2025 Yamaha MT-07 Preview

Loved by beginners, lauded by professionals: Yamaha’s MT-07 has been a smash hit since it first hit the streets back in 2015 (called the FZ-07 in the US until 2017). Pretty much anyone who’s thrown a leg over the little naked has fallen in love with it, but this naked bike suffered a few common complaints, particularly in the chassis department.

Editor’s note: We last operated this product during the 2021 Yamaha MT-07 MC Commute Review article and video.

Related: Top 5 Reasons to Ride the 2024 Yamaha MT-09

Today Yamaha announced its commitment to keeping the CP2-powered middleweight competitive with a host of major updates. New changes range from big upgrades in the suspension to a host of electronic rider aids, so here are the major talking points for this ground-up redesign.

Starting with the obvious, Yamaha is giving the 2025 MT-07 a big styling update to match its bigger MT-09 stablemate. Yamaha says the “stripped back” look includes the same slick front fairing/headlight style of the MT-09 (hallelujah) as well as a slimmer fuel tank, new side covers, a reworked tailsection, and a redesigned seat for better ergonomics.

Related: What to Expect From EICMA 2024

As for the chassis, the major announcement here is the addition of a modern USD fork in place of the old too-soft telescopic unit. The 2025 Yamaha MT-07 will now feature a more rigid 41mm fork from KYB, as well as a linked-type monocross KYB rear shock which Yamaha says has been optimized to match the rigidity of the new front end.

Speaking of rigidity, both the frame and swingarm have been retooled as well, and Yamaha says both units are lighter and more rigid than the outgoing bike. Further weight reduction comes in the form of new SpinForged wheels, the very same tech found on the latest MT-09.

Brakes were another common complaint on the outgoing bike, and Yamaha has addressed this as well for 2025. The outgoing axial-mounted calipers have been replaced with new radial-mount units, while the dual 298mm hydraulic discs remain.

As for the tech package, the new MT-07 will now come equipped with Yamaha’s ride-by-wire YCC-T system, which enables a host of modern electronics upgrades. Chief among them is Yamaha’s Ride Control system, which includes three selectable throttle maps as well as switchable traction control.

Of course those modern refinements deserve a modern dash, and Yamaha has confirmed the new MT includes a full-color 5-inch TFT display as standard. Naturally the new dash includes smartphone connectivity as well, allowing riders to take calls, control their music, or access turn-by-turn navigation using new joystick-style switch gear on the left handlebar.

Last but not least, while Yamaha has confirmed the European version of the 2025 MT-07 will be offered with both a traditional manual transmission and the brand’s new Y-AMT (Yamaha Automatic Manual Transmission) system, the American press release has no mention of the new clutchless technology. We expect to see it eventually, however, so stay tuned.