2005 Yamaha MT-01

"I find it boring if you lose one hour from your garage to the first empty road before you can exploit the potential of your machine."

That's what Yamaha's Shinichiro Nishimura says about this bike, and he should know. Nishimura is one of the engineers who shaped the original MT-01 prototype that stole the 1999 Tokyo Show. Like most frustrated sportbike fans, he dreamt of a bike that could be as much fun carving up commuter traffic as it was on some fantastic stretch of deserted tarmac.

The production-spec MT-01, presented to motorcycling's fourth estate in Cape Town, South Africa, is that motorcycle. Any decent sportbike would have been great on the handpicked South African curves of Yamaha's test route. But I can't think of anything that could make me put off a cool Beck's after a hot day on the road just to ride a few more miles. It's a pity Yamaha won't be bringing it to the States in '05. But be patient. Once word gets out on how good this thing is, those who make such decisions might reconsider. Remember the FJR1300?

Patience is a virtue where the MT-01 is concerned. Yamaha took five years to convert that first prototype into a remarkably similar production machine. It's like nothing else on wheels: a massive, iconoclastic sort of muscle-bike, defined by a gigantic air-cooled V-twin powerplant bolted to an intriguing cocktail of parts ranging from supersport-spec suspension to a pair of outrageous-looking megaphone exhaust cans.

The net effect rivets your attention before your butt even touches the seat and you take in the pleasingly simple instrumentation: a big round tach wrapped around the digital speedo and warning lights. Yamaha made the MT-01's riding position quite sporty, so the pilot leans slightly forward to the near-flat one-piece handlebar. Likewise, Yamaha positioned the rearset footpegs reasonably high, but a fairly tall saddle provides adequate legroom (unlike a Boeing 747 coach seat, for example).

Based on the Road Star Warrior's 1670cc 48-degree V-twin, this iteration of the pushrod-operated eight-valver is liberally tweaked and lightened inside, boosting maximum output 10 horses to 90 bhp at 4750 rpm. But from the moment it's fired up--with an improbably loud bellow through those high-level titanium mufflers and an audible sucking from the downdraft throttle-body--the Yamaha has the lazy, offbeat V-twin lope familiar to cruiser riders. Once you're in motion, the MT's saddle proves a fine place to rumble through Cape Town traffic. The solid-mounted engine's slight vibration is far more pleasurable than it is painful, making it easy to understand why Yamaha uses the word kodo--Japanese for pulse or beat--to describe the MT's sensations.

Yamaha insists the bike's initials don't stand for anything in particular, but Massive Torque sounds appropriate enough to us. It churns out heaps of the stuff almost before the tach needle has moved from its stop. The new fuel-injection system works well, and throttle response feels perfectly smooth from as low as 1500 rpm, or about 40 mph in the slightly clunky-shifting five-speed transmission's top cog.

Peak torque--a hefty 111 pound-feet, some 10 percent up on the Warrior's peak output--arrives at 3750 rpm, with the sweet zone living between 2500 and 4500 rpm. Crack the light-action throttle between those numbers and the MT leaps forward hard enough to overwhelm the fat, 190-section rear Metzeler's grip. First gear cues up effortless, instantaneous wheelies.

The 5500-rpm redline is effectively irrelevant; there's little point in revving the massive twin that high. Shift early and cash in some of that elephantine midrange. And while the big MT has neither the horsepower nor the aerodynamics to put big numbers on its digital speedo, the relatively modest 130 mph it showed (at the end of a gentle downhill straight) should be plenty for most riders, considering the fierce windblast created by the mostly upright riding position.

On twisty roads, Yamaha's biggest twin responds much better than I expected. When this production version was revealed some months ago I was impressed by its styling, but cynical about its likely feel and performance. I guessed the MT would corner more like a cruiser than a sportbike. I was wrong on both counts.

Despite its aluminum frame, at 529 pounds (dry) this Yamaha is 150 pounds heavier than an '05 YZF-R1--that's a typical passenger's weight--and can't match a true sportbike's flickability. Still, it feels reasonably light, bending into corners easily and precisely thanks to a rigid chassis and aggressive steering geometry. With a 25-degree rake and 103mm trail, the MT-01 is dimensionally close to Aprilia's Tuono, though the MT's 60-inch wheelbase is more than four inches longer than the Tuono's.

Compliant, fully adjustable suspension also contributes to the MT-01's corner-friendly nature. A fully adjustable R1-style 43mm inverted fork yields a sufficiently supple ride to cope with most potholes, and can be easily firmed up for smoother surfaces. The horizontally mounted rear shock, however, has to be stiff enough to keep all that torque from squashing it under acceleration. After considerable fiddling with the adjustments, the shock still rattled my kidneys over bigger bumps and felt slightly underdamped. Still, the MT's suspension usually serves up a comfortable and controlled ride.

There's sufficient clearance to exploit the knee-down cornering potential in the Metzeler MEZ4 radials; only the footrest feelers touch down at a sporty pace. Similarly, R1-spec front brakes are more than up to the task, featuring a pair of 320mm discs with four-pot radial calipers. They score big when it's time to scrub off speed, though repeated high-speed photo-session abuse did cause them to wilt; blame the bike's hefty weight for some of that. In normal or even hard use, though, the Yamaha stops with remarkable power and abundant lever feel.

Although Yamaha's latest isn't the most practical bike around--there's no centerstand and little room for luggage--it's nicely finished and otherwise well-equipped. Large mirrors stay clear at all engine and road speeds, while adjustable levers and various smart styling details are evidence of Yamaha's hefty R&D; effort. That's as it should be considering the MT-01's price will be only slightly lower than the R1's in most markets, somewhere north of $11,000.

The Yamaha engineers and GK Design stylists who shaped the original MT-01 a half-dozen years ago should be delighted with the production version. The heart and soul of their idea survived the translation from concept to production, wrapping monster torque, neo-hooligan character and admirable handling in an extraordinarily distinctive package. Admittedly, the MT-01 is a little too portly and has insufficient top-end punch to keep up with an equivalent supersport machine. But on the right roads, the MT-01 won't be far behind.

And when twisty two-lanes turn into traffic-choked freeways and pockmarked surface streets, routes that suck the joy out of riding a far more tightly focused supersport motorcycle, the MT-01 rider will still enjoy the ride. More than anything else, remarkable versatility and broadband entertainment value make Yamaha's MT-01 the surprise star of '05. Let's hope it gets the chance to shine in the U.S.A. in the not too distant future.