After around 10,000 kilometres and almost a year of owning my 2021 Yamaha MT-07, I have stopped thinking about it simply in terms of specifications.
I know what it feels like to pull it out for an ordinary weekday ride. I know how manageable it feels when roads get busy, how much fuel it tends to use, and how easily a short ride can turn into an excuse to keep going.
My MT-07 is called TITAN.
I bought him used with close to 20,000km already on the odometer. He now sits at roughly 30,500km.
I haven’t owned the motorcycle from new. What I can share is what I have learned from a year of actually living with a used 2021 MT-07 through weekday riding, Amsterdam roads and weekend getaways.
If you’re considering an MT-07 and wondering what it is actually like once the excitement of buying one settles down, this is the part I think matters most.
My MT-07 ownership at a glance
| Description | My 2021 Yamaha MT-07 |
|---|---|
| Colour | Stealth Black |
| Model year | 2021 |
| Current odometer | ~30,500 km |
| Mileage when I bought it | ~20,000 km |
| Distance I’ve ridden | ~10,000 km |
| Ownership period | Almost 12 months |
| Typical fuel economy | ~25 km/L |
| Typical riding | Weekday riding + weekend getaways |
| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Engine | 689 cc CP2 parallel twin |
| Fuel tank | 14 litres |
| Wet weight | 184 kg |
| Seat height | 805 mm |
On paper, those numbers explain part of why the MT-07 has become such a popular middleweight motorcycle.
But numbers aren’t really why I enjoy owning it.
The short version: what is the MT-07 like to own?
For the kind of riding I do, the MT-07 sits in a very useful middle ground.
It is light enough to feel approachable in everyday situations, but powerful enough that I haven’t felt an immediate need to move on from it.
It’s easy to use without feeling dull.
It’s simple without feeling basic.
And it can handle an ordinary weekday just as happily as it can give me a reason to leave the city when I have more time.
That balance is probably the biggest reason TITAN continues to work for me.
The MT-07 isn’t trying to be a touring motorcycle, superbike or premium technology showcase. It is a relatively simple naked motorcycle built around a very characterful engine.
Living with it has made me appreciate that simplicity more than I expected.
The CP2 engine is the heart of the motorcycle
You cannot really talk about an MT-07 without talking about its engine.
The 689 cc CP2 parallel twin is the part of the motorcycle that gives it most of its personality.
It doesn’t need huge speeds or high revs before it becomes entertaining. There is useful response lower in the rev range, which makes the bike feel lively during ordinary road riding.
That’s something I value.
Most of my riding isn’t happening on perfect mountain roads or racetracks. It might be a weekday ride through traffic, a stretch of faster road outside Amsterdam or a weekend where I simply have more time to explore.
The engine works in all of those situations.
At the same time, I don’t think the MT-07’s approachable reputation should be mistaken for a lack of performance.
There is enough power here to demand respect.
Would I recommend the MT-07 to a beginner?
Being smooth with the throttle still matters. So does understanding braking, vision, positioning and the basic habits that make a rider predictable and controlled.
That is one reason I like the bike as part of my own riding development: it can be easy to ride calmly, but it doesn’t remove the rider from the process.
If you’re still building those fundamentals, my motorcycle safety guide for beginners is a better place to start than worrying about horsepower figures.
It feels manageable in everyday riding
Read : How the MT-07 works as an everyday city bike
The MT-07 weighs 184 kg ready to ride according to Yamaha’s 2021 specifications.
There are much lighter motorcycles and obviously much heavier ones, but in everyday use I find the MT-07 manageable.
You notice weight when you’re manoeuvring slowly, turning around, parking, moving through traffic or correcting a slightly awkward stop.
Those moments are part of real motorcycle ownership.
The MT-07’s compact dimensions help make those situations less intimidating, but the motorcycle doesn’t magically create good low-speed control.
That still comes down to practice.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about slow riding, balance, clutch control and looking where I want the bike to go. Those skills make a much bigger difference to how manageable a motorcycle feels than simply choosing a relatively light bike.
If that is something you’re working on, these low-speed motorcycle control tips cover the drills and techniques in much more detail.
City riding is one of its strongest use cases
Amsterdam gives a motorcycle plenty to think about.
Traffic can be dense. Cyclists are everywhere. Road surfaces change. Weather changes. Space can disappear quickly.
In that environment, I appreciate having a motorcycle that doesn’t feel unnecessarily large.
The upright riding position gives me a useful view of what is developing ahead, while the size and weight make the bike relatively easy to place where I want it.
But the motorcycle itself is only part of the equation.
Riding comfortably in a city comes much more from anticipating what other road users might do.
I try to think about escape space, visibility, approaching junctions, blind spots and whether somebody has actually seen me rather than assuming they have.
I’ve covered those habits separately in my guide to riding a motorcycle in heavy traffic and my article on motorcycle lane positioning.
The MT-07 gives me a good platform for applying those skills.
It doesn’t replace them.
