Yamaha is one of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers that have made their way into the global consciousness with great products over many decades. It is one of the big innovators as well: the first production bike with a six-axis IMU was a Yamaha. If you are a fan of MotoGP, you should know that the sound of today's MotoGP engines was pioneered by Yamaha experimenting with the firing order. Besides these esoteric products, Yamaha also makes some very practical motorcycles, which is why it appeals to a wide audience. One of these nails the balance for most folks, which is what we're talking about here. Yamaha's US Lineup Has A Variety Of Practical Bikes YamahaThere are several interesting bikes in Yamaha's lineup, and the Tenere 700 is for the ADV enthusiasts. We all want our adventure bikes to be more like big dual-sport bikes, and our big dual-sport bikes to be more like adventure bikes, but very rarely does a manufacturer manage to combine the two perfectly in the modern world. The Ténéré 700 is a two-wheeled mountain goat that has somehow also got decent highway ability. Yamaha chose to keep things simple with it by focusing on lightweight and minimal electronics, only giving it a by-wire throttle and a highly capable windscreen in the last update. YamahaThe Bolt R-Spec is the cruiser example. This is a little over a decade old and was designed by Yamaha to be its own version of the old Evolution engine, the Harley Sportster. Suffice it to say that Yamaha got this right in a lot of ways. But without modern conveniences like ABS, the Bolt R-Spec runs the risk of being left behind. We cannot deny that it is a great platform for customization in a way that the new Sportster S just cannot be; it is just that there aren't too many people in the market for a customized cruiser.YamahaYamaha does not really have a conventional tourer other than the FJR1300ES. This is an old-school sport tourer with a large inline four engine, electronic suspension, and, most importantly, shaft drive. It has the reliability and capability to go on an interstate ride at the drop of a hat, but its pricing is not practical for something that has not been updated in a while. The MT-07 Is The Most Practical Yamaha You Can Buy Right Now YamahaYamaha has a fearsome arsenal of naked bikes in its lineup today. Every single one of them appeals to a massive audience because of how usable they are, with the added bonus of being incredibly fun. However, the MT-03 is too small to be usable outside the city, while the MT-10 and MT-09 command a premium and have performance that is completely unsuitable for a beginner.That leaves us with the MT-07, a bike that sits at the low end of the middleweight streetfighter segment. It does not make so much power as to be scary like its elder siblings, it has just the right number of features to be safe, and it gets a lot of its performance from being light. In addition, it is so reliable that it is not unheard of for the MT-07 to last for 100,000 miles. In short, it is built for real life. All of this means that it is the most practical Yamaha you can buy right now. Reasonable Pricing, But The Competition Has Caught Up YamahaThe MT-07 is available in a single variant in the US market, and it is priced at $8,599. This puts it at the lower end of the middleweight naked bike segment. And considering the features it has, it is quite a good value. However, there is a certain competition, like the Honda CB750 Hornet E-Clutch, that offers a little more tech at a more reasonable price. So the MT-07 has not managed to hold on to its crown of the best-value middleweight naked, but it does strike a great balance between everything you'd want from a middleweight naked. The MT-07's Package Is Great Fun And Reliable YamahaThe MT-07 gets Yamaha’s twin engine with the 270-degree firing order that it calls the CP2 crossplane engine. This displaces 689 cc and generates 72 horsepower and 49.4 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission has an assist and slipper clutch as well, and a two-way quickshifter is an optional extra. Internationally, the Y-AMT gearbox is available, but this is not an option in the U.S. market. Updated Chassis Components Make It More Desirable YamahaA tubular steel diamond frame houses the engine. It was refreshed for the 2025 model year, and Yamaha claims that it got 13 percent stiffer, which means that the ride and handling will have gotten better. The suspension got a major overhaul with 41 mm inverted forks from KYB, now available in place of the regular forks.At the rear, there is a KYB single shock that has adjustable preload and rebound damping. There is 5.1 inches of suspension travel available at both ends. Lastly, the brakes consist of twin 298 mm front discs with radial four-piston fixed calipers, and a 245 mm rear disc. These are mounted on 17-inch spinforged alloy wheels with tubeless radial tires. This Is A Compact, Light Motorcycle The MT-07 is a fairly compact motorcycle. It is 81.3 inches long, 30.7 inches wide, and has a wheelbase of 54.9 inches. The seat height is 31.7 inches, which is standard for this type of motorcycle, and the ground clearance is 5.9 inches. Yamaha claims fuel efficiency of 57 MPG, and that should be good enough for a decent tank range with its 3.7-gallon tank. It has a 403-pound wet weight, which is one of its highlights and a big part of what makes it so much fun. The Features Got A Comprehensive Update Along With The Looks YamahaThe MT-07 got a major styling and feature update for the 2025 model year. The previous generation championed simplicity, but it is now more in line with the other Yamaha nakeds, and it is a more modern, aggressive look. The instrument cluster has also now been upgraded to a 5-inch TFT with Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. Other features include self-canceling and lane-change indicators.Along with the looks, the electronics have also been given an upgrade. You now have a by-wire throttle with three different throttle maps, switchable traction control, and ABS. What Is The Competition For The Yamaha MT-07 Like? HondaThere is a surprisingly wide range of competing motorcycles in the MT-07’s space. We are going to leave out premium middleweights like the Aprilia Tuono 660 and the KTM 990 Duke because they exist in a price bracket that competes with the MT-09. The MT-07 holds its own against the competition for the most part, with one exception. The Other Modern Japanese Middleweight Naked Honda PowersportsThe Honda CB750 Hornet E-Clutch seems to be the default choice in the segment now, especially with the E-Clutch system. Not only does it have similar performance to the Yamaha, it also looks good with aggressive styling, which is quite unlike Honda. It is also great fun to ride and has a similar level of safety as the MT-07. The best bit is its price, which is under $8,000. The Ol’ Reliable Option Suzuki CyclesThe Suzuki SV650 has been around for a very long time, and it is undoubtedly a lot of fun because of its 90-degree V-twin engine. Unfortunately, that engine also makes it more expensive than we would expect it to be compared to the lower-cost parallel-twin engines that the competition uses. Still, at over $8,100, the SV650 is a guaranteed reliable product with ABS that will keep going for a very long time. The Surprise Contender TriumphThe Trident 660 from Triumph is the most modern platform here and also takes a very different approach to the others. It has an inline three-cylinder engine with an even firing order and chooses a part-TFT, part-LCD instrument cluster. And it is the only one here to have a six-axis IMU, which justifies its almost $9,000 asking price. However, it still has a little way to go before it can prove that it is as reliable as the other products here.Sources: Yamaha Motorsports