I'm English, currently living in Cambodia. I'm in the market for a new bike and have found the one and only MT03 in the country. It's been crash damaged, I found the original dealer and am happy that the original damage was repaired properly. So I'm seriously considering grabbing this machine.
Now I've never ridden one and a test ride here is out of the question. So I'm looking for opinions from anyone who's had one before.
My situation, like Cambodia itself, is complicated. I have two bikes, a BMW G650x in bits. I like it but it's pig ugly and needs a lot of work to get on the road. I've seriously considered just putting the effort in and getting her back on her legs.
I've also got a Suzuki SV1000. I like it, but I'm not in love with it. It's too heavy. Cambodia is a mess, it's potholed, the traffic is insane and the SV just doesn't make for a nice bike to ride here. I was shopping around and found the MT03 and it seems ideal. I can even swap out the wheels and shocks and make it a better scrambler with the BMW parts.
What's bothering me is that it makes a lot less power than the BMW and is really heavy. It's only 10kg lighter than my SV which I'm having a hard time of getting my head around. My SV is also modded and has easily lost 10kgs off the exhaust.
I think I could just about handle the drop in power but losing that much and ending up with that weight is probably too much to deal with.
I previously had an XR400 and with some moderate tuning and judicious gearing, that would keep pace with the SV right up to 50mph, which is basically all you can do here anyway as the driving is a horrible, terrible joke. I originally thought I could do the same trick with the MT but I'm seriously doubting that now. Am I wrong?
So, can anyone give me some advice? I can't talk to anyone here, there's probably literally only one of these things in the country so nobody knows anything about them. I already know I can get parts, that's no problem.
Is the MT03 actually worth having? Can I just swap the exhausts and expect it to work? The BMW has a clever computer, I can change anything and it just automatically adapts without re-mapping. I can't map here, there isn't a single rolling road in the country and no dynojet dealers.
I like fast but the SV isn't the kind of fast I can use here. I also dropped it once, I hit a sand bank riding it offroad (offroad riding is a fact of life here) and I was hoping the lighter MT would be a bit more capable as a scrambler, but the weight is a big worry for me.
I had a Pegaso with the 660 engine. I like it but it was a bit gutless. My brother had a Tenere and many xt660s over the years and we used them for all sorts. I found the Tenere very weak and really top heavy.
In Thailand I swapped bike with a RTW biker, he rode my Beemer and I rode his Tenere for a bit. We were both impressed, he'd ridden GXs before and found them dull, same as me with the Ten but we'd both tuned our bikes. I found his Ten really lively and way nicer than my brothers. I was fairly taken with it.
I need a very light bike, it needs to be quick enough to make me smile and it needs to cope with some horrible roads, occasionally no roads at all.
So, anyone with a bit of experience that feels like clueing me in would be a great help. I think the MT is a fantastic looking machine and I'd love to get it but if it can't do what I want it to do then I'd like to get over my obsession with it.
It's meant to weigh 174.5kg, is that really right? That just doesn't sound right to me at all, it's a tiny bike.

Thanks very much in advance.

You say the MT has been crash damaged, if it doesn't have the original RED master key, then I would be inclined to walk away because if any of the ignition system has been damaged without the red key it can become a very expensive problem if it plays up later on. 170 odd Kilos is probably about right as that big single is a heavy lump on its own.

This is Cambodia, things like red-keys are a smaller issue than pretty much everything else connected to owning a motorcycle here. For instance, I'm selling my SV1000 and a policeman has emailed about it. There's a real risk that he's planning to steal my bike at gunpoint, that's how corrupt the police are here.
On the plus side, there are ways round various issues. I know the bike had a cracked front wheel, bent disks and damaged forks. I have seen the damaged parts hanging on a wall and know the engine was good and running well when it left the garage. It's unlikely to have been used much since since the average local can't manage to control their 125cc properly. They buy big bikes for bragging points but then usually realise they can't afford them and can't actually ride them. I picked up my SV1000 in perfect condition for $2000 because the guy was terrified of it. I'm hoping to pick up the MT03 for $1500.

Anyone? I could really do with some pointers and genuine feedback with an actual owner.

$1500 sounds like a 'steal' so to speak. Even more so if it was Zimbabwe $'s ;-)
The rear Cush drive rubbers may need replacing, just give the sprocket a wiggle to see if there is any play in it. Probably worth checking the head bearings for any roughness & check the wheel alignment. The closest I've come to an MT 03 is my brother in laws in Yorkshire. He used to use it for motorcycle training, but has since kept it as a winter hack when the training school folded. They seem as solid as the XT/X/R or Tenere. You'll have to go with the old gut feeling when you inspect it more closely. Good luck mate.

That's interesting, my 'winter hacks' have tended to be better bikes than my daily rides. I had found the cush-drive thing, that might be a problem here, the bearings aren't though, I can source those pretty easily.
Looks like I need to sell some bikes!

Hiya JTW, greetings from Europe!!! Here in Italy we see loads of MT-03s where they used to sell really well. In my opinion it is a fantastic bike and of course shares 95% of parts and engine and so on with the XT660s. I would certainly buy it and then you can shave off some weight by throwing away the cat and stuff and get her to perform and handle loads better by reading this site. You can still get parts easily and over here they are not expensive at all so Flea Bay is good!! Good luck!!!

__________________
(Now sold on, sob) 2011 Blue XT660X with gold wheels, was 26,500 km.
Engine mods: K&N Stage 1 filter, DNA Stage 2 filter, snorkel removed, Kev fuel mod fitted.
Plus: smoked Puig screen, Yam aluminium sump guard, Yamaha / Acerbis handguards, Givi Trekker aluminium side cases, Leo Vince X3 cans plus Kev front fork mod and Fender Xtender. Just fitted Michelin Road Pilot 3 tyres.

SOLD the XTX for a Super Ten 1200. And just bought a Raptor 700 so staying on here for some tips....

Thanks for the reply. I thought the CAT might be adding a lot of unnecessary bulk, was hoping to hear that. I've always had a soft spot for the MT, it's a lovely looking machine to my eye. I know others don't agree.
I will be looking to swap the pipes and ring a bit more power out of her if I'm lucky enough to sell my SV today. Fingers crossed.

It looks like I sold the SV yesterday. I got the wife to call the current keeper of the MT (because if he finds out a white guy is interested, the price will fly up) and I'm seeing it on Sunday and she said he's desperate to get rid of it, he got very excited.
So, it's not too bad, it might be my next project, it's either that or a Dominator.