Hello, my thoughts so far …

[krockroc]

Hopefully I've come to the right place as I think I've caught the bug at the grand old age of 40

A brief history of my biking so far. I moved house so I thought I'd get a motorbike to knock an hour off my journey to work (due to heavy traffic). It worked. 90 minutes became 30 minutes.

I did my CBT a couple of months ago. I bought a new 2014 Yamaha YBR 125. I've knocked up just under 1,000 miles with two months of commuting. I did my theory test yesterday and passed. I booked my training, Mod 1 and Mod 2 dates (over the next six weeks). I can't wait to get started on a bigger bike. Once I've passed I plan to get a Yamaha MT-07.

I'm happy to get your thoughts on jumping from a YBR to the MT-07? I am a little nervous about this to be honest but I want to try and avoid having to make three purchases. If I don't wait on the MT-07 I would get the XJ6 as my second/learning bike.

OK, that's my intro over so I'm off to the other sections to ask some questions

[parkmoy]

Not ridden one but according to MCN reviews they're good bikes.

Don't worry about going up from a 125. Bigger bikes are more stable and easier to ride, you'll adjust easily.

[krockroc]

I'm not really worried about moving to a bigger bike, I'm looking forward to it. I'm just concerned that the MT-07 sounds a bit lively from what I've read – a bigger learning curve than if I got the XJ6.

[wr6133]

[sidewinder]

Hi and welcome..
You'll be fine.it will only do what your wrist tells it to.

[Rogerborg]

Low speed fuelling might be an issue. Hopefully they'll have sorted it on the next batch.

They do look decent value, but the price has crept up a bit since release. I wouldn't rule out (for example) an SVF650, which can be had for a fair bit less if you shop around.

Either way, you'll love it.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Andy_Pagin]

[Az]

Going from a YBR125 to an MT-07 won't be bad at all.

My friend went from a (2009 I think) RS125 (albeit faster and more capable than a YBR) and he's taken to the MT-07 nicely, although he liked his RS more.

I've also ridden the same friends MT-07 and if i'm honest... I didn't like it much. I just don't seem to take a liking to twins and heavy engine breaking. Where as maybe you will? On the up side, it wheelies easily

[krockroc]

Because I've got no experience, I've got no idea what to expect with it. And the title, "Masters of Torque" doesn't help with my suspicions/reservations. I have checked out other brands including the SVF650 but I just love the look of the MT-07. I've sat on the MT-09 and it felt just right. Hopefully the MT-07 isn't too much smaller.

[Doovy]

[krockroc]

[Doovy]

[Celera]

I went from lessons and test to a Z800 without anything in between. People I know are always amazed I chose it as a first bike, but it's absolutely not a problem. If you don't want it to go faster than you want, don't throttle on so much - simple.

I can honestly say that there has never been a moment when I've thought that I have too much power, but have already been in positions where I thought I wouldn't mind a little bit more - though it's rare

[monkeybiker]

The bigger bikes are not hard to ride you just need to keep an eye on your speed as you can find your self going fast quite easily.

Being that you 40 years old and not an 18 year old I am hoping you will be able to control yourself and ride steady taking your time to get used to it.

I've got a Z1000 and it's not hard to ride but I wouldn't recommend this for a first bike because it's too easy to go fast.

Just take it steady and you should be fine.

Ride within your limits.

[Wednesday Biker]

If you jump on a bigger bike and dont rev it hard it wont run away with you.
Under 5k my bike is as easy as a 125 to ride.Only when you get to 6 or 7k it starts to take off.
My gf went from a 125 to a z750 and only problem she had was getting used to the weight on slow turns.
When I get a new bike its usually the weight and size I have to get used to rather than the power.

[Pigeon]

[krockroc]

I've sat on a MT-09 and that felt great (I'm 5' 10" and weigh 105kg). I've hear the MT-07 is only a bit smaller. I like the feel of my 125 in terms of size and the MT-09 just felt like a beefier (or thicker) version of my existing bike (as if it had been injected with steroids).

I'll be careful. I'm buying it 'cause I like the way it looks rather than the speed. I'll be overtaken by 50cc scooters while I'm riding it.

