OK, I’ll come clean (and a lot of you already know this)—I’m a Yamaha addict. Always have been, probably always will be.
If there’s one bike from the tuning fork brand that has held a particularly irrational grip on my heart, it’s the MT-07. We've talked about this before. I’ve owned three of them. Three. Why? I don’t know either. Maybe I thought the third one would finally give me closure, or that Yamaha snuck something extra into the ECU on later models. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. But here we are.
The MT-07, formerly known as the FZ-07 in the US when it first dropped in 2014, has always been about one thing—fun. Pure, unfiltered, torque-heavy, wheelie-popping, grin-inducing fun. It’s never tried to be the most powerful or high-tech bike in its class. No ride modes, no traction control (until recently), and barely any rider aids. Just a featherweight frame, punchy 689cc CP2 parallel-twin engine, and a chassis that made even average riders feel like wheelie-popping hooligans.
But as times change, so too must the machines we love. For 2025, Yamaha is giving the MT-07 a pretty unexpected twist: an optional Yamaha Automated Manual Transmission, or Y-AMT.
Yes, the bike that's practically the poster child for analog antisocial behavior now comes with an automatic transmission. And I’ll be honest—I’m a bit weirded out by it. I mean, this is the MT-07 we’re talking about. A bike I’ve always loved for its raw simplicity. The idea of ditching the clutch lever on a machine like this just feels… weird.
But hey, we’re in the future now, and things are different.
So what is Y-AMT exactly? It’s not a CVT or a scooter-style twist-and-go setup. It’s a proper six-speed gearbox that’s electronically controlled. Riders can either let the bike do the shifting for them in full-auto mode or use paddle-style switches on the left bar to shift manually. There's no clutch lever or foot shifter, just buttons. It’s the same system Yamaha introduced on the 2024 Tracer 9 GT+, and later on with the MT-09, and it’s designed to blend the feel of a traditional gearbox with the ease of an automatic. Think of it as the DCT of Yamaha’s world—minus the weight and added moving parts.
Now, I get why someone might choose this setup. For newer riders intimidated by clutch control, commuters dealing with stop-and-go traffic, or people with physical limitations, this could be a game-changer. And while I may be clutch-biased, there’s no denying that making bikes more accessible is ultimately good for the industry.
Still, part of me can’t help but feel like something’s lost when you take the manual transmission out of a bike like the MT-07. That gearbox is such a huge part of the experience—the clunky shifts, the manual downshift blips, the throttle play. But just because it’s not my preferred flavor doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong on the menu.
At the end of the day, the motorcycle world is evolving. Rider expectations are changing. And while I might not be lining up to trade in my left-hand lever just yet, I can totally see how Y-AMT might open the MT-07 up to a whole new audience. Maybe that’s what this bike has always been about—inviting people in, and reminding them why motorcycles are fun in the first place.
Even if it does shift for you now.
Source: Yamaha
