2025 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
Sharp Chassis, Honest Twin
The MT-07 is built around its 689 cc parallel twin, and that engine sets the tone for everything else on the bike. 73 hp at 8,750 rpm reads modest on paper, but the 50 lb-ft peak lands at 6,500 rpm, which is where you actually ride, and the YCC-T ride-by-wire throttle lets you meter it precisely at road pace. Around that sits an inverted fork, radial front calipers, ABS, traction control and ride modes, plus a color TFT running Y-Connect with Garmin StreetCross navigation. At 403 lb wet it sits firmly in the light half of the middleweight naked class.
This is a bike that wants you to relax. Steering is light without turning nervous, the seat sits at 31.7 in, and nothing about the controls asks for a manual. It ages the same way it rides: 59 mpg, cheap consumables, and one of the deepest parts catalogs anywhere in the class if you want to reshape it later. It suits the rider who wants genuine backroad speed from a machine that does not punish a scruffy input. The honest caveat is the equipment sheet. The fork carries no adjustment at all, cruise control is an extra rather than standard, and there is no quickshifter in either direction.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 73 hp (54 kW) @ 8,750 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 50 lb-ft (68 Nm) @ 6,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 689 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 298 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 55.1 in (1400 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.7 in (805 mm) |
| Wet weight | 403 lb (183 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.7 gal (14 L) |
| Top speed | 124 mph (200 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 59 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
First thing you notice is the noise. The twin barks unevenly under load and sounds bigger than 689 cc, and what reaches you through the tank and pegs is a low buzz rather than a sting in your palms. The riding position is upright and roomy: wide bars, an easy reach, knees that tuck in without cramping. The seat is narrow where your legs drop, so 31.7 in works for more riders than the raw number suggests. From 60 mph up, the wind pressure hits your chest and does exactly what a naked bike should do, making ordinary road speeds feel like an event instead of a countdown to your license. Around town the 403 lb never announces itself, and the TFT stays readable with a low sun behind you.
Where this Yamaha MT-07 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the MT-07 is actually built for.
Ridge roads on Saturday, city traffic the rest of the week: that is this bike's exact job description. It stays light in stop-and-go, and the TFT pairs to your phone for navigation.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
The Dragon and Cherohala reward smooth inputs, and this is a forgiving place to build them. Light steering and a torque curve you can lean on let you work on your lines, not on the bike.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
It holds its own on Angeles Crest, but be clear about the ceiling. With 73 hp and a fixed fork, a hard canyon day will find the limit of this chassis before it finds yours.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2021–2024
Built to Beg for More
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Yamaha MT-07. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2023
Light Hands, Genuine Grin
~$700 cheaper used than this bike at 1 yr
Competitor · 2019–2024
Four Cylinders That Just Work
Competitor · 2017–2019
Light, Honest, and Sorted
Competitor · 2016–2020
Reliable V-Twin, Zero Drama