[MC]

The jump is going from a 125 to anything, rather than from a 125 to 50, 70 or 100bhp. Most of that is cos you'll still be grabbing a fist full of throttle on the big bike

I'd consider an MT-09, find a dealer to test ride both that and the MT-07 once you've passed. I only say this as I got an MT-03, a bit worried about getting a more powerful bike, then thanks to a u-turning van I was on a CBF1000 a couple months later and had no issues with it (going from 46 to 106 bhp).

In fact the CBF1000 was easier to ride being an IL4. With the MT-07 being a parallel twin you might find it boring, they're meant to be a light fun bike but there are other bikes with slightly more exciting engines.
____________________
Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[TallPaul_S]

I've spent the last 3 days on an ER6n, with 70-odd BHP, also a twin. My current bike is a Varadero 125, so that's 14bhp to 70bhp.

Riding round town etc, down dual carriageways, the only difference in power was that it got up to the speed limit effortlessly, as I was gentle on the throttle. Didn't use more than 4-5k rpm, mostly 2-4k around town.

Now, on my DAS, the technique they used (which was awesome by the way, 55, 53 and 55 on the 3 runs on the mod 1, without looking at the speedo once after the turn!) was 3rd gear into the corner, 15-20mph round the corner, then at the last blue cone open the throttle all the way, and roll off it at the green cones just before the speed trap.

The first time I did this, I looked like this. I seriously was not expecting the acceleration, especially from 15mph in 3rd!!! Nearly ripped my arms out their sockets!

So, in summary, it's ALL down to how you ride the bike. an MT07 can be scary as hell if you go everywhere wide open throttle, but it can be an ickle little puddy tat if you stroke it gently.
____________________
00 Honda VFR800 | 09 Aprilia Tuono Factory
CBT 06/03/2014 | Mod 1 and Mod 2 passed 15/10/2014

[krockroc]

I had my first lesson today in preparation for my Mod 1 /2 tests. It turned out to be a four hour refresher course on a 125cc. I was hoping to get a go on the 600cc bike (I think it was an XJ6) but it turned out to be more of an assessment of our driving skills. I made the mistake of using the test centre's 125 bike which was an old Suzuki with high handlebars. It took me a couple of hours to get used to the strange riding position. I say our because another guy did it with me. The good news is my instructor was happy with my skills at the end of the lesson so for next Thursday it's on to the 600cc for me. I felt sorry for the other guy as he has to repeat the same lesson again – he was furious. He has a mare doing the u-turns so I wasn't surprised.

I can't wait to get on the 600!

[Stil]

[Skoot]

[krockroc]

Yeah, this pissed me off a bit. The rationale was that I'd be more comfortable undoing all my bad habits on the 125. And, maybe because I wasn't used to the Suzuki I may have looked a bit shit on it? It would have only been for 20 minutes or so whilst I got used to it.

I made a point of doing continuous u-turns on the bike in front of him on a narrow road hoping that he'd say jump on the 600 straight away but it didn't happen. It could've also been because of the guy I was doing it with was a bit pants. I don't know but I was pissed off – I mean I've done 1000 miles on my 125.

[Ribenapigeon]

MT-07 is lighter than an XJ so not a big deal. MT is a good choice but given Yamahas new range you could probably get a good deal on an XJ at the moment. Don't worry about going up to heavier bikes you wont notice it after ten minutes.

[krockroc]

To be honest my experience with the training school hasn't been great so far. I'm going to give them a chance to rectify the situation but I now feel like I they are prolonging the course for financial gain.

The XJ6 was great and I found it so much easier to ride than the 125.

The downside of the second lesson was that we spent 80% of the time doing u-turns and figure-of-eights. I was told to re-learn the way I use the clutch on slow maneuvers. This to me was very contradictory because I was using the methodology I was taught in the first lesson???

I have two questions?

If you can make a u-turn with all the correct observations, without putting your foot down, will the test centre fail you just because your revs weren't between 2500 and 4000?

Also, when doing slow maneuver work, do you need to stop for a 10 minute break every 20-30 minutes in order to let the clutch cool down?