Just as Bruce Springsteen was famously hailed as “the future of rock n’roll" when he first emerged in the 1970s, this Yamaha MT-07 Y-AMT represents the future of motorcycles.
The alphabet soup at the end of the model nomenclature stands for Yamaha-Automated Manual Transmission. You lose a hand-operated clutch lever and a foot-activated gearlever with the Y-AMT version of the MT-07, but gain an appreciable leap forward in riding convenience without suffering any compromise to performance.
The clue to the reason the Y-AMT works so well is in the abbreviation. This is an “automated manual”, where a couple of servo-motors take care of the six-speed gearshifting and clutch operations. It’s not like the typical automatic gearbox of a car, where a heavy torque converter uses hydraulic pressure to transfer engine power and change gears.
The Y-AMT only adds two more kilograms to the mass of an MT-07, a weight increase so minor it instantly refutes any claim by armchair motorcycle critics that such semi-automated bikes are slower.
In fact, the Y-AMT is the fastest MT-07 model in New Zealand Yamaha showrooms. That’s because the ordinary manual gearbox model is only available in Learner Approved Motorcycle form, whereas the semi-auto gets the full quota of 73bhp (54kW) and 68Nm of riding force from the 689cc parallel-twin engine.
There are five riding settings available to engage with the Y-AMT – two with automatic gear selection and three with DIY gearshifts, the latter using the see-saw +/- rocker switch located on the left handlebar.
When in auto, there’s the choice of D and D+, and the second became my preferred riding mode for its better-timed gearshifts and more emphatic delivery of engine thrust.
When shifting manually, there’s the choice of Street, Sport, or Custom settings. The latter can be used to create a setting for slippery riding conditions with tamer throttle response and the more eager of the two traction control settings. Or you could use it to set the MT-07 up for stunting, a riding application that the frisky lightweight twin-cylinder Yamaha streetbike has always had an appetite for.
Along with MY2025 changes that included Euro 5+ emission compliance, the Y-AMT gearbox that permits the fitting of a well-conceived cruise control, self-cancelling indicators, and new radially-mounted front brake calipers, the latest MT-07 received a full chassis upgrade. The headline features of this are the new inverted front fork and lighter/stronger forged alloy wheels.
The front tyre feels more planted when cornering, more communicative of feedback about the limits of traction. The steering is more flickable, more eager to carve the rider’s chosen line through corners. I’d be hailing this bike as one of the most capable and complete corner-carvers of the popular middleweight streetbike sector, if only Yamaha had added a bit more compliance to the suspension.
On our typically bumpy backroads, the uncompromising spring rates transfer every imperfection in the road surface to the rider’s body. Make sure you wear a kidney belt if that’s your preferred riding location. On smooth bitumen, the MT-07 shines, the new fork retaining a decent amount of its 130mm of travel during hard braking, the grip of the Dunlop Sportmax radials inspiring trust and confidence. The ABS doesn’t come with an off-button, but it is so well programmed that it doesn’t really need one.
The star of the MT-07 show has always been the responsive and willing engine, and the Euro 5+ version is even better than the ones that preceded it. The shuttering throttle that blighted the first MT-07 when I guided it through the sweltering streets of Sydney upon its debut has gone. The engine has always felt smooth in terms of vibration, but it’s nice to have better software management come to the party as well.
A neat touch is the grilles in the tank cover that let the rider enjoy more intake noise volume without raising sound levels for other road users. The syncopated beat of the 270-degree cranked twin will be music to the ears of many who hear it.
At $15,490, the Yamaha MT-07 Y-AMT represents excellent value given the sophistication of the transmission, the suite of electronics and the easy access to the settings. Topping it off are the cruise control and self-cancelling indicators – items more usually found in more expensive segments of the motorcycle market than affordable, easy-to-own street machines.