Yamaha MT-01 Review

Before getting onto the review, I thought I would make a few notes on why I brought an MT-01 in the first place.

I have had a Bandit 1250 for the last three years and have carried out all sorts of modifications resulting in a really nice all round machine. The bike is good in the twisties, great for touring and goes like the clappers. I love the bike, but can find it frustrating at times, and it also lacks a certain visceral appeal.

The engine has had a stage 2 tune including new headers and removal of the throttle body secondary butterfly valves. Prior to this the bike pulled like a train, but ran out of puff at 7000RPM, whereas now it still pulls like a train, but now accelerates very hard from 7000RPM up to and over 9000RPM, all accompanied by a tremendous howl from the exhaust and induction. The temptation to ride like a lunatic is ever present, and this is where the frustration comes in. Here in New Zealand the speed limit is pretty low at 100km per hour, so I have all this power, but can’t really use it.

Great though the bike sounds and rides, to me it lacks a certain something. Like most riders, I have had plenty of bikes over the years, but on reflection, it has always been the v-twins that have made the most impression on me.

The above got me thinking about maybe getting a second bike - something that I can ride at much lower speeds and still get a buzz from.

I was having a coffee at my favourite café in town, when a guy pulled up on the most extraordinary looking motorcycle, namely a Yamaha MT-01. The bike had, to my eyes, brutal, industrial, almost transformer like styling along with two ludicrously large exhausts. It also had a huge looking v-twin motor which vibrated and shook the entire bike. As ever with bikers, the guy was only too happy to talk about his two-wheeled pride and joy, and reckoned it rode as well as it looked. I was smitten (with the bike that is) and decided there and then that an MT-01 was going to be next bike in the stable.

Funds were rather tight, but that has never stopped me in the past, and to cut a long story short I ended purchasing a 2005 MT-01 with 40K on the clock.

The new wheels.

The heart and soul of any bike is its engine and this is certainly the case with the MT-01, courtesy of a humongous low revving long stroke 1670cc v-twin motor. Usable power starts at about 1300RPM and it is all over by 4500RPM. Mind you, the drive and thrust you get is absolutely instantaneous with the bike flying up to 160km/hr pretty rapidly, though it starts to run out of puff after this. 

Having come from my relatively high revving Bandit a certain amount of adjustment was required, but I quickly got the hang of things.

At low revs you can really feel the v-twins huge pistons firing with the bike feeling like a two-wheeled vibro massage machine. The good news is that this is all low frequency stuff and feels just great. At typical NZ cruising speeds the engine is turning over in the 2 – 3000RPM range at which point the vibes magically disappear with just a distant rumble felt through the bars and seat. Yamaha talk about the bike having Kodo, which is Japanese for a heartbeat or rhythm and I can well see what they mean.

Even with stock cans the bike sounds terrific. The MT may have a cruiser style motor, but certainly doesn’t sound like one, as it emits a bellow somewhere between an outboard motor and a spitfire with some Kodo drums thrown in for good measure. The stock exhaust is surprisingly loud, and this is one of the few bikes I have owned that doesn’t really need an aftermarket item.

Ludicrously large, but just right.

The fuel tank is a tad on the small side at 15litres. In touring mode I get around 220 – 240km and in bonkers mode a lot less than this. This hasn’t proved much of an issue so far, but is something to bear in mind.

A big heavy bike with a cruiser engine doesn’t sound like a recipe for much fun in the bends, but the MT-01 has proved very agile and is a real pleasure to throw around. Yamaha have installed some high quality suspension which gives a firm ride, but which is somehow also compliant and comfortable; none of your budget stuff here, ala my Bandit.

The brakes are also terrific, and once again put my Bandit to shame, but then so they should as the MT-01 costs a great deal more. The brakes I believe come straight of the R1, and have tremendous feel and pull the bike up very well.

From an ergonomic point of view it is mostly good news. The pegs are a little on the high side but are still comfortable and give pretty good ground clearance; certainly more than I am ever likely to need.

I brought the bike on Trademe without a test ride, which is always a bit of a risk. The advert showed the MT-01 with what looked like fairly stock mirrors but when I picked it up found that the owner had swapped them over for another set. I was pretty pissed about this, but let it go in the end.

The mirrors were absolute garbage and looked like they had been sourced from the nearest skip. They were rusty, vibrated badly and offered zero view behind me. This was cured by installing new bar end weights and bar end mirrors which combined gave me a clear view behind with no vibration and a rather nice street fighter look.

The seat is heavily scalloped and a bit like sitting on a spoon, and results in you being locked into one position, but is comfortable all the same. 

The riding position overall is very nice, with a gentle lean to the bars and surprisingly good protection from the small screen. I have no idea of the make of the screen, but it does a good job and is well made. My original plan was to remove it for that that naked look, but it seems to suit the bike, so has been given a reprieve.

A special mention must go to the truly excellent clocks. It is the little stuff like this that makes so much difference and makes you feel that you are riding something special and not just some appliance. The large circular unit is dominated by an analogue rev-counter, with an easily read digital display situated below it. The whole instrument setup including the sculptured clock support is beautifully designed and emits a lovely eerie white glow at night.

Just lovely.

On the subject of illumination, the headlights are also pretty decent. 

Unlike my Bandit, I don’t see me customising the MT-01 too much, with the exception of maybe installing a scottoiler and a Ventura pack-rack for a bit of added practicality.

It is still fairly early days yet, but so far, I have had as much fun on the MT-01 as any bike I have ever owned (FS1E excepted), which after all, is what it is all about.

The MT-01 was too expensive when new and never really seemed to find a market. It had a cruiser type engine in a sports bike chassis with Yamahas idea being that you get the best of both worlds. Most riders seem to think pretty well the opposite. To me at least, I reckon Yamaha got it right.