Yamaha MT07 roadtest

[Barftone]

After the MT09 comes the Mt07 which I liked the look of the spec sheet. 70 odd geegees and 170kgs looked good on paper so I went for a demo today. I know it,s not an adventure bike but I am sure Yamaha must be considering making one. I do a 30 mile daily city commute between Bath and Bristol and miss the old Honda CB500 for its light weight and super smooth engine so the MT appealed on paper. £5332 otr is the first Yam for some time priced reasonably sensibly so lets hope they don,t get carried away and start lumping it up like they did with many others in their range in the last few years! First thing is it feels narrow and light. My 6ft3" frame fitted well on the small bike. Off up the road and the injection is good and it,s got some poke. Things were on the up. 2 lorries in front of me were despatched in one sensible hit and flinging round the bends the bike felt firmish and well controlled and I started thinking stick this lightweight motor in a xt660z like frame and keep it down to 6k and Yamaha would be onto a winner. Felt nicer, lighter and pokier than a ER6 I tried last year. I believe than light weight is the key to a lively bike and this thing rocks! Not often I get back from a demo and am genuinely tempted. £5k+ is still a lot of dough in my world and there are a lot of secondhand Hornets and Triumph 675s with a lot more power lurking around at this price but if you fancy a brand spankerz new bike this baby is right at the top of the list.

 

[austin]

Yeah but it's a Yamaha. That means at the first sign of frost and ice and salt all the fasteners go white and furry and soon after most of the paint falls off. If they could fix all that and keep the price down they would sell shed loads.


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[Boris]

Yeah but it's a Yamaha. That means at the first sign of frost and ice and salt all the fasteners go white and furry and soon after most of the paint falls off. If they could fix all that and keep the price down they would sell shed loads.


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That's one of the things that always put me off yams. The engine paint was coming off my mates faser within months of buying it new.

They did make great saxes though

 

[Barftone]

pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. Thats my excitable balloon going down! Now u mention it quality is an issue on all or some Yams? I looked at an XJ6 last year for a friend...3000 miles and the fork chrome was peeling off! I know the old xt600e built in Italy were very poor. Don't know where the new ones are built...probably China?? My last Yam was a Serow! Deano's Super Tenere seems to be holding together ok. Still, I can assure you that in my 40 min test ride nothing corroded from beginning to end!

 

[boboneleg]

Remember that Tenere 660Z we saw outside the hospital when we were visiting Steve, that was one of the first and it was rusting away then but you still see lots of them about.

If Deano's SuperTen is holding up then perhaps Yamaha have got better.

 

[Barftone]

Made in Japan according to the Telegraph

 

[austin]

My XT660r went a bit nasty after one long ride on salty roads and I didn't wash it for a few days. I rinsed it religiously after ride after that and doused it in either FS365, Wd40, afterwards. It stayed ok.

A friends S10 has just lost nearly all the engine paint at the front of the engine and most fixtures look pretty nasty on it. Light winter road only use only. It's not good as it will track through the rest of engine pdq.

My XT600e was horrid, wheels, chrome, black paint, sliver paint, and fasteners all badly damaged by rust, rot and corrosion. Nothing stainless, decent alloy, or well painted anywhere on the bike.


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[austin]

But I had an RD350 LC in the late 80s that lasted 3 winters and was fine.


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[Philwhiskeydrinker]

Funny, my TRX 850 had great finish - silver paint on the engine & frame seemed superior to Honda's.
I had it 3 or 4 years, used it quite a bit in winters & came up almost like new when I sold it.
Only the wooden brakes & so-so suspension let it down.

Lets see what Yamaha come up with as an when this motor finds it's way into an allrounder bike.

Phil

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