LONG TERMERS WHAT HAVE WE DONE NOW?

RUNNING IT IN

YAMAHA MT-07

It just so happened that our new long termer, the Yamaha MT-07, was ready to be picked up when I was taking our Yamaha Bolt outfi t over to Yamaha for transportation to Moto Expo in Melbourne.

We had to wait for an 07 in the Deep Armour colour we wanted and when I went to pick it up, it was brand spanking new. The Yamaha tech had had no time to check ride it, so as I left Yamaha HQ, zero kilometres is what read on the speedo – I felt special.

I was told the engine would feel a bit tight, as I’d noticed on the MT-07 I rode at the Australian launch recently, and that it would start to loosen up after a few hundred kilometres. Having now clocked up 450km in its first month of use (I need to ride other bikes too), I can testify to that. The engine is starting to loosen up and pick up performance.

And I guess that is something we should mention here. You are probably thinking, “but you get to ride new bikes all the time”? Well, yes, but they have always been ridden for a couple of hundred kilometres or more before we get our hands on them.

Fuel consumption is starting to level out and an average of 5.5L/100km is what we’ve achieved over the 450km – pretty good, we think!

The lucky dip of the two tyres that come on the MT-07 may give you a set of Bridgestones, or the Michelin Pilot Road 3 hoops we have on our bike.

They are a relatively nice tyre to ride on, but look for a number of different hoops being fitted and tested on this sweet machine over the 12 month period we have it for.

Handling is excellent and while it is on the plush side out of the box, I have gone up two clicks harder on the rear preload which has made a big difference. We may look at getting the front and rear completely redone, but we’ll see.

Loads and loads of genuine Yamaha accessories will be fi tted to this bike.

As soon as we took a couple of pics of it in standard form, I couldn’t wait to start getting the bits and pieces on it, and boy, what a transformation! You’ll just have to wait to see them in the magazine, or stop me out on the road!

However the main thing we want to show you with the MT-07 is that (as Yamaha say), this motorcycle is “Learner and Expert approved”. My wife, Alana will be getting her Ls and riding this machine around, while I’ll be enjoying myself on a motorcycle that can be ridden quite quickly if the need arises. As I mentioned in my launch review, if you can only afford one motorcycle in the household and need to cover a Learner, Provisional and/or full licenced rider, look no further than the Yamaha MT-07,all riders will have a smile on their dial! SW

THAT’S ALL FOLKS

TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE

With great sadness, the 12 month mark has arrived and our long term Triumph Speed Triple has been returned. I had planned to purchase Speedy, but the CFO (Alana) gave me the thumbs down. So I nearly shed a tear as I rode Speedy for the last time to drop it over to Team Moto, Blacktown (my nearest Triumph dealer).

What have I liked about the Speed Triple over the last 12 months?

Certainly the torque and that unmistakable triple sound. The fitment of the full Low Boy Arrow exhaust made a huge difference to not only the handling, but engine performance and of course the cracking-bark from the end of the pipe. The fitment of the K&N air filter from Carlisle Tyres & Accessories helped smooth out the power and gave Speedy a touch more torque – a relatively cheap performance addition that you should always consider.

I have also loved the fact that this bike can do it all. Commute, tour, hoon and generally have an absolute barrel of fun with!

The genuine accessories, Arrow exhaust, bar end mirrors, fl y screen, rear seat cowl, belly pan, tank panel, paint protection and machined anodised front brake master cylinder that we fitted not only improved the look of Speedy, but also fitted perfectly. No having to butcher anything to get things to fit.

I also played with the suspension settings quite a bit. I ended up with only one ring more preload on the front, with standard compression and rebound. The front forks are pretty much bang-on from the factory, but for a rider my size, the touch extra preload was the way to go. As for the rear, well I would prefer to replace the entire shock with an Ohlins unit, but I ended up with four complete turns of preload, two clicks of compression and two clicks less rebound to slow things down a little. I found the rear shock would make things a bit nervous when pushed hard and tend to light up the rear tyre with it bouncing around.

The other alternative would be to get the rear shock rebuilt to your specifications. I have to say that if you want to have one of the best experiences of your life, ride the Triumph Speed Triple! Sad to see it go, but glad to have ridden the beast for the last 12 months, it’s been a great year. SW

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