We reported earlier that Yamaha, the Japanese two-wheeler maker, has imported the MT-07 naked sports bike into India for R&D testing & evaluation purpose. Now, the vehicle has been spotted testing on Indian roads; indicating a near launch. With the arrival of MT-07, the Japanese automaker will take on the likes of Kawasaki, DSK Benelli and Ducati. The naked sports bike will surely bring more excitement for the Indian motorcycle enthusiasts.
Yamaha is currently offering the V-MAX, the FZ-1 and the R1 as the performance bikes in our market. The MT-07 could be launched to compete against the middle-weight players including Kawasaki Ninja 650, Benelli TNTY 600 and upcoming Honda CBR 600F in the segment. It is powered by a 689cc in-line twin engine that is good for 74bhp of power at 9000rpm and a peak torque of 68Nm at 6500rpm. The engine is linked to a six-speed constant mesh gearbox. The bike is capable of hitting a top speed of 190kmph.
The Yamaha MT-07 is based on a tubular backbone frame, and the bike weighs just 179 kilos. The suspension mechanism comprises of telescopic forks up-front and a link-type mono shock at the rear. The MT-07 measures 2,085mm in length, 745mm in width and 1,090mm in height. It comes with a decent ground clearance of 140mm.