What are the differences between 2014/15 models?

[Ralph]

Just put down my deposit Definitely made the right choice.

Well I have had a lot of bikes probably over 70 some quite expensive and I don't regret getting the MT
for one minute you wont be disappointed, one of the best most useful bikes I have ever ridden, at any price.

 

[da1kini]

Just put down my deposit Definitely made the right choice.

Nice to hear! Welcome to the deep armor(If I'm right?) family

 

[CVSensei]

Well that's reassuring to hear Ralph! Not that I needed much more assurance

You are indeed da1kini.. Proud owner of a deep purple MT-07 *plays smoke on the water*

 

[Deleted member 20]

Just echoing, the 2014 MT07 (specially ABS version) is an excellent bike, Iove it.

 

[CVSensei]

I got the ABS version.. Heard a few people complaining about the sensation on your foot but I figured that's a small price to pay

 

[Deleted member 20]

The brakes on the MT07 are very good I think, rear is as good or better than most other bikes I have tested.
It has pretty good bite and pretty good modulation, many bikes have rear brakes that doesn't slow you down at all.
Yamaha ABS is not the fastes pulsating ABS, it's pretty basic as all other Yamahas except latest 2015 R1 which is an electronics superstar.

Best cure if you want really good bite for spirited riding is to replace stock pads with Brembo SA (front) and Brembo SP (rear) compund pads.
Replacing pads is a 15 min job and the cost is marginal, €75 for all three calipers,

brake pads Brembo 07YA23SA sintered street (1 couple for 1 disk) - Specific for Yamaha MT-07

brake pads Brembo 07HO36SP rear sintered street (1 couple for 1 disk): please note Hornet 600 07- and Transalp 700 only ABS models - Specific for Yamaha MT-07

 

[Hammerian]

@ CVSensei

I got the ABS version.. Heard a few people complaining about the sensation on your foot but I figured that's a small price to pay

I too have the MT07 ABS 2014 Model and have never felt the pulsating effect under foot apart from briefly when i practiced emergency stops on the bike when i did feel something but hardly anything if i'm honest and i really hammered on the brakes to rely on the ABS to assist stopping quickly.

Would definitely recommend it to anyone buying it absolutely superb for what it costs, you'd spend more than that if you slid the bike down the road so if it avoids even one of those happening then you have saved money imho.

Enjoy ..

Ian

 

[Phil_B]

Ahhh I can't contain myself! I think i might just run to the dealer today and get it.. Logic is telling me to be patient and everything else is telling me otherwise!

It was probably most logical for you to to buy the outgoing years bike in winter, hopefully cheaper than RRP, compared to the new model at full price. Certainly if you're keeping it a while.

Resale value might be slightly affected in the short term, but its no less "new" for you as an owner.

Good decision I say.

 

[CVSensei]

The brakes on the MT07 are very good I think, rear is as good or better than most other bikes I have tested.
It has pretty good bite and pretty good modulation, many bikes have rear brakes that doesn't slow you down at all.
Yamaha ABS is not the fastes pulsating ABS, it's pretty basic as all other Yamahas except latest 2015 R1 which is an electronics superstar.

Best cure if you want really good bite for spirited riding is to replace stock pads with Brembo SA (front) and Brembo SP (rear) compund pads.
Replacing pads is a 15 min job and the cost is marginal, €75 for all three calipers,

Thanks mate, so are you suggesting replacing the brakepads as above even with ABS or as an alternative?

Hammerian - exactly my train of thought, good to hear its not to intrusive.

 

[CVSensei]

It was probably most logical for you to to buy the outgoing years bike in winter, hopefully cheaper than RRP, compared to the new model at full price. Certainly if you're keeping it a while.

Resale value might be slightly affected in the short term, but its no less "new" for you as an owner.

Good decision I say.

Unfortunately there wasn't actually a price difference between the two models I just much prefered the colour schemes on 2014 and they had a couple in stock for the first time since release! Does feel good to know she's mine from scratch though, slightly worried about running her in correctly though, never had to do that before. I guess its all in the manual?

 

[Deleted member 20]

Thanks mate, so are you suggesting replacing the brakepads as above even with ABS or as an alternative?

ABS is helping you to stop safer and faster in emergency situations, so you don't go down or smash into something.
Pads with more friction will give you more stopping power using lower lever press.
Personally I like the feeling of effective brakes using just 1 or 2 fingers, slight press and you remove unwanted speed.
Full race pads are to grippy for me, Brembo SA/SP is the perfect balance between standard (CC) and race (SC/RC).
See Brembo friction chart below.
View attachment 1546

 

[CVSensei]

Aha! Roger that, this is definitely on the agenda then, is that something that will invalidate warranty though?

 

[Deleted member 20]

Aha! Roger that, this is definitely on the agenda then, is that something that will invalidate warranty though?

Brembo is the world leader in brake R&D. New (better) pads will not screw up your rotors or calipers, you will just have better brakes. When your rotors are worn out you just replace them with Brembo rotors at half the price of Yamaha "originals". I just replaced my rear rotor on my Yamaha TDM900 after 35000 km, still using stock front rotors and they still have plenty of life left.