It still makes sense when I leave the city
The other side of ownership is what happens when Amsterdam starts disappearing in the mirrors.
My riding isn’t purely commuting or short urban journeys. Weekends give me an opportunity to spend longer on the bike and get onto more open roads.
This is where the MT-07’s character starts to make more sense.
The same engine that feels easy to use around town has enough energy to keep a weekend ride interesting.
I don’t have to ride aggressively to enjoy it.
For me, that’s important.
I enjoy the process of becoming smoother more than trying to prove how fast I can go. Getting braking right, making cleaner inputs, looking further through a corner and feeling the motorcycle settle beneath me is satisfying in itself.
The MT-07 fits that mindset surprisingly well.
There is enough motorcycle underneath me to keep learning without the feeling that every enjoyable ride needs to become an exercise in chasing speed.
Fuel economy has been better than I expected
Fuel consumption was not the main reason I bought the MT-07, but it has become one of those ownership details I appreciate.
Across my riding, I am seeing roughly 25 km per litre, or approximately 4.0 L/100 km.
Yamaha’s official figure for the 2021 MT-07 is 4.2 L/100 km, so my real-world number has been in a similar range.
I wouldn’t treat my figure as something every owner should expect.
Fuel economy changes with riding style, traffic, speed, weather, modifications and how the motorcycle is used.
But it gives you a useful idea of what has been possible in my own riding.
I’ll break down TITAN’s fuel economy and realistic tank range separately because there is enough to discuss there without turning this article into a fuel spreadsheet.
For now, the important point is simple:
The MT-07 has been reasonably economical for a motorcycle that still gives me plenty of performance to enjoy.
The simplicity is becoming part of the appeal
Motorcycles are becoming more technologically sophisticated.
Depending on the model, you can now find multiple riding modes, traction-control settings, semi-active suspension, large TFT displays, connectivity and increasingly sophisticated rider aids.
My 2021 MT-07 is much simpler.
And after living with it, I don’t necessarily see that as a disadvantage.
There is less separating me from the basic controls of the motorcycle.
Throttle.
Clutch.
Brakes.
Gear selection.
Body position.
Vision.
That doesn’t mean technology is bad. Modern rider aids can be extremely valuable.
It simply means that TITAN encourages me to keep paying attention to my own inputs.
I like that.
It fits the wider philosophy behind ByMrJohnson: confidence should come from gradually building skills rather than trying to prove something every time you ride.
What about comfort?
This depends heavily on what you expect from the motorcycle.
The MT-07 is a naked bike.
That means it does not give you the wind protection of a touring motorcycle or large adventure bike. Faster roads naturally expose you to more airflow.
My current setup includes a windscreen, but I still think it is important to judge the motorcycle for what it is rather than expecting a small screen to turn it into a tourer.
For my combination of weekday riding and weekend getaways, I find the overall package practical enough.
If my priorities changed toward long motorway days, carrying a passenger regularly or travelling with substantial luggage, I would evaluate the motorcycle differently.
That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned when thinking about motorcycles and gear:
“Good” only makes sense when you explain good for what?
Read : Living with my MT-07 in Amsterdam
Practicality is good — within limits
There isn’t much built-in storage.
There isn’t a giant fairing.
There aren’t integrated panniers.
And the passenger accommodation isn’t what I would choose a motorcycle like this for.
That doesn’t stop the MT-07 from being practical.
It simply means practicality has to be added around how you actually use the bike.
My own TITAN currently has:
- Michelin Road 6 tyres
- Akrapovič Titanium exhaust
- BMC air filter
- short brake and clutch levers
- a windscreen
- a tail tidy
Some of those changes are functional. Some change how the motorcycle looks or feels. And some simply make TITAN feel more like my motorcycle rather than a completely standard MT-07.
I have intentionally avoided turning it into a motorcycle covered in modifications simply because parts are available.
That will become an important part of my separate MT-07 setup and accessories guides: what actually solves a problem, and what are we buying because the internet convinced us we need it?
You can see TITAN’s current setup on the Meet TITAN page.
What has ownership taught me so far?
Read : What I genuinely like and dislike about the MT-07
The biggest lesson isn’t that the MT-07 is perfect.
It isn’t.
It is that the motorcycle has enough strengths in the areas I actually use without forcing me to tolerate too many compromises.
I appreciate the manageable size
City riding, parking and slower manoeuvres are simply easier when a motorcycle isn’t unnecessarily bulky.
I haven’t grown bored with the engine
Around 10,000 km later, the CP2 still gives the motorcycle enough character that an ordinary ride can be enjoyable.
I value versatility more than outright performance
Most real riding isn’t a specification-sheet contest.
Being able to ride through Amsterdam during the week and head farther out when I have time matters more to me than owning something dramatically faster.
Running costs matter once the excitement settles down
Fuel, insurance, road tax, tyres, servicing and consumables become part of the experience once the motorcycle is no longer a new purchase.
