All Tests – First test Yamaha MT-07: well done for you! – Return to simple values

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First test Yamaha MT-07: right for you !

All Tests - First test Yamaha MT-07: well done for you! - Return to simple values

At only 5,699 euros, can a motorcycle really be dynamically efficient, mechanically fun and aesthetically rewarding? Yamaha proves yes with its new roadster as fun as it is accessible: the MT-07. Try a future bestseller !

Return to simple values

Faced with the crisis, the first two Japanese manufacturers reacted by slowing down the technological arms race, especially on sports motorcycles, and shifting their efforts to more accessible models. Objective: to adapt to declining purchasing power, especially among young bikers that Honda and Yamaha would like to see pushing the door of one of their dealerships a little more often….

At the Tokyo Reds, the approach takes the form of the NC700 – which became NC750 in 2014 – and the rebirth of the CB500s. What do these new motorcycles have in common? A clever sharing of platform (engine and cycle part), practical aspects well gamberges (tank-tank on the NC S and X) and an appetite of anorexic sparrow. In short, pragmatic motorcycles in both purchase and use, perfectly in line with the current Honda philosophy..

At Yamaha, the approach differs slightly, at least in form: to design motorcycles that are economically attractive, okay. But it is also necessary that they maintain the passion, even that they trigger vocations. From this reflection were born the extremely competitive – both dynamically and economically -, then its "little sister", wiser but just as promising, the .

Our test of the Yamaha MT-07 in video

In addition to this first full test of the Yamaha MT-07, also discover our !

With the MT-07, Yamaha is openly eyeing the success of the Kawasaki ER-6n, the first sale of motorcycles over 125cc in France (read in particular our comparative tests and).

Same engine architecture (parallel twin), extremely close displacement (689 cc against 645 cc for the Zak ‘), similar cycle part (tubular steel frame and conventional suspensions only adjustable at the rear). Add to that their low price difference (300 euros without ABS in favor of the Yam ‘) and their "punchy" lines: the comparison is inevitable !

In terms of design precisely, the MT-07 does not pour into the consensual, even if its look is less daring than that of the MT-09. Extremely compact, the last one has harmonious proportions: the miss has a remarkably thin "size" and widens on the front by means of mesh scoops placed on each side of its tank (as on the MT-09 and late V-Max 1200).

Its LED rear light also nicely underlines its tapered rear shell, while its petal discs pinched by four-piston monobloc front calipers and its short YZF-R6-style silencer give it a little sporty touch..

Flirtatious, the MT-07 takes care of its appearance and exhibits a host of beautiful pieces, like so many seductive winks. Like the qualitative polished aluminum covers placed on the central uprights of its chassis, its carefully chiseled engine casings and its two-tone front mudguard, with raised coating on its central part.

And how can we not appreciate the attention to detail of the Yamaha designers when discovering the pretty openwork swingarm on its left side, at the end of which the nuts holding the 180 mm wide rim are fixed inside cylindrical aluminum supports? Or the original placement of its contactor in front of the instrumentation? Like that, just to make it nice !

Apart from the coarse welds around the steering column, the moderately glamorous front part of the frame, the electrical network not always well camouflaged and the apparent wiring at the injection level, it is – at this price point – a faultless one. in terms of presentation and quality of production. Let it be said: "economical motorcycle" does not mean "discount motorcycle" !

The equipment is not left out since the MT-07 has a coded key, a warning control and above all an aesthetic, readable and complete instrumentation. Yes, all of this at the same time !

Well laid out, this digital screen includes all the usual information plus the gear engaged, the time, the air and engine temperature and the average and instantaneous consumption (see the complete list in our technical sheet).

In the end, the only thing missing is a clutch lever gap adjustment (only that of the brake is), a trunk under the saddle capable of accommodating a U-lock (only a disc lock) and , for nitpicking, controls for scrolling data from the dashboard remote from the handlebars.

In the saddle, the novelty continues its business of seduction thanks to its irreproachable ergonomics and the excellent accessibility resulting from its general narrowness. The step over is at the height of the shortest on legs come, while the triangle "saddle-footrest-handlebar" offers a comfortable position, without any support on the wrists or excessive strain on the legs.

Slightly bent towards the driver, the handlebars are easily grabbed. All the controls fall perfectly to hand and are both smooth and precise, especially on the clutch and selection side. So much so that the "presentations" are quickly dispatched! Now let’s see if the ramage of this MT-07 is up to its promising plumage…

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