2026 Yamaha MT-07 Y-AMT Review: Still the Default Choice?

For over a decade the MT-07 has been the bike people point new riders at: light, cheap, easy to ride and a little bit daft once you open the throttle. The latest one has grown up. It's stiffer, better braked and more techy than any MT-07 before it, and a lot of the ones leaving UK showrooms don't have a clutch lever, because Yamaha now sells it with Y-AMT, its automated manual gearbox.

That raises an obvious question, and it's the one this 2026 Yamaha MT-07 review sets out to answer: has all that polish cost the MT-07 its magic? Moto Planet presenter and rider Liam Simm took the Y-AMT version out on UK roads, through town, along the dual carriageway and out onto the B-roads, to find out.

Summary

• Engine 689cc CP2 liquid-cooled parallel twin
• Power 54kW (73.4PS) @ 8,750rpm
• Torque 68Nm @ 6,500rpm
• Weight 186kg wet (Y-AMT), 183kg manual
• Fuel Capacity 14 litres
• Price £7,858 OTR (Y-AMT), £7,408 OTR (manual)

This review was produced in partnership with Yamaha M.E.S, Deeside.

Buying Advice: Who is this bike for? Who should skip it?

The MT-07 still suits the rider it always has: someone who wants a light, lively naked for commuting in the week and a blast with mates at the weekend, without spending big. The seat is 805mm, which left Liam with a slight bend in the knee and perfectly comfortable, and there's a 35kW version for A2 licence holders.

The Y-AMT version makes the most sense for riders who don't want to use a clutch, whether that's a mobility issue or plain preference, and who'd happily shift with a button when they do want control. It's still the same playful bike underneath.

Think carefully before taking your test on one, though. Under GOV.UK rules, if you pass on a motorcycle with automatic or semi-automatic transmission, your licence only covers those types of bike. That rules out a lot of motorcycles later on.

Skip the MT-07 if long motorway runs are a big part of your week. Liam found it light and a little vague at speed, and the Tracer 7 does that job better. And if the idea of an MT-07 without a clutch lever just feels wrong, the manual is £450 cheaper and arguably the purer bike.

Y-AMT explained: what £7,858 gets you

Y-AMT is Yamaha's automated manual transmission. A switch on the right bar picks between automatic and manual. In automatic there are two modes, D for relaxed riding and D+ for something sportier, and you can swap between them on the move. In manual you change gear yourself with a finger-operated paddle on the left bar, up or down, with no clutch and no gear lever.

Because the throttle is ride-by-wire, you get riding modes in both automatic and manual, and the 5in colour TFT lets you adjust traction control and throttle response. Pair a phone through Yamaha's MyRide app and you get Garmin turn-by-turn navigation on the dash. The Y-AMT also comes with cruise control as standard, which the manual bike doesn't have, and Liam rated it as absolutely fantastic.

The rest of the updates apply to both versions. There's a stiffer frame, KYB suspension, radially mounted four-piston calipers on twin 298mm discs (a first for the MT-07), and small acoustic grilles on the tank that amplify the intake noise so you hear more of the engine working. Liam called it the most technologically advanced MT-07 to date, and on paper it's hard to argue.

What is the MT-07 like through town?

This is where the MT-07 has always been at its best, and nothing has changed. The steering is so light that the bike changes direction almost the moment you think about it, and that sets the tone for everything else.

The throttle is light and the CP2 engine gives an accessible spread of torque low down. Liam's point about accessible is that you can roll on hard without ending up in the back of whatever's in front, which is exactly why so many people learn on these.

The bars now sit 22mm lower and 9.3mm further back than before, and 18mm wider. Liam found the position a touch more upright and a touch sportier as a result.

One irritation: the self-cancelling indicators take a long time to cancel. Liam reckoned he'd passed about three junctions before they switched off, and he called that dangerous. You'll want to get into the habit of cancelling them yourself.

Firmer suspension and radial brakes: the old weak spot fixed

The one criticism that has followed the MT-07 around for years is the front end. Liam rode the 2017 bike, and as soon as he pushed on, it lost its way. Soft, spongy and bouncy, with oodles of dive when you hit the brakes.

The new bike is completely different. The suspension is firmer and the chassis stiffer, and the radial calipers give it braking that feels far more grown-up. Liam wasn't about to complain.

There's a trade-off. At slow speed over potholes and broken tarmac, Liam found the ride quite jarring and uncomfortable on his backside. The rear shock is adjustable for preload and rebound damping, so setting it up for your weight may soften the worst of it. But it's still an MT-07, and if comfort over rough roads is high on your list, the Tracer 7 is the more obvious choice.

Is Y-AMT right for an MT-07?

Liam went in with his instincts telling him an automatic MT-07 wasn't a good idea, and he came out largely of the same view.

Around town in automatic he found himself relaxed, which is fine if relaxed is what you're after. But the MT-07's appeal has always been the involvement: using the whole gearbox, working the engine up and down, a bit of clutch and the odd rev-match. Liam wondered how much of the old bike's fun came from exactly that.

The modes make a real difference. In D, a kick-down for an overtake lacks urgency, so you have to plan ahead. In D+ it's much sharper, and you'll be past whatever's in front nice and quickly.

His preference is Honda's E-Clutch approach, which he's also tested on the Honda CB650R E-Clutch. It lets you use the clutch or ignore it, and you keep changing gear with your foot, which to Liam is what the MT-07 is about. He's fair about who Y-AMT suits, though: if you have mobility issues or simply don't like using a clutch, you're still getting a playful, exciting bike. If you're weighing up the automatic and manual versions of the bigger MT, we've covered that in our MT-09 auto vs manual comparison.

