Sean gave me my first job as a bike journo and he
knows what I’m like with bikes. I guess that’s why
he insisted on tailing me for the day…
The MT-01s are sitting in the shadows of Sean’s garage,
looking sinister and seriously fun. We fire them up
and I’m immediately blown away by the sound – awesome
for a stock system and as mean as they come.
I’m ready to fire off but in the company of a Yamaha
man I warm the bike up for a few minutes. Then it’s
on.
We shoot down a back lane and the V-twins pulsate
off the brick walls like a sonic boom. We stop to
fuel up and re-set the easy-access trip meter on the
big centralised dash.
A few streets later we’re in peak-hour traffic, sitting
in a line of cars and doing the right thing. As an
ex-motorcycle courier I have to say I’d normally,
um, move on. But in the company of The Company I stay
put.
Sean leans over, “You know I’m an ex-London despatch
rider, don’t you?”
Click, braaap – braaap – braaap…
So we get through the traffic and hit the F3 heading
north. Two MT-01s humming along at 110km/h@2500rpm.
The only two in the country at that.
I feel like I’m a Yamaha development rider as a bunch
of what look to be Ulysses members at a servo turn
in unison to gawk at the beasts. They know what these
things are and they’re freaking out.
We hit the twisties and it’s on. The first few kilometres
scrub the tyres in and we’re warmed up and ready to
turn it up. The MT-01 responds instantly and turns
into a completely new animal. I’ve never felt anything
like it. Huge torque, great ground clearance, the
best brakes in the naked class and a throbbing 1670cc
V-twin thumping along at, ahem, 3000rpm!
Who cares about gear changes? Not me. Not on this
animal. It is running a bit lean down low but the
MT-01 could pull stumps from 2000rpm and revving it
past 4000rpm is pointless. Gear changes are crisp
for a big twin but are still long and lazy when compared
to an inline four, so picking a high gear is proving
to be the best option.
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There’s loads of engine braking but running
in on the front picks is still rewarding.
The radial-mount R1-sourced four-piston calipers
are superb and the Brembo radial master-cylinder
is sending intimate feedback to my fingertips
as I get a feel for the front Michelin. Turn-in
is fantastic, too, with a combo of wide ‘bars,
high raisers and a 25-degree steering angle
seemingly counteracting any deficiencies the
huge engine might have otherwise presented.
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The inverted forks are a little fast on the rebound
stroke, and are also a little choppy over irregularities,
but are generally doing a good job as we up the pace
even more over some fairly rough surfaces. No major
complaints about the shock, though, as it seems to
be handling my 98kg frame (why does that figure have
to rise every issue?) even at this pace – although
it is packing-down a little mid-turn and on the gas.
Adjustment is easy – access to the underslung unit
is as simple as reaching under the bike.
Stability is outstanding and Yamaha engineers have
done well to retain that quality while offering agility
on the flip-side.
Changing direction is fast and effortless thanks
to the C of G and the overall chassis feels quite
balanced for a big bike.
Pushing on through some off-camber turns the right-hand
footpeg snicks the tarmac for the first time. So at
least I know the limit now and the angle is fairly
impressive. Removing the hero blobs would be the first
job on my list, though.
We stop for a coffee and discuss the bike.
The two MT-01s, mine in Deep Armour and Sean’s
in Silver, attract plenty of attention and
there are questions being fired at us left,
right and centre – the first always referring
to the chain being on the ‘wrong’ side (a
result of the removal of the transfer case).
We both agree that the MT-01 is surprisingly
agile and can carry good corner speed with
smooth riding inputs. It also punches off
turns like a V8. And looks better than just
about anything on two wheels.
Cruising, as we discovered on the freeway,
is also fine on the MT-01.
Despite the big ‘twin, the vibes are low
and the bike is very comfortable. If anything
the wind blast could get tiring but that’s
naked bikes across the board.
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The mirrors vibrate, though, so aren’t really very
useful. But the dash layout is very ergonomic and
the switches all fall easily to hand and are up to
Yamaha’s usual high standard of quality.
As for passenger comfort, well, I honestly didn’t
get the chance. The pillion ‘pegs are neat fold-away
items, though, and there is even a fan under the pillion
seat to draw heat created by the mufflers out of bum’s
way!
One negative that needs pointing out is the 15-litre
fuel capacity – and at our average of 5.8l/100km that
only gives you 258km from the 15-litre tank. Then
again, there are no real access points for strapping
on luggage so long hauls were not high on Yamaha’s
list…
Back on the road the MT-01 is begging for more mad
behaviour. We hit the north section of the road and
start getting serious. This time I’m scraping the
footpegs almost every corner so I begin to hang-off
more and the MT-01 responds by settling faster and
we don’t touch-down again for the rest of the run
through – again the pace is hot and the MT-01 is surprisingly
capable.
Out in the more open stuff the big V-twin runs out
of puff a little but with a more liberal exhaust system
and a re-map, the lack of top-end could be minimised.
