Is Yamaha PH going to introduce the 2020 MT-03?

Yamaha has been expanding its product offering in the Philippine market for the last five years, not only in the underbone and scooter segments, but also in the big bike and middleweight categories.

YMPH’s product line up is almost complete, starting from small displacements up to the the biggest models, to suit a wide range of customer requirements both in performance and budget.

For sports bikes they now have the R15, R3, R6 and R1 Superbike. For scooters they have the NMAX 155, XMAX300 and the all conquering TMAX 530, meanwhile in the naked musclebike category, they have the MT-15, MT-07, the popular MT-09 and MT-10.

We can see that there is a model that is missing from their naked musclebike line up that is already available in other markets. And that is the middleweight MT-03.

The 300cc segment is one class that Yamaha has been pushing with the R3 sportsbike and the XMAX300 maxi-scooter for more than year now. Though it is short of the 400cc expressway minimum requirement, this perceived handicap has not detered Yamaha to offer products in this displacement category as there are customers who want the extra power and not necessarily use it for expressway duties alone.

Like the rest of the world, the MT-09 and MT-07 are great sellers for Yamaha here and with the continued local popularity of naked standard muscle bikes, expanding the line up now is a good move.

The MT-03 was first launched in 2006 as a 660cc single and was revised in 2016 with its current 321cc twin cylinder engine form. It has been available in Europe, Australia and several Asian countries for a few years now except in the Philippines and the USA.

The revised 2020 MT-03 was launched last October 2019 by Yamaha Motors Company. It features the same improved engine as the latest R3 sportbike.

The 321cc liquid-cooled 2-cylinder engine features lightweight forged pistons and carburized connecting rods, to deliver easy to manage power in the low rpm range with strong high rpm power. Truly, Yamaha wants the rider to experience the Master of Torque sensation when riding the MT-03.

There is also an extremely light clutch that makes the MT-03 even more fun in the city, while its offset cylinders and advanced fuel injection system ensures smooth throttle response.

The styling of the MT-03 mimics its bigger brothers in the Yamaha Hyper Naked family, the MT-07 and MT-09. It has aggressive front light assembly as well as bold air scoops and a sculpted fuel tank. There is a Dual Position Lights with Singular LED Headlight.

It is mounted inside a compact diamond-type tubular frame combines low weight with immense strength that gives neutral handling and easy maneuverability in traffic.

It is suspended by 37mm KYB inverted front fork and a rear monoshock while braking is handled by a 298mm floating-mount front disc brake and a 220mm rear disc. The 2020 MT-03 also offers ABS or Anti Lock Braking System.

The 2020 MT-03 is already available in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and in Malaysia (as MT-25) so it can be assumed that the MT-03 will also come here in the Philippines since we already have the R3 for a long time.

If it does come here, it will compete with only two middleweight twin cylinder naked muscle bikes like the Kawasaki Z400 and Honda Rebel 500. The other 300cc sports nakeds are singles like the Duke 390, BMWG310 Roadster, Dominar 400 and Zontes 310.

Should YMPH introduce it soon, we think it will be priced slightly lower than the R3’s P259,000 price and our estimate is around P254,000 basing on the price difference between the R15 and MT-15.

At this price it will be the new best value for money bike because the other twins costs between P298,000 to P375,000.

What do you think? Will you get one?

Photos from Yamaha Motor Company

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