Dual carriageway and motorway: light at the front

Liam switched to manual and Sport and took it onto the dual carriageway. At 69mph the bike felt stable, though not as planted as the bigger MT-09.

The light steering that makes it so good in town works against it here. You sit upright, the wind pushes on your chest and wants to shove you towards the back of the bike, and that makes the front feel lighter still. Liam didn't find it unsettled over cat's eyes, but he wanted more substance and more feedback through the bars, and keeping it pointed where you want demands a bit more confidence.

He compared it with the Honda CB650R, whose more aggressive position pitches you over the front and gives you more feedback, and with it the confidence to change direction at motorway speeds.

What the MT-07 does well at speed is stay smooth. Liam noticed little to no vibration, to the point that he forgot to think about it. With the Y-AMT in automatic and cruise control set, the bike takes care of most of the work. It does the job, but if motorway miles matter, the Yamaha Tracer 7 GT is built for it.

The CP2 engine and the weekend ride

If you buy an MT-07, you'll spend most of your time in two places: town, and the twisties at the weekend. The second is where the bike made its name as the gateway to hooliganism. Lightweight, compact and with that punch of torque at the bottom of the CP2, it was never trying to top a spec sheet.

That's still true. The CP2 remains fantastic, the steering is fun, and the stiffer suspension and chassis make the handling more precise on B-roads than any MT-07 before it. Liam had a good time in town, on A-roads and on B-roads alike. Front-end feedback is better than before, but because the bike is so light, there still isn't a huge amount of it.

Sound: acoustic grilles and a muffled twin

Emissions rules have quietened almost every modern bike, and the MT-07 is no exception. Yamaha's answer is the acoustic grilles on the tank, which feed more intake noise back to the rider. Liam's verdict on the result: it could sound better, like everything else on sale, but it's not bad.

Ownership, Running Costs & Reliability

Yamaha quotes 4.1 L/100km for both versions, which works out at roughly 69mpg. From the 14-litre tank, that's a theoretical range of around 210 miles. Expect less if you ride it the way it wants to be ridden.

New Yamaha road bikes come with a three-year factory warranty, and it can be extended a year at a time through Yamaha's YOU extended warranty, provided the bike is serviced to schedule with genuine parts. The routine service interval is generally reported as 6,000 miles or annually, whichever comes first. Yamaha UK doesn't make the schedule easy to find online, so confirm the first service, the interval and the cost of each with your dealer before you buy.

The CP2 engine has powered the MT-07 since the original, so it isn't an unknown quantity. The Y-AMT gearbox is much newer, and there's no long-term ownership record on it yet, so how it holds up over years and high mileage is too early to call.

The MT-07 no longer feels like the budget option, and Liam points out that's because it isn't one. It's priced much like its rivals, which he sees as Yamaha moving the brand upmarket as Chinese-built bikes flood the market.

It's a naked bike, so two-up touring isn't its strength, and the firmer set-up makes rough roads less comfortable than before. As a commuter and weekend bike it's easy to live with. If you're setting one up for either, check out our 2026 Yamaha MT-07 parts and accessories.

How the Yamaha MT-07 compares to its rivals?

Honda CB750 Hornet. The bike Liam kept coming back to, having ridden it recently and found it "so playful and exciting". It's £7,549 OTR for a 755cc parallel twin making 90.5hp at 9,500rpm and 75Nm at 7,250rpm, at 196kg kerb. That's more power and torque than the MT-07 for less than the Y-AMT, and Honda's E-Clutch keeps a gear lever under your foot, which is the approach Liam prefers. The MT-07 answers with its lighter weight, easier low-down torque and a proper automatic mode. Read our 2026 Honda CB750 Hornet review.

Honda CB650R E-Clutch. The four-cylinder alternative, at £7,999. Its 649cc inline four makes 94bhp at 12,000rpm and 63Nm at 9,500rpm, and it weighs 205.8kg kerb. Liam found its sportier position gives more front-end feedback at speed, and the E-Clutch is his pick of the clutchless systems. The trade is character: the Honda wants revs where the MT-07's CP2 gives you everything low down, and the Yamaha is noticeably lighter.

Kawasaki Z650. The long-running A2-friendly rival, from £7,099. It's a 649cc parallel twin with 68PS at 8,000rpm and 64Nm at 6,700rpm, weighing 188kg kerb, with a 15-litre tank and a 790mm seat. It's the cheapest of the four and comes in a 35kW version, but the MT-07 is more powerful and lighter, and now has better brakes, suspension and tech to go with it.

The MT-07 has lost its price advantage, but it's still the lightest bike here, and the only one offering a fully automatic mode. The manual version at £7,408 is the value pick; the Y-AMT is for riders who really want to leave the clutch behind.

Verdict

So has the latest MT-07 lost its spirit? Liam doesn't think so. It keeps the ergonomics MT-07 riders know, the CP2 is as playful and rewarding as ever, and the firmer suspension and radial brakes finally fix the front end that dogged earlier bikes. It's the most refined MT-07 yet, and it no longer feels like the budget option.

Where Liam lands against it is the gearbox. For him, Y-AMT doesn't belong on an MT-07, and he'd rather have a clutch-optional system that keeps the gear change at your foot. For riders who don't want a clutch at all, it's a playful, exciting bike that still does what an MT-07 should. If you've ridden MT-07s before and expect this one to feel the same, you're in for a surprise, though not necessarily a bad one.