Never judge a book by its cover or a bike by its capacity, as it happens. While Yamaha’s MT-07 might be considered by those who haven’t ridden it as an entry-level learner bike, produced from outcast and outdated components from the back of Yamaha’s dusty storage shelves, that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Japanese legends have made something very special here. A real bargain brute that loves abuse and rewards enthusiastic riding with a lively and captivating character that’ll see you pick up your first ASBO faster than a glue sniffer on the streets of Glasgow. It’s not the perfect bike, far from it, and there are some elements of the MT that reflect its eye-poppingly competitive pricing, but the riding experience helps you to forgive its pubescent looking ‘bars, spindly fork legs and rather confusing colour scheme.