how fast it ends. It ages honestly too, with tough mechanicals, cheap servicing and enough aftermarket support to make one your own. The catch is reach. Five gears and a 99 mph (160 km/h) ceiling cap what it can do on interstates, there is no ABS or traction control to cover a mistake, and the fork takes no adjustment at all, leaving rear preload as your only tuning option.