Yamaha MT03 2018 Test Ride

[@mikecallaghan6377]

Great review, always believed that you learn more riding a small bike fast that a bigger bike slow.

[@VeeFour]

Mike Callaghan 100% in agreement. Big bikes can make you lazy and complacent because you've got it all there on tap 👍

[@Hinjima92]

I have the A2 license but I bought the Honda MSX as my first bike as I wanted something small and easy to learn on, after 2 seasons I put over 30.000km on it... and that's with 5 months of snow here in Norway that I could not ride! Recently sold it and was looking at the Yamaha MT03 at the dealer today, and its a damn good looking bike. I am a bit short ( 175cm ) so the MT03 did fit me very nicely. I could go for the MT07 but I don't feel I need anything bigger than the MT03 actually, I just want to cruise around and not be a speed demon :P. And the money saved on the MT03 will of course be going to new mirrors, exhaust and a tail tidy. Great Review man, got a lot more insight into how it is to actually drive the bike and how it behaves. I think this is my next motorcycle indeed:)

[@VeeFour]

Filip Lenz Great stuff, and congratulations on your very sensible approach to your new career on motorcycles. Keep building up your experience and muscle memory, and it will pay off in the future when you eventually choose to step up to a powerful bike. Plus the 03 isn't exactly slow, as it's the same engine that they use in the R3 👍

[@user-rf9me7xm1w]

A most enjoyable review during which you raise some interesting points. I’ve been riding for 50+ years and have owned many large capacity bikes the likes of which are now far too heavy for me to handle comfortably. The MT 03 is perfect for me due to it’s ultra light weight and low seat height, it’s also much more fun to ride than the barge of a bike I owned before (1200cc water cooled monstrosity). The MT 03 Is therefore just perfect for the downsizing fraternity. Also, as I’m quite light myself, I have no trouble keeping up with larger bikes, after all, it has the R3 sports bike engine.

[@garytaylor7611]

My daughter is 21 just passed her a2 . She now wants an mt-03 after watching this vid . Great review 👍👍

[@VeeFour]

It's a perfect A2 bike and you can't go wrong with Yamaha. Congratulations to your daughter 👏👏

[@bramskahoon4072]

I'm 5'7 fits me perfectly, enough power to over take if needed,great awesome bike for beginners.

[@VeeFour]

I can't argue with that. No one really needs more power, it's just nice to have sometimes, but as a good run around this one's right up there.

[@brandancoffey2928]

I’m so torn betweeen this and the R3 😩

[@satrianialien]

I am 57 also and just doing the mod1/2 ,torn between the mt03 and mt07. Not sure at my age which would be best ad a newbie...

[@copa593]

I bought this bike 7 months ago. A complete noob and fairly short (5'8), just got an A2 license ( i'm 27 years old though) and i am extremely happy with it. It's fast enough for me and i feel pretty safe on it.

[@VeeFour]

it's a great bike ro get started on, and a damn sight better than the 250 four strokes that were knocking about when I was starting out 👍

[@ianblazely8450]

Im just about to buy the MT03 and I'm 50yr 6ft2" slimmer than Dave lol''' and had no problems with it on my test ride.. Plenty of power and keeps you ahead of traffic..

[@VeeFour]

if yoi weigh less tgan me, you'll be fine on one of these 👍😁

[@nzelm0]

I'm in a very similar situation to you. I test ride the Mt07 and it did scare me a little, and honestly don't think I would really use the higher hp. Probably buying an mt03 this weekend. It will be used 95% of the time for commuting, but will go OK if I do take it out of town

[@TheJoker2484]

For my first bike at 32 this is it enough power for me great review

[@VeeFour]

At 32 I'd be looking into getting into something slightly bigger. The MT07 is a great first bike for a more mature beginner. Plenty of fun power, but not intimidating to ride at all. You won't grow out of it in a hurry

[@OrangeGenerator]

The slightly hard to keep a line feeling in the corners is often the stock tires (Michelin Pilot Street Bias Plys) - once you switch to Diablo 2's you never go back. Unlocks the handling potential of the bike and very streetable tires at same time. I have a R3 for reference.

[@VeeFour]

Orange Generator I agree, Japanese OE tyres are usually very hard and are not necessarily the exact tyres that they are branded as, but are made specially for the factory. I ditched the ususlly good Battlax S20s off my new MT09 and replaced them with new Rosso 3s and what a difference!

