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Yamaha MT-07 Test Ride

Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 9:54 am
by willian
Had a shot of the Yamaha MT-07 yesterday as my first big bike test ride after passing my test this week.

I can fairly see what the good reviews are all about, I really enjoyed the ride.....but....

Few things to mention on a positive / not so positive front.

Positives

Fantastic handling, light and very assured steering and goes wherever you point it.
Great brakes, stops on a sixpence!
Fantastic acceleration!
Nice and smooth from pulling away and will pull in any gear, excellent engine
Nice and smooth balance and good in slow traffic. I didn't try and filter on this machine as it wasn't mine

Not so positives

Being 6' 2" it was too small for me, my erse was right back as far as it would go on the rider seat but my knees were up past the edge creases of the fuel tank and wasn't comfortable, was tolerable for a short test run of 1 1/2 hours but a long run wouldn't be good for me.

It's quiet, a slight louder stock exhaust would be good for being in traffic

Might be my novice technique but was quite clunky on 3rd 4th 5th gear changes - not had that on the other big bikes I have ridden to date.

The speedo / info display is too low, got to take your eye down off the road to check the speed

Rev counter is a waste of time, the bar type is too thin and being so low it's totally ineffective.

The mirrors are a waste of time, couldn't see a thing past my elbows despite tucking them in, would need extenders.

Fair bit of wind blast, needs a screen of some type to deflect some of the air when twisting up the MPH's

The bike key and back of speedo display area will be a haven for squished flies and a nightmare to clean, definitely needs a screen of some sort.

Looks a bit of a pig without a screen, more especially if there's a lot of dead flies jammed in its snout!

A bit jerky on the throttle back off in 2nd to 4th while trying to maintain speed in traffic.....again might be my novice technique but wasn't a restful ride, again the bikes I have ridden to date haven't done this.

All in all I enjoyed the experience, and perhaps after I've ridden a few more machines I'll have more to go on but this was just my first impressions.

Put it this way, I'd seriously be interested in checking a MT-07 Tracer when it finally comes to market

Go have a test ride, highly recommended!