 

[Phil_B]

Unfortunately there wasn't actually a price difference between the two models I just much prefered the colour schemes on 2014 and they had a couple in stock for the first time since release! Does feel good to know she's mine from scratch though, slightly worried about running her in correctly though, never had to do that before. I guess its all in the manual?

Definitely all in the manual. And just common sense really about varying the revs and throttle loads, no labouring, no thrashing, and not too long at one engine speed either.

The biggest difficulty is sticking to the 5000rpm limit as the bike wants to egg you on.

 

[Noggie]

Regarding brakes.
In an emergency situation what pads you have makes no difference.
If your ABS kicks in you are at maximum braking force regardless.
IF you are running at full brakes, ABS pulsating the stopping distance is the same if you have cheap pads or expensive high performance pads.
At the time your ABS kicks in you are at 100% braking capacity, fancy pads won't give you more.

What decides when the ABS kick is? the rotation on the wheel, the friction coefficient of...... your tire.
If you have hard rubber, this will slip earlier than a soft compound rubber, triggering the ABS, THIS is what dictates the limitations of your brakes

Ask yourself this question.
How often does my ABS kick in?
If your answer is frequent, there is nothing wrong with your brakes, they reach 100% capacity just fine, your tire is shit.....
Replace the tire first.
Then ask again, is my ABS kicking in, if yes, brakes are good, if no, ask yourself if YOU think the brakes are not good enough and upgrade pads if the answer is no.
Also ask yourself this, is my brakes performing properly, are they fading and overheating? if so you may replace them for better ones.

I'm sure most of us don't even use the full potential of the stock brakes.

Just my two cents.

 

[Phil_B]

You raise some good points Noggie, but I do think braking is slightly more dynamic than that.

Feel, bite and build at less than full squeeze can change every day rideability and control.

Also, your ability to load the tyre steadily working up to 100% "ABS triggering" power can determine the overall effectiveness of your braking and impact braking distances.

And yes, tyres are as important as they transfer the forces to the road.

 

[Noggie]

You raise some good points Noggie, but I do think braking is slightly more dynamic than that.

Feel, bite and build at less full squeeze can change every day rideability and control.

Also, your ability to load the tyre steadily working up to 100% "ABS triggering" power can determine the overall effectiveness of your braking and impact braking distances.

And yes, tyres are as important as they transfer the forces to the road.

There are many factory for sure Phil.

Feel, how they bite, how they hold up when abused (temperature).
But ultimately, what actually stop you is the contact between the tire and the road.

I did a lot of track driving with cars when I was younger, the greatest difference between high performance pads and oem pads was how long they lasted on the track.
Oem pads would typically overheat and fade earlier, high performance ones would cope much better with abuse, however they wore out faster and tend to squeak more, and they made a lot more dust, and this burned into the wheels and stuck there.

My point was simply that in an emergency situation you step as hard as you can on that brake pedal, or squeeze that brake handle as hard as you can. At this point pads and rotors don't matter, your grip does, and that is determined by your tires, and road conditions.

But, as you point out, a brake upgrade can change your confidence in your brakes

I'm considering braided brake lines to get a better feel for the brakes, pads are not on my list yet, may upgrade when the oem ones are worn out, but I don't see the need to change then for the sake of changing them.

 

[Phil_B]

Good choice. I'd probably take lines over pads for the reasons you say. The MT basically has ex-R1 calipers with spongy lines and soft pads to soften them off. Certainly enough in the regular brakes to lock up if you grab hard enough.

As I got more confident I felt they lacked power so got the garage to check them when they did the battery recall. They assured me they got them both to lock just fine (non-ABS).

 

[Deleted member 20]

Agree.
1. ABS is for your safety.
2. Best tires are #1, I swapped to Pilot Road 4 on the MT07 from day one, sold the Bridgestone set to a "friend".
3. Race pads is for race applications, but Brembo SA/SP is for performance road use, not race - big difference.
4. Better lines is probably good, but expensive and cumbersome..

I think pads give more bang for the buck than lines. Note the word think.

 

[Noggie]

I have made the brake line swap from rubber to steel braided ones on cars, and the soft spongy feel is gone.

As the MT is new to me, and its my first bike since I drove a moped in my teens (20+ years ago) the brakes and the Bridgestone tires should be plenty enough for me this season.
Might go for the brake line upgrade after the break-in period, and when the tires are worn out I'll get the stickiest ones I den get my hands on.
I have a job that takes me away from home every other month, and I will just use the bike when the weather is nice when I'm home, so I don't expect to get much more than 2-3000km on the bike this year, if that.

Think the difference between swapping pads and brake lines would be.
pads: increased friction, brakes bite harder and faster up to the tire slips/ABS kicks in. a feel of better biting brakes.
brake lines: increased brake control, easier to balance the brake force and control the level of braking.

On a side note. Ever watched Moto GP? noticed how those guys brake? they go full on, then let off to control the braking.