First things first—the Yamaha MT-03 doesn’t turn heads. Not even a single one, including your own. So, if you’re looking to buy it for flash value, stop reading further and get the R3 instead. However, if you want a motorcycle for its core attributes, and not to compensate for your lack of personality, you may continue to read.
See, you just learned that this Yamaha’s design won’t make you go weak in the knees, but, I’m happy to report that its size and ergonomics will keep your extremities, along with your derriere, and knees, comfortable. That’s what matters when you realise you won’t always be in your 20s. It’s also almost intriguing how this bike fits everyone from 5’0″ to 6’0″ so effortlessly. If you’re taller than six feet though, the R3 might FEEL more accommodating, thanks to the different handlebars. But, almost everyone, excluding Hrithik Roshan perhaps, would find the horn switch placement to be quite odd. It’s just not within a thumb’s reach…
Another irritant is that the steering lock-to-lock range is limited by the unnecessarily bulbous fuel tank design. As a result, the turning radius is bigger than a truck’s, which will take even experienced riders by surprise initially. It’s nothing you can’t get used to, but the tank could’ve been designed better, especially when it doesn’t hold any more fuel than the R3 anyway.
Still, it’s an easy motorcycle to ride. Yamaha have always been mass centralisation and COG magicians, imparting their bikes with superlative dynamic ability, which makes them not only telepathic handlers on a racetrack, but also way less demanding than your spouse in daily chaotic city life.
The amazing tractability helps too. Sometimes, you won’t even realise that you’re trundling in 4th at 30 km/h because the bike just doesn’t protest! But, I won’t recommend you do that. Below 40 km/h, please downshift to third to avoid lugging the engine even if there are no obvious signs of the bike frowning at you.
But, you won’t buy it to ride like that. You’d buy it to elevate your dopamine production, which happens in just 5.9 seconds. Well, that’s the time it took me for the 0–100 km/h sprint (GPS) on the MT-03. Keep it pinned and 150 km/h will come up in another 11 seconds. However, if you always ride like that, be prepared to see the fuel efficiency figure hover around 20 km/l.
The ride quality is quite good—in fact, a lot better than most nakeds in this segment, while still either matching or bettering them in the handling stakes. And it brakes well too. There’s ample stopping power, and feedback, despite the braking hardware appearing unimpressive on paper (read: “axial, and not radial, calipers and master cylinder”). Those Dunlop Sportmax tyres too deserve a pat on their back for helping the brakes do their job properly, and an extra pat for not summoning the ABS too frequently.
That reminds me to reiterate that dual-channel ABS is the only electronic rider-aid you get on this motorcycle. There’s no traction control, no ride modes, no gimmicks, and it doesn’t really need any. However, Yamaha should have taken this opportunity to at least plonk in a bidirectional quickshifter, along with a slipper clutch, to make the riding experience even more fun.
For now, the MT-03 comes as a CBU at INR 4.6 lakh, ex-showroom. Yes, that’s pricey. And, yes, let’s hope they start making it here soon. But, even right now, at a time when motorcycles are becoming increasingly gimmicky and appliance-like, if I want a naked that offers me a pure and undiluted motorcycling experience, AND UNQUESTIONABLE RELIABILITY, I’ll embrace this anachronism from Yamaha in a heartbeat, even if I have to survive on eggs and Maggi for the next few years.