Keep in mind, though, that the MT-01 is not a big-road
blaster rather a tight and punchy weapon. Keep it
in the 45 – 75ers and you’ll be in front.
Back in town I realise what a great bike the MT-01
would be as a day-to-day mount. Effortless monos off
the lights, great brakes, great sound and true pose
factor topped off with Yamaha quality and a power-curve
to die for.
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And how could any MT-01 owner resist the
plethora of goodies on the Genuine Accessories
list? From a carbon-fibre airbox cover to
a full stage III performance kit, it’s all
there to drool over.
The MT-01 certainly breaks new ground in
terms of class and stature among the motorcycling
community. It is the king of torque and the
first and only in its own new class – sports
torque.
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Couldn’t have come up with a more appropriate name
myself.
ENGINE
Yamaha chose the Warrior as powerplant donor
for the MT-01 project, which was first born in 1999
at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show. The Warrior engine has
been extensively re-worked for the MT-01, though,
and really is an engine unto itself. The most noticeable
visible change is the removal of the Warriors huge
transfer unit for shaft drive – converting the MT-01
to right-hand chain drive and shortening the engine
substantially in the process. A five-litre oil tank
for the dry-sump engine has been located at the front
on the left-hand side of the bike, helping keep weight
forward. The Warriors carb’ has been flicked in favour
of a 40mm twin-throat downdraught injection system
and the airbox is increased to seven-litres. The inlet
and exhaust ports are heavily re-shaped and the crank
has been lightened to improve throttle response. Low-comp
forged pistons are used and the cylinders are ceramic
composite plated. The exhaust system features Yamaha’s
trademark EXUP valve – the first time on a V-twin.
CHASSIS & STYLING
The MT-01’s CF die-cast frame is very similar
in design and concept to that of the R6 and R1. Like
the sportsbikes, the MT-01 chassis is weld-free and
bolted together in two-halves at the steering head
and at the swingarm pivot. The engine is rigidly mounted
at eight points and is used as a stressed member of
the chassis. The swingarm unit is die-cast, too, and
is heavily braced to handle all that torque forced
upon the fat rear hoop. The rear shock is a horizontally
mounted underslung unit bolted to huge forged-alloy
linkages. The forks are 43mm adjustable inverted units
and the brakes are straight from the mighty R1 – being
a pair of radial-mount Sumitomo four-piston calipers
squeezing 320mm floating rotors and Brembo radial
master-cylinder.
GENUINE ACCESSORIES
Slip-on muffler kit; Carbon muffler heat shield;
Single seat kit; Carbon air intake kit; Smoke – Silver
or Blue tint screen; Stage II performance kit (ECU
and Akrapovic full titanium system); Stage III performance
kit (hi-comp piston, ECU, cams, clutch kit, velocity
stacks, full titanium Akrapovic system); Carbon front
guard; Carbon rear guard; Carbon airbox cover; Alloy
footpeg kit; Alloy clutch res kit; Alloy brake res
kit; Bar risers; Sprocket cover; Clutch lever; Brake
lever; Mirrors; Grips; Bar ends; Tapered bars; Resin
tankpad plus shirts, caps watches and all! Check out
www.yamaha-motor.com.au
SPECIFICATIONS
2005 yamaha MT-01 www.yamaha-motor.com.au
Price: $21,499 + ORC Warranty: 2 year unlimited km
Colours: Deep Armour Silver Claimed power: 68kW [90hp]@4750rpm
Claimed torque: 150Nm [110ft-lbs]@3750rpm Dry weight:
240kg Fuel capacity: 15 litres ENGINE - Type: Air-cooled,
dry sump, four-stroke OHV pushrod V-twin, four valves
per cylinder Bore x stroke: 97 x 113mm Displacement:
1670cc Compression ratio: 8.36:1 Ignition: Electronic
Fuel delivery: EFI Exhaust: Two-into-two undertail
Gearbox: Five-speed constant mesh Ratios: 1 2.375,
1.579, 1.160, 0.960, 0.800 Final ratio: 17/39 (2.294)
Clutch: Wet multi-plate Final drive: Chain CHASSIS
- Frame type: CF die-cast aluminium Wheelbase: 1525mm
Rake: 25 degrees Trail: 103mm Front suspension: 43mm
inverted forks Rear suspension: Underslung monoshock
Front brake: Dual four-piston radial-mount Sumitomo
calipers, 320mm rotor Rear Brake: Single caliper,
267mm rotor Front wheel: Four-spoke cast-alloy 3.50
x 17in Rear wheel: Four-spoke cast-alloy 6.00 x 17in
Front tyre: Michelin Pilot Road 120/70 – 17in Rear
tyre: Michelin Pilot Road 190/50 – 17in Ground clearance:
143mm Seat height: claimed 825mm Overall height: 1160mm
Overall width: 790mm Overall length: 2185mm INSTRUMENTS
Analogue tacho incorporating digital speedo, trip
meter, clock, odo and warning lamps.
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