Yamaha MT-07 Pure 700 2024 — Specifications

You thought you'd made your choice, and then the Yamaha catalog throws an unexpected dilemma your way. Two MT-07s now sit side by side on the price list: the standard version, freshly updated, and this Pure variant that embraces a deliberately stripped-back approach. Same aggressive silhouette, same 689 cc inline twin, same 73 hp at 8,750 rpm and 66.7 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm. On paper, you'd struggle to spot the difference. It hides in the details, and above all in the price.

The MT-07 Pure actually builds on the previous generation, the one sold between 2020 and 2022. Yamaha kept the engine untouched, along with the diamond-type steel tube frame and the suspension setup featuring a 41 mm fork and a mono-shock, each offering 130 mm of travel. Nothing changed on the braking side either: dual 298 mm discs up front with four-piston calipers, a single 245 mm disc at the rear. However, the instrument cluster stays LCD where the standard version moves to a color TFT, the optional quickshifter drops off the spec sheet, and the color palette shrinks to a sober black. The payoff? 400 euros off the bill, bringing the total down to 7,599 euros. Enough to buy a decent helmet with the savings.

What makes this Pure interesting is precisely what it refuses to carry. No traction control, no multiple riding modes, no Bluetooth connectivity. ABS and electronic fuel injection are the only concessions to modern electronics. For an A2 license holder, it's a perfectly defensible choice. Yamaha's CP2 twin has never needed electronic aids to win riders over: its generous mid-range character and natural flexibility are enough to build confidence in a new rider while still entertaining a more experienced one. At 184 kg wet, with an 805 mm seat height and a 14-liter tank, the bike remains a benchmark of compactness in the segment. Against a Kawasaki Z650 or a Suzuki SV650, it retains that advantage in lightness and that cornering agility that built its reputation.

You might raise an eyebrow at the 180/55-17 rear tire, a touch wide for the 73 hp on tap. A 160 would probably have made the bike even more playful through corners. The suspension, calibrated for all-round use, shows its limits on rough roads or when pushing hard on track. That's the trade-off accepted since the MT-07's inception, and this Pure doesn't change the equation. The claimed top speed of 190 km/h sits squarely in the segment average, with no surprises.

Yamaha is applying a recipe BMW tested with the R nineT Pure: offering a deliberately simplified version to broaden the customer base at the lower end. The strategy makes sense in a market where the entry price keeps climbing. The standard MT-07 has gained several hundred euros over a decade, and this Pure variant provides a more affordable gateway to a twin that remains one of the best fun-to-price ratios on the market. For anyone who couldn't care less about the TFT and the quickshifter, it's simply the best deal in the Yamaha catalog.