The Yamaha MT-03 Gets Cleaner And Meaner!

A Euro 5-compliant engine was long due for the iconic Yamaha MT-03, and now, the Japanese bikemaker has  finally updated the model for 2022 with a Euro 5/ BS6-compliant motor and new colour schemes. In the US, the naked bike is priced at USD 4,799 (around Rs 3.57 lakh), making it USD 200 (about Rs 14,911) more than its predecessor. The Japanese streetfighter will be available in the country from January 2022. 

Thankfully, despite adhering to stringent emission norms, Yamaha has made sure the engine hasn’t lost the grunt. It makes the same 42PS at 10,750rpm and 29.6Nm at 9000rpm as before. In comparison, the India-spec BS6-compliant KTM 390 Duke is more powerful (43.5PS and 37Nm) while having one cylinder less. 

The 2022 Yamaha MT-03 comes in a new Cyan Storm colour scheme, complementing the already-existing Icon Blue and Midnight Black versions. The graphics in all the three colour variants are more in line with the new Yamaha MT-09, and the Cyan Storm colour, in particular, features Cyan coloured wheels. Whereas the Icon Blue and Midnight Black retain the same blue and black coloured wheels respectively. Sadly, the Ice Fluo colour variant has been given a miss. 

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Apart from the updated engine and new colours, the rest of the motorcycle remains intact, which is a bummer. Though it gets modern all-LED lighting and a full-LCD instrument cluster, we’d have liked it if Yamaha had equipped the bike with a proper TFT screen with smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation.

The chassis and the underpinnings, including the 37mm inverted front fork, linked rear monoshock, 298mm front and 220mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS have all been retained. The motorcycle is fairly light at 168kg, kerb (same as before). This coupled with the accessible 780mm seat should make it ideal for shorter riders. And with the 14-litre fuel tank, the bike should be good for touring too.

The fact that Yamaha made the engine run cleaner gives all the more reasons for the Japanese bikemaker to launch the motorcycle in India. Sadly, Yamaha says it is currently focussing on 125cc-250cc range, and that it is analysing the 300cc market closely and will introduce big bikes only when the market is mature enough. We hope Yamaha brings the MT-03 here before the market trend catches on with a different segment.