[@TheNigel55]

I have just bought one of these not really riden it yet ,I pick it up in march

[@manosmanos4663]

I just bought the bike. Nice review

[@VeeFour]

A wise purchase

[@luiz576]

I m 58 years old and was ten years without riding. Got a MT03 three monthes ago for some kind of adaptation and I think I did a good choice. Almost 4k kilometer later, feels like a body extension. Rationally, I don t need more power, but ...

[@VeeFour]

......but more is always nice. It sounds like you've taken your time and eased yourself back on to two wheels sensibly and built your experience back up. Now that you have, why not test ride the MT07 or even the 09? The 07 is super easy to ride with plenty of everything you need, and the 09 isn't quite the beast people make it out to be.

[@luiz576]

@@VeeFour I will do that. Thanks!!

[@michals1108]

I'm almost 40 and gonna do my direct access sooner/later and this bike is on my sight. Just saying, now is a lot of guys in 40/50s going to motorbiking. To pass a test you need 600-700 pounds plus all the accessories and motorbike. So you need minimum 3k to start . Its a lot of money for youngsters.

[@VeeFour]

Yes, it's not a cheap mode of transport like it used to be. If you're doing your DAS, then you might want to look at the MT07 instead 👍

[@3nd0fgam3rs]

I'd say about 500-1200+ depending on where you live and what the different motorbike training centres charge because they all have different prices. I'm 20 atm and wanted to do my A2 when I was 19 But the price of it was between 500-900 and I live in the north east. Wouldn't like to see what it'd cost in the more expensive cities such as London, Manchester, Chelsea etc

[@ThePerfectDuck]

thank you for the review. very helpful. one question, if I may: do you think that this bike could accommodate a 6.0" guy like me? if you are 6"2 and feel a little bit too big for the bike, I thought that at 6.0" I should fit me pretty nicely? am I wrong? thanks in advance for your advice and kind regards!

[@VeeFour]

George R. You'll probably feel a little bit big on it, but you'd just get used to it and after a while it'll be the norm 👍

[@ianlawrie919]

As new Dave said "the MT03 is for a new biker type niche", though as old Dave showed us what a good looker, more so for the sculpted seat, even if it irked new Dave's coccyx.

[@VeeFour]

Ian Lawrie I probably just have bad seating posture. Maybe all those school teachers were right after all 🙄

[@1990-t1j]

I live in Thailand, and if Yamaha put this engine in a trail bike chassis, I would buy a supermoto version of this. I'm not keen on these split-level sports seats. I prefer a bench seat. Even better, how about a scrambler version. This engine pisses all over the competition, apart from the KTM Duke390. BMW310? Bollocks to it. Completely agree with your comment about wind at 70 mph. Why do people want screens? The best MT-03 review I've seen, along with Motoman's, a Chiang Mai vlogger, from December 2015.

[@VeeFour]

1990 This motor would work well in a Supermoto. it's certainly punchy enough

[@1990-t1j]

And it appears that Yamaha are bringing out an XSR300 powered by this 320 cc parallel twin. I may well get one for use in the Chiang Rai region.

[@1990-t1j]

It now seems that the XSR300 is an internet myth. I am thinking of buying an MT-03 now.

[@clicker125]

great bike MT series.

[@VeeFour]

rolan valencia I agree, they're a great series of machines

[@charafmohammed6646]

hello, i can use this bike to take a long road trip ?

[@VeeFour]

you could do, in so far as you can use any bike for a long road trip, but that doesn't always mean that you should. A few years ago, I travelled the full length of Vietnam on an old 125cc bike and yes it did the job, just not very comfortably. You could ride this bike on a long journey, but I wouldn't recommend it as ideal. There is very little luggage capability and the engine would be maintaining high rpm for prolongued periods of time, so I wouldn't recommend it for regular long distance trips. Maybe very very occasionally, but certainly not for regular touring. I hope this helps 👍

[@charafmohammed6646]

@@VeeFour thinks for your good information, i understand your opinion it's true. i'm a new rider and i need a small bike for city and can take with it a long trip maybe 3 or 4 time /year i have like idea kawasaki versys 300 ! but yamaha mt 03 is very powerful than this kawasaki ! you have more experience in bike than me, what is the good bike for me ?

[@MrMasterBoop]

If anyone was wondering on getting the mt03 I'd recommend the older models, they're 660cc so a bit more power on a single cylinder, much nicer ride, or atleast in my books it is :)

[@VeeFour]

DavoXIII And it looks cooler imo too 😎

[@YannisPapaioannou]

Hello. What about a rider 187 cm tall? Is a MT 03 high enough? Thanks

[@VeeFour]

That's the same height as me and it was fine for me. Small capacity bikes tend to be quite small, but you can ride them well enough 👍

[@TD402dd]

Why are smaller displacement bikes always compared to larger ones. I think when you ride one you should already know you want accelerate like an R1. I learned along time ago that any bike that can accelerate to 60 MPH in 5.5 seconds and is capable of going over 100 mph should be respected.

