Welcoming new riders to the fold, the 2023 Yamaha MT-03 is a friendly twin-cylinder upright sportbike ready for urban, commuting, and twisty duty—a city-focused version of the YZF-R3 supersport. Weighing in at 373 pounds with the generous 3.7-gallon fuel tank topped off, a 30.7-inch seat height, and intuitive ergonomics, the MT-03 is an unintimidating ride.
The liquid-cooled DOHC 321cc twin from Yamaha is high-tech, with advanced features including offset cylinders and carburized connecting rods, along with fuel injection, a counterbalancer, and forged aluminum pistons. As part of the Masters of Torque lineup, the diminutive MT-03 has plenty of low-end grunt to deal with city traffic, plus enough top-end power to tackle freeway commutes successfully.
The chassis features an inverted KYB fork, along with a shock that has seven-position spring preload adjustment. Standard ABS enhances the disc braking.
Put it all together, and you have a motorcycle that new riders will love, and experienced riders can still have fun flogging—we did when we tested the MT-03. The price for the 2023 Yamaha MT-03 remains below $5k, and frugality is boosted by 56 mpg fuel consumption.
2023 Yamaha MT-03 Specifications
ENGINE
Engine: Parallel twin
Displacement: 321cc
Bore x stroke: 68.0 x 44.1mm
Compression ratio: 11.2:1
Valvetrain: DOHC; 4 vpc
Fueling: EFI w/ dual 32mm Mikuni throttle bodies
Cooling: Liquid
Transmission: 6-speed
Clutch: Wet multiplate
Final drive: Chain
CHASSIS
Frame: Steel diamond
Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable KYB inverted 37mm fork; 5.1 inches
Benda motorcycles are beginning to make a ripple on US shores with four intriguing and competitive models, courtesy of its partnership with Keeway Group. We were impressed with the Napoleonbob 500 and have now gotten our gloves on the persuasive, entry-level 2026 Benda Chinchilla 300, with its modest MSRP of $4999. It would be difficult to design a more welcoming entry-level cruiser than this easy-handling, visually appealing boulevard bobber. Editor Don Williams and Associate Editor Kelly Callan discuss the Benda Chinchilla 300 and how it actually rode for them.
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Our guest this episode is Jesse Merriman, Chief Technician for Jeremy McWilliams at the Arch Motorcycle racing project. Arch Racing was founded by Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reevs to compete in the Moto America Super Hooligan race series. Teejay Adams chats with Jesse about the Arch motorcycle and the challenges of extracting the absolute most from an air-cooled V-Twin racing engine and custom chassis.
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Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
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![2023 Yamaha MT-03 Buyer’s Guide [Price, Specs, Photos, Colors]](https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-yamaha-mt-03-buyers-guide-15-768x512.jpg "2023 Yamaha MT-03 Buyer’s Guide [Price, Specs, Photos, Colors]")
