After the success of the MT-07, MT-09, and MT-10, Yamaha scaled down the concept and created an MT model suitable for beginner riders and those who wanted something a bit funky for getting around town, while still offering enough sportiness for a weekend blast in the country. The resulting MT-03 is one of the best lightweight naked sports bikes out there.

Stirring the creative pot with a model isn’t unusual and hasn’t been throughout the history of motorcycling. Yamaha, like so many others, took a faired sports bike and removed the fairing, tweaked the styling but left the mechanicals the same to create a new model. In this case, that model became the MT-03, a lightweight naked sports bike.

Many naked bikes have a single round headlight but the MT-03 has a typical Yamaha angular LED affair, which helps keep the family resemblance. The handlebars are mounted higher and slightly nearer the rider than on the R3, giving a more upright riding position, perfect for the urban jungle but also giving a much more forgiving riding position for carving through the canyons.

Any bike that is great for beginners but also will satisfy experienced riders must have the ingredients mixed properly. The relatively low seat height of the MT-03 allows the confidence-inspiring ability for new riders to get their feet comfortably on the floor and the low 373-pound all-in weight makes it easy to control at low town speeds.

But it also has chassis dynamics that will please experienced riders, even if the engine is underpowered. But here’s the thing: the lack of power doesn’t harm the fun that can be had. Any good rider will tell you that it is often more fun using 100% of a bike’s performance 100-percent of the time than it is using only 50% of it a fraction of the time. Wring the MT-03’s neck and it will entertain immensely.

While a 321cc, single cylinder engine might sound a bit underwhelming, it has a lot more punch than you would expect. Offering 41.4 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque, this engine is proof that you should never judge a book by its cover.

It’s never going to be dynamite but that’s one of its strengths: all the power is usable and you’ll never get yourself into trouble by stretching the throttle cable all the time.

With its balancer shaft, the engine will rev to an insane 12,500rpm, with power from 7,000rpm. The gearbox is light and crisp, encouraging gear changes as if they’re going out of fashion. Keep the MT-03 on the boil and your grin will just get wider as the miles rack up.

Dual front discs might be a hallmark of a fast bike, but they also add unnecessary weight and complication. The single 298mm disc on the MT-03 is more than up to the job of controlling the light weight of the bike. It strikes the perfect balance between being powerful at a full squeeze but not being too sharp on the initial bite, which can catch out beginners for whom panic braking is common.

There’s a disc at the back as well which also offers decent retardation and ABS is fitted as standard to the front wheel, not being too intrusive.

The front forks are inverted (upside down) and are by KYB. They give the bike a big-bike feel and look and, in operation, feel firm and solid, inspiring confidence in the front end.

There’s no adjustment for the forks which is another plus point: if you’re attracting young or new riders the last thing you want is to confuse them and give them the chance to mess things up properly to the point where they might hurt themselves. Let them get on and concentrate on riding.

While the suspension is the same as that fitted to the R3, it has been tweaked to suit the dynamics of the MT-03 and the riding for which it has been designed. The overall springing is a bit softer but that does nothing to dilute the fun that can be had on the open road.

Just what you want for a beginner bike: a well-balanced machine that is easy to maneuver in city traffic and has benign handling traits to build confidence. Low weight, friendly character, light, and easy controls, there are also no frills on the MT-03. Even the dash is simple and offers all the relevant information in an easy-to-read layout, including the always-essential gear position indicator. Even an experienced rider refers to this latter piece of information so why shouldn’t a beginner?

You feel as if you sit ‘in’ the MT-03, thanks to the fuel tank design which differs from the R3. The whole seating position allows you to grip the bike with your lower body, making you feel as if you are ‘one’ with the bike and you can control it almost without thinking. This feeling is helped by the secure handling, also the leverage offered by the wider handlebars.

If you didn’t know better and you were looking at the MT-03 from a distance, you would have difficulty telling it apart from the MT-07 or even the MT-09 and that is a big thing for new riders: we all want to be the coolest kid on the block and, with the MT-03, you might just be that. It has all the styling cues of its bigger brothers, including LED lighting, and those lines lose nothing in being made smaller.

The whole bike just has so much character along with typical Japanese build quality.

Just because it’s an entry-level bike, there’s no reason to believe that new riders don’t want to accessorize their bikes as much as experienced riders do, to make their bike more practical.

The options list for the MT-03 includes soft panniers, a top box, tank bags, protection items for the engine and chassis, a seat cowl, and even heated grips for those cold mornings.

If it’s your first bike or a second (or third) bike, you don’t want to be spending the earth and you won’t be doing that with a brand new MT-03. At $4,799, it’s a lot of bike for the money, and as we might have mentioned before, it will satisfy a hugely wide range of skill levels.

Given the price, the engine, the suspension and braking, the dynamics of the chassis, and the build quality, it’s hard to think of another bike in this class that offers as much as the Yamaha MT-03.

Yes, it’s a brilliant beginner’s bike. Even better, an experienced rider will also find a lot to like about it.

Not massively fast, no, but the 41 horsepower gives it decent performance for the beginner.

The current retail price is $4,799

2022 Yamaha MT-03 - Performance, Price, and Photos