I’ll break down my actual MT-07 ownership costs separately rather than pretending purchase price tells the whole story.
Check : What my first year of MT-07 ownership actually cost
A motorcycle can help you improve without doing the work for you
TITAN has become the motorcycle through which I practise riding smoother, handling traffic better and understanding what I actually want from a motorcycle.
It is a tool.
The rider still has to learn.
Read : The maintenance schedule I now follow for TITAN
What don’t I love about the MT-07?
An ownership guide shouldn’t turn into a list of compliments.
The MT-07 makes compromises.
Wind protection is limited
That’s simply part of owning a naked motorcycle.
On faster or longer rides, you know you are sitting in the airflow.
Practicality sometimes needs accessories
If you want meaningful luggage, navigation, extra wind protection or other touring conveniences, you’ll probably need to build that functionality around the motorcycle.
The engine deserves more respect than the “beginner bike” label suggests
I understand why the MT-07 frequently appears in discussions about first motorcycles.
It is manageable, relatively compact and available in an A2-compatible version in Europe.
But none of that makes 689 cc and 73 PS harmless.
A newer rider still needs restraint and smooth control.
I’ll explore that question properly in Is the Yamaha MT-07 a Good Beginner Motorcycle?, because the answer deserves more nuance than simply yes or no.
It isn’t designed to do everything
If touring comfort, regular two-up riding, maximum wind protection or extensive luggage capacity were my main priorities, I would probably start with a different type of motorcycle.
And that’s fine.
A motorcycle doesn’t need to win every category to be good.
Who do I think the MT-07 suits?
Based on my experience so far, I think the MT-07 makes the most sense for someone who wants a motorcycle that can cover several roles without becoming overly complicated.
That could include someone who:
- rides regularly in or around a city
- wants something relatively manageable
- enjoys weekend rides
- values engine character
- doesn’t need huge amounts of technology
- wants enough performance to keep the motorcycle interesting
- is willing to develop their riding skills rather than depending on the bike to correct every poor input
For newer riders, I would add an important condition:
Take training seriously.
Don’t buy the motorcycle because somebody online said it is “beginner friendly” and assume the rest will sort itself out.
A manageable motorcycle and a prepared rider are two separate things.
If you’re still building confidence, structured training can be one of the best investments you make. I looked at that in more detail in Motorcycle Safety Courses: Are They Worth It?.
Who might be happier with something else?
The MT-07 probably isn’t the automatic answer if your priorities are:
- maximum long-distance comfort
- regular passenger touring
- large amounts of integrated storage
- extensive electronic rider aids
- serious wind protection
- track-focused performance
- simply owning the fastest motorcycle your budget allows
Motorcycle choice is always a collection of compromises.
The important question isn’t whether the MT-07 is objectively better than everything else.
It’s whether its compromises match the way you ride.
Would I choose the MT-07 again?
After roughly 10,000 km together, yes!
Not because TITAN is flawless.
I would choose it again because it continues to fit the rider I am right now.
It works during the week.
It gives me an excuse to ride farther on weekends.
It is manageable enough that everyday ownership doesn’t feel like work, while having enough character that riding it still feels like an event.
Most importantly, it has given me space to keep developing.
I’m still learning how to ride better.
I’m still learning what matters to me in motorcycle ownership.
And I’m still discovering what I would eventually want from the motorcycle that comes after it.
For now, though, TITAN doesn’t feel like something I have finished with.
It feels like a motorcycle I am still growing into.
FAQs
Is the Yamaha MT-07 good for everyday riding?
For my use, yes. Its manageable size, upright riding position, useful low- and mid-range engine response and relatively low fuel consumption make it well suited to the mixture of weekday and weekend riding I do.
What fuel economy do I get from my 2021 MT-07?
My current real-world average is roughly 25 km/L, equivalent to around 4.0 L/100 km. Your results can vary considerably depending on riding conditions and riding style.
How many kilometres have I ridden on my MT-07?
TITAN currently has around 30,500 km on the odometer. I bought the motorcycle used at close to 20,000 km, so I have personally ridden approximately 10,000 km during my first year of ownership.
Is the MT-07 good for city riding?
I find it particularly well suited to city use because of its relatively compact dimensions, manageable weight and upright riding position. Good observation, positioning and low-speed control still matter much more than the motorcycle itself.
Is the Yamaha MT-07 suitable for beginners?
It can be suitable for some newer riders, particularly with proper training and the A2-compatible version available in Europe, but I wouldn’t describe it as harmless. The motorcycle still has enough torque and power to punish careless inputs. Rider maturity, training and throttle control matter more than the “beginner bike” label.
Related Reads
If you’re building your riding skills alongside your motorcycle ownership, these guides are a good next step:
20 Motorcycle Low-Speed Control Tips: Balance, U-Turns & Slow Riding
Riding in Heavy Traffic: Safety Tips for Urban Motorcyclists
Wet Weather Motorcycle Riding Tips: How to Ride Safely in the Rain