[@VeeFour]

For me it's not how fast a bike will accelerate or what it's top speed is, it's the fuss it makes getting there. Personally I don't enjoy the sound of an engine screaming at maximum revs as I sit on a motorway, or as I pull away from traffic lights ahead of the queue to give myself a ckear toad ahead. However to much power is pointless because you can never use it all on the public highway, that's why I prefer the power to weight of bikes like the MT09 or the Speed Triple. Plenty enough for comfortable fun riding, but not so much that you end up in trouble

[@Peakwanderer]

Got a couple of minutes in and am now feeling rather queasy, what's going on with the camera?

[@VeeFour]

Peakwanderer no idea, it's just my usual camera that I use on all my vids

[@Peakwanderer]

I guess it's more pronounced on this video, or I'm a bit more sensitive to the queasy effect just now

[@psaris7]

LOL your intro reminded me condition zero deleted scenes

[@VeeFour]

I've never played that one

[@xWilsonbed]

I really can't make my mind up on this or a KTM 390

[@VeeFour]

Wilsonbed Do some research into reliability would be my advice

[@xWilsonbed]

The Honda CB500f is also a possibility but that one comes down to cash :( But yeah I heard about KTM being quite shit on the reliability front. I just don't want to get bored of it quickly as I will probably end up owning my next bike for at least 3 or 4 years.

[@chrisbartrum3201]

Glad 'Janet' got its comeuppance. ;)

[@VeeFour]

Chris Bartrum Janet was probably a computer algorithm, but why it chose to copy my entire catalogue of uploads is beyond me, it's not like I'm BVG or Royal Jordanian or anything. It took me a couple of hours work but I got the channel taken down 👍👍

[@chrisbartrum3201]

I think you underestimate your content. BVG & RJ ok but it doesn't give the 'ride out' reflective stuff you do with that down to earth take on things. It was quite by chance I clicked on Janet searching for Triumph stuff. Worrying really, but I'm glad I could help and that you got the scumbags.

[@Cosmic-CS]

Nice :)

[@nirhaber6279]

I'll never ride a 125cc. Only 300cc and above. 125cc, 200cc and 250cc are too slow for me

[@VeeFour]

Same here. 125s are ponderously under powered

[@nirhaber6279]

@@VeeFour so true

[@HaloXIIII]

I'll never regret my time spent on a 125 it was so much fun despite being so underpowered thrashing it up the A roads and back to college. 😂

[@molonlabe9602]

I'd never recommend a bike of 600cc to a beginner, especially younger riders. The MT-03, Z400 or even the Duke 390 are far more appropriate.

[@VeeFour]

Young is a relative term. Storm Stacey is a 17 year old young man who races a 220 hp Superbike in the British Superbike championship, and I think he'd be okay to learn to take his test on a 600. Yet I've met 40 year olds with the intellect of a 14 year ol,d but it would be okay for them? Also not every 600 is an arm ripping race replica. I'm not saying a 17 year old teenager should be allowed to learn on a 600 and own one, but a mature minded 19 year old? Absolutely. I was riding a 750cc Kawasaki when i was 19-20, and I turned out fine

[@antares7368]

The Z400 and GSXR250 don't exist and the Z300 is not in Kawasaki's range any more.

[@VeeFour]

antares Okay, I meant the Ninja 400 (same difference) Also, the Kawasaki Z300 and the Suzuki GSX250R are both in their respective companies 2018 catalogues for the UK. Sooooo I don't know what to tell ya

[@antares7368]

Sorry to moan again but you didn't say GSX250R in your vid, you said GSXR250, a completely different bike. Also i'm looking at kawasaki's 2018 brochure as I type this and there is no Z300.

[@VeeFour]

www.kawasaki.co.uk/en/products/Sports/2016/Z300/overview?Uid=08F3Cw1ZDlxcWl1RWF8JXApRWwkOWg5RCVBdC18JW1wMWws

[@VeeFour]

GSXR250 GSX250R......It doesn't seem like anything worth moaning about to me, I'm pretty sure that you must have better things to do than pick me up on a misplaced R

[@terryjohn]

id avoid any kawasaki bikes.