I must confess- I don’t like riding this motorcycle.
From the torquey parallel 689cc liquid-cooled twin, the upright and comfortable “street fighter” riding triangle, to the thrilling, arm-stretching acceleration when twisting the throttle, and that deep guttural growl through the 2-into-1 exhaust, the 2024 Yamaha MT-07 just does me in.
I don’t like riding this motorcycle- I love riding it.
And therein lies my problem with this bike…
Honda’s all new E-Clutch system really makes these bikes very versatile. You essentially get two motorcycles in one. You can engage the hand lever clutch and ride manual, or engage the E-Clutch and simply tap up/down through the gears. We sampled the CB650R about a year ago, and for my size, it was the perfect fit (not to mention the sexiest pipes in the industry). So Honda’s installing the E-Clutch system in this and the sport model makes this bike even more inviting, not just to younger, new, and potential riders, but also to somebody like me. I loved it.
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Ripping down Utah State 40 through the vast and beautiful Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, our motorcycle entourage suddenly arrived at our dirt turn-off. Pulling over before descending into the deep and somewhat narrow canyon, our Royal Enfield group leader gave us a few pointers about the route they’d scouted the day before, then down we rode into the ravine. The ride on 40 had been glorious, over the hills and around the lakes in this portion of northeast Utah. The warning signs at the beginning of the off-road section of our ride alarmed me, however. “Travel At Your Own Risk”, “Dangerous Road Ahead”, among others had me wondering why I was here. I’m primarily a street rider, and I feared this segment might take me way out of my wheelhouse and skill level.
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So it’s not surprising that another new category has been introduced, this time in American Flat Track. The category, called AdventureTrackers, made its inaugural debut at Sturgis, SD recently with its first race conducted on a road/dirt course of the Sturgis TT.
Not only was it a successful race, but it appears a new rivalry has emerged as a result, between Harley-Davidson teams racing the Pan America 1250, and teams running Triumph’s Tiger 1200 GT and Rally Pro bikes. A Honda Africa Twin team ran as well, and some big-name racers piloted these ADV bikes in the race. It appears the trial run of the class was a crowd pleaser as well, with lots of social media buzz about the race from Sturgis attendees on hand for it.
I’m no poet, but while seated in an aircraft at 35,000 feet somewhere over the Arabian Sea west of India, these words began to materialize in my head. Returning from a 16-day mission/relief trip to Indonesia with 127 Legacy Foundation, I longed to unwind on a motorcycle and ride off into uncrowded countryside. Through exhaustion, overseas illness, and jet-lag, I mused, “I’m always better on a bike.”
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A couple of years ago about this time, I had a low speed slideout while making a left-hand turn onto another road. I hit an unseen patch of gravel that had washed out onto the road from a storm the previous day, and I hit it while leaning left to negotiate the turn. The Yamaha XR900 I was riding lost traction, and I went down pretty hard on my left side. The bike was fine, mostly, as the handlebar and a couple of left side frame sliders prevented any real damage. My HJC i10 Robust helmet took a knock on the left side, so I had no head or neck injuries. I rode the bike home with no problems. Over the next day or two however, my left side shoulder, ribs and hip became a little sore from the impact.
It wasn’t long thereafter that I took an interest in the growing array of wearable airbag offerings on the market for motorcycle riders.
I took my old 1978 Kawasaki KZ 650 out for a ride on a recent Sunday afternoon. The skies were clear, a warm gentle breeze was blowing, and I needed some alone time on a motorcycle. It had been a few weeks since I had last ridden the old bike, and it took a little coaxing to get her to fire up and settle into a smooth idle. Opening the petcock, adding some choke, thumbing the starter a couple of times, a little throttle massage until she was warm, then we were off into the rolling countryside south of our north Georgia home.
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For Mathew Scholtz, 2024 began with much uncertainty and a measure of disillusionment. “I contemplated returning home,” to his native South Africa, he confided. The acclaimed Superbike superstar was without a racing team, without a job, and due to timing, wasn’t certain any team in the American motorcycle road racing series known as MotoAmerica would be able to bring him onboard.
From the top tiers of North American motorcycle racing, to “moto-homeless”, the new year was off to rocky start for one of the most beloved riders in the paddock.
The MT-09 has been a staple in Yamaha’s “Hyper Naked” sportbike lineup for ten years, alongside their MT-07 twin, both best sellers in the American market. We’ve had the opportunity to sample the torquey triple mill in their “Sport Heritage” XSR900 a couple of years ago, and were so impressed with the Tracer 9 GT+ that it won our 2023 Bike of the Year. So when invited out to sample the powerplant in their naked sportbike iteration, I jumped at the chance.
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