Engine architecture
Twin → Four → Twin
The 1996 TRX850 was a parallel twin. The 2006 FZ6 was an inline four. The 2014 MT-07 went back to a parallel twin. Yamaha tried both architectures in the middleweight before settling on the CP2 twin as the right answer.
Why the MT-07 won
Cheap, light, easy
The 270-degree crank parallel twin makes V-twin character with parallel-twin simplicity. Two cylinders means cheaper to build than a four. The MT-07 is essentially the modern equivalent of the TRX850 idea, done cheaper and better.
Power change vs predecessor
−11bhp
83bhp TRX850 → 72bhp MT-07. The MT actually makes LESS power than the 1996 Yamaha mid-twin. But it weighs 18kg less, is A2-restrictable, and costs $4k less in real terms.
Real cost change
−$3.4k
$5,400 in 1996 was about $10,800 in todays money. The 2026 MT-07 is $8,499 — about 31% cheaper in real terms. Yamaha priced the MT line as the entry point to motorcycling, deliberately.
Weight loss
−18kg
202kg dry FZ6 → 184kg wet MT-07. Significant for a category where weight is everything. Steel diamond frame instead of aluminium twin-spar; simpler engine; A2-friendly compromises.
Why this is THE bestseller
Right bike, right price
The MT-07 has been the best-selling motorcycle in Europe in multiple years since 2014. $8,499 for a fun, light, A2-friendly modern naked with a brilliant engine — there is no rational reason to buy anything else if you are starting out.
Cheapest way in
$2.5k
A clean TRX850 from the late 90s. Honest 270-degree crank parallel twin, trellis frame, lightweight. The MT-07 grandparent — and arguably more characterful.
