There’s something special about middleweight sportbikes. They’re fast enough to make you grin, light enough to toss around, and still manageable for everyday riders. They sit right in that perfect zone between beginner bikes and big superbikes, which makes them fun for pretty much anyone.
Yamaha nailed that formula with the CP2 platform. It’s one of those engines that feels alive no matter where you ride it. The 689cc parallel twin first showed up in the MT-07 back in 2014 and went on to power a whole family of bikes like the Ténéré 700 and the YZF-R7. I’ve somehow owned three MT-07s myself, and I’ll happily say it again: the CP2 is one of the best motorcycle engines ever made. It’s smooth, punchy, and ridiculously reliable. You can beat on it all day and it’ll still feel eager the next morning.
