Yamaha MT-01

MT-01 is a very less known bike of Yamaha in India. This bike is one of its kinds as it's known to have the characteristics of both sports as well as cruiser bikes. In this review, we try to give you a clear idea about this bike. The bike borrows some of the styling bits from its elder sibling V-max. Looking at its design, it won’t be hard for you to figure out that this bike stands somewhere between a cruiser and naked bike. You can also notice a lot of usage of chrome at its front. Its headlight, rear view mirrors and meter console are finished with chrome. The integrated Multi reflector headlight and tiny orange colored indicators resemble a lot to its elder sibling. Front fender is very simple but you can’t ignore its partly silver finished front forks.

Move to the side of this bike and the first thing you will notice is its full size, boxy fuel tank. Below that you can see twin titanium exhaust pipe which leads to up-swept muffler on both sides of this bike. This feature adds sportiness to this bike. Its seat has a high quality leather seat cover. At the back, it has very short fender with small indicators and tail lamp. The dual mufflers enhance the look of this bike when seen from the back. The overall styling is quite different and it surely has the potential to grab your attention at first sight. Yamaha MT-01 has a round shaped Multi-functional instrument panel. It is very much inspired from the one used in V-max. The round shaped dial houses an analogue tachometer while inside it you can also notice digital speedometer, fuel gauge and odometer. It uses orange color for illumination at night.

Yamaha has used an air-cooled, four stroke 1670cc engine. This V-twin, 4 valves per cylinder engine produces the power output of 90 bhp at 4750 rpm. Its torque output is the biggest USP of this bike. This OHV engine musters up a torque amount of 150 Nm which is accessible at 3750 rpm. Yamaha has mated this engine with a five speed manual gearbox with normal one gear down and four gears up-shift pattern.

The bike has been crafted to please everyone. It's not as fast as naked bikes but it's faster than many of the cruiser bikes. The high capacity of this engine delivers heavy amount of torque which helps this heavy machine to move quickly. Its 150Nm of torque starts coming as early as 3750rpm. The advantage of this early availability of torque is quite evident at slow speeds. After that, it all depends on the power which also doesn't take much time to arrive. On highways, this bike can reach the top speed of 190km/hr. The gear ratios are kept short for maximum and proper distribution of power. You have to be in the right gear to get the maximum out of this engine. Its gear transitions are not an issue either. In fact there is no need for frequent gear shifts thanks to its heavy torque production and short gear ratios. The bike does 0-100km/hr within 7seconds. The refinement quality of this engine is also satisfactory. Yamaha MT-01 may give you a fuel efficiency of around 10-15km/ltr.

Its deep and wide seat has the potential to give you comfortable journeys. Yamaha has very smartly placed its foot pegs which give you a relaxed yet sporty posture. To reach its handlebar, you may have to bend forward which gives you confidence while driving at high speeds. The knees automatically find themselves comfortable around its fuel tank. The comfort level offered by this bike makes it stand close to the cruiser bikes. You won't find any storage space in this bike. To ensure you safety, Yamaha has equipped this bike with a very powerful headlight which is quite effective at night and it also features a radial mounted front calliper. Yamaha MT-01 has high quality of suspension and braking system which comes all the way from Yamaha R1 (2004-2005). Its front telescopic forks come with a wheel travel of 120mm while at the back it has link suspension with a wheel travel of 117mm. The front wheel of this bike is equipped with dual disc brakes of 310mm and it sports a single disc brake of 267mm at the back.

Yamaha MT-01 uses aluminium sports frame which is common in the racing bikes. By doing this Yamaha has cut down the weight of this bike and improved its ride and handling. It has an extended wheelbase of 1525mm with a ground clearance of 145 which improves its dynamics and performance around corners. It feels rock solid at high speeds and sticks firmly on road even while you are doing sharp corners at high speeds. The steering response of this bike is very accurate which is very helpful on highways. The light frame makes this bike more flexible and stable than other bikes. Its superb suspension and braking system from racing bikes adds credibility to this bike. In case of sudden and hard braking, this bike stays under control and ensures your safety. Yamaha MT-01 is perfect for high speed cruising on long journeys.