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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
Over the years I've collected what owners tell me: in the paddock, at club nights, over coffee after a ride, and in the messages riders send me directly. For this generation of the MT-07, the pattern is clear. Most of the talk is praise, and the complaints are scattered, each raised by only a few riders.
Riders bring up the engine first and most often. They describe it as easygoing in traffic and eager once the road starts to twist. The ride quality comes close behind. Owners consistently say the new suspension feels plush and controlled, and the bouncy feel of earlier bikes is gone. The brakes get regular praise for strong stopping and good feel at the lever. Many riders also point out that Yamaha made these upgrades and still undercuts a lot of rivals on price.
A few owners feel the new composure has taken some edge off the hooligan streak that made earlier MT-07s so loved. Others mention engine braking that the slipper clutch doesn't fully tame, which can be enough to unsettle the rear on corner entry. Some say the stock bike feels slightly nervous at sustained highway speed. The slimmer waist also leaves less to squeeze with your knees under hard braking or acceleration.
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 San Francisco Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard · Big Sur Coast Highway
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 Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway
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 Scenic Byway · Big Sur Coast Highway
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.
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Roughly $800 cheaper used than this bike at 1 yr
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Light Hands, Genuine Grin
~$400 cheaper used than this bike at 1 yr
Competitor · 2021–2024
Triple Soul, Featherweight Manners
Competitor · 2019–2024
Four Cylinders That Just Work
Competitor · 2017–2019
Light, Honest, and Sorted
Competitor · 2016–2020
Reliable V-Twin, Zero Drama
Same Platform · 2025
Smart Tech, Light Touch
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