Yamaha plans to launch the MT-07 in India by end-2015 and has imported one model for testing purpose. It will be brought in via the CKD route.
Yamaha started its second innings in India in 2008 and since then their strategy was to first establish itself in the market by launching a wide range of affordable performance bikes (R15, FZ16) which helped boost its image tremendously. They did not concentrate on what we wanted from Yamaha, high performance bikes. For the ever growing superbike market, Yamaha had only the R1 and the VMAX on sale. However, this is about to change as they are now planning to release the charming MT-07 soon. This is good news for all bike enthusiasts as Yamaha is slowly getting back to what they do best, building sports bikes.
Launched at the 2013 EICMA Motorcycle Show, the Yamaha MT-07 is a smaller version of the Yamaha FZ-09 and is designed as a more city oriented vehicle. It is powered by an in-line twin-cylinder 689cc engine producing 74 BHP at 9000 RPM and 68 Nm of torque at 6500 rpm. The engine is geared to a 6-speed manual transmission. With a full oil and fuel tank, the Yamaha MT-07 weighs just 179 kgs. The light weight and a good power output makes it a nimble, easy to ride city bike. All these specifications result in a top speed of 190 km/hr.
After giving itself a strong base in India, Yamaha might launch the new MT-07 soon. This will add to the current sports bike line up for Yamaha which includes the R1 and VMAX. Launching the MT-07 will help them boost sales as the sport bikes segment has been crying for new bikes in view of increasing demand. On 19th March 2015, they imported one grey piece (with ABS) from Japan. The purpose is solely for testing and evaluation. We hope they launch this bike soon as it will go down well with Indian customers. The Yamaha MT-07 will go up against the Kawasaki Z800 and recently launched Benelli TNT 899.
Source – Zauba.com