When Yamaha people talk about the concept behind the MT-01 they use words like 'soul', 'heartbeat', 'character' and other such adjectives that aren't often used in reference to Far Eastern bikes. Let's face it, most Japanese machinery is fashion-led and could cruelly be described as 'throw away'.
Just one year on and your latest and greatest sportsbike is often reduced to an also-ran. What do you mean it doesn't have radial brakes/inverted forks/titanium valves? Oh, that's so last year darling.
But Yamaha is trying to break this mould with the MT-01. How? By letting designers have a much freer hand and introducing a bit of Kodo. Before you start reaching for a phrasebook let me explain what Kodo is. Kodo is Japanese for a pulse or sound that resonates within the mind and body. A bit like the after effects of a Friday night curry, then. In other words Kodo is soul, and that is what they have engineered in to the MT-01. Well, either that or they have just come up with a good excuse as to why the bike vibrates!
Personally I have never experienced Kodo (not knowingly, anyway) so I can't tell you if the MT-01 has it or not, but what I can tell you is that riding this new naked bruiser from Yamaha is a completely different experience to that of other naked bikes. And that's all because of the engine.
Trundling along a twisty South African coastal road at a steady 60mph the huge 1670cc V-twin motor is virtually ticking over with the rev-counter just nudging above 2000rpm. But even at such low revs the motor is right in the heart of its power band - or torque band, to be more precise. From 1500rpm to the 5500rpm redline the torque curve on the MT-01 is virtually flat. Yamaha claim torque doesn't drop below 95lb.ft anywhere in this range (the firm's own R1 peaks at around 80lb.ft), with a maximum figure of 110lb.ft appearing at just 3750rpm, which I don't doubt at all. The motor will pull smoothly from as low as 1500rpm in any gear, - even top - and then just drive in a totally constant fashion up to the redline with no discernable dips or jumps in power.
Initially it all feels a bit dull, especially if you're used to high-revving inline-fours, but what you've got to bear in mind, and something Yamaha kept on stressing, is that this bike isn't designed for the bad-ass naked bike rider. It's designed for a more relaxed style of rider who Yamaha reckon has either scared themself witless on or simply had enough of big, fast sports machines, and instead wants a bike they can dominate without having to ride too fast or aggressively. Ride it in this context and it's a very nice motor.
Continue the Yamaha MT-01 Review - 2/3
