ROAD TEST - 2019 YAMAHA MT-10 - JUST BIKES

ROAD TEST - 2019 Yamaha MT-10

Words: Dean Mellor

Photos: Yamaha, Renata Livolsi & DM

Yamaha’s hyper-naked MT-10 has scored a minor update for 2019 and it’s now available in ‘Ice Fluo’; a new colour for the year which combines a cool matte-white finish and bright orange wheels. The Yamaha Blue and Tech Black colour choices remain for 2019.

Colour change aside, the good news for fans of one of Yamaha’s best modern motorcycles is that the MT-10 loses none of its aggressive styling for the new model year. It also retains its stonking arm-pulling performance, and its precise and responsive handling. Yep, this machine is still one of the most well-rounded hyper-naked bikes on the planet and it’s an absolute blast to ride, whether just for a blat down to the local shops or a scratch through your favourite twisties.

Power and Glory

The MT-10 is based on Yamaha’s YZF-R1 superbike, with which it shares its potent 998cc crossplane-crank inline four-cylinder engine, chassis and fully adjustable suspension. Tuned for a wide spread of torque in the MT-10, this engine pumps out a claimed 118kW at 11,500rpm and 111Nm at 9,000rpm. Despite these impressive peak output figures, they alone do not explain just how fabulously character-laden this engine is. Nor does Yamaha’s marketing-speak, which says “the crossplane design nearly eliminates inertial engine torque to provide a direct connection between the throttle and rear wheel”.

While there’s no denying the accuracy of this explanation, it doesn’t adequately describe what’s really on offer throughout the rev range, from the stump-pulling bottom-end, through to the meaty midrange and the screaming top-end. Oh, and while it is heavily muffled by the standard exhaust system, the MT-10’s engine emits a deeply satisfying growl, with the ultra-precise fuel-injection providing immediate yet eminently controllable throttle response.

But the MT-10 is about so much more than that sweet inline four; thanks to its YZF-R1 chassis, the MT-10 also offers incredibly agile handling and a firmly planted front-end. It also features an effective, user-selectable traction control system, three throttle maps and powerful brakes with well-sorted ABS.

Do I like the MT-10? Bloody oath, I do!

On Yer Bike

Like just about all Yamaha test bikes, my ride began with a long freeway commute before jumping on to a secondary road and then winding down one of my favourite mountain passes. This initial sample was enough to confirm that I was going to thoroughly enjoy the next two weeks with the MT-10.

When I first threw a leg over the MT-10, I felt immediately at home despite the bike’s relatively tall 825mm seat. Unlike some inline fours, the MT-10 isn’t overly wide, especially where the tank tapers into the seat, which makes it easy enough for shorties like me to put a foot down, yet the rear of the seat offers more than enough width (and sufficient padding) to provide long-distance comfort.

Once aboard, the riding position feels delightfully neutral; you sit quite upright on the MT-10 and there’s plenty of room to move about, with a short reach to the handlebar and a relaxed drop to the footpegs. The standard cruise control is excellent and makes the long highway stints between good roads totally bearable; speed can be set and adjusted via an up/down button on the left ’bar and immediately cancelled by a touch of the brakes.

The lack of a screen and the wide ’bar means there’s not much in the way of wind deflection at highway speeds, but when you get stuck into it, there’s enough space on the MT-10 to crouch down, and the bum-stop is bloody handy when you crack the throttle wide open, especially with the D-Mode on the most aggressive setting ‘1’.

D-Mode D-Tail

As on the previous MT-10, the desired D-Mode setting can be quickly selected on the go via a switch on the right ’bar. Prior to the MT-10’s 2019 update, the D-Mode had ‘Standard’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ modes, but these have been revised to ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’, with ‘1’ being the most aggressive, ‘3’ the least aggressive and ‘2’ somewhere in the middle. Despite the renamed settings, Yamaha says there’s no actual change to the engine mapping.

There’s no doubt that Setting ‘1’ would be the optimum choice for trackdays, but it can be a little too aggressive for road use, and you could soon find yourself unintentionally lofting the front wheel if you use too much throttle exiting first and second-gear corners. While the electronic steering damper keeps headshake under control, Setting ‘2’ dampens throttle response without overtly reducing the fun factor on the road, and it allows you to be less judicious with the throttle in lower gears, too. You’d likely only select Setting ‘3’ in slippery conditions because it blunts throttle response quite noticeably.

An upshift-only quick-shifter is standard equipment on the MT-10 that, by briefly interrupting torque, allows for almost instant gear shifts. This, combined with the sweet throttle that offers seemingly instant and intuitive response, results in very impressive acceleration. Sure, the MT-10 has less output than the R1, but it’s still bloody quick. The traction control (TCS) offers three levels of intervention that can be selected easily on the go via a large switch on the left bar, or it can be switched off altogether when the bike is stationary.

Easy Rider

With such a broad spread of torque, the MT-10 is an easy bike to ride fast; you can be as lazy as you want with gear changes and make the most of the engine’s strong bottom-end or you can get busy with it and keep the LCD tacho hovering up near the redline. The latter approach, however, is not nearly as satisfying on the road as riding those big waves of torque, which peak at 9,000rpm. On several occasions I held on to sixth gear even as I decelerated to as low as 60km/h, and the MT-10 pulled away cleanly with as few as 3,000rpm showing on the tacho.

While the MT-10’s quick-shifter only operates on upshifts, the slipper clutch ensures you won’t lock the rear when downshifting. This is particularly handy when braking into tight corners and grabbing second or even first gear, and with such a confidence-inspiring front-end, this is one bike that tempts you to brake deep into corners.

Although it doesn’t feature the top-shelf Öhlins Electronic Racing Suspension as fitted to the MT-10SP, the ‘base-spec’ MT-10 still comes with fully adjustable suspenders, with 43mm KYB USD forks up front and a Monocross rear.

Although on the firm side, the suspension copes pretty well with crappy roads. The front-end doesn’t get upset when it hits bumps and the rear does an admirable job of soaking up road-surface irregularities. The Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport tyres provide good feel and plenty of grip, and the MT-10’s brakes offer more than enough stopping power, while the ABS isn’t overly intrusive.

The MT-10 steers amazingly well for a 1,000cc roadbike, too, thanks in part to its short 1,400mm wheelbase and that wide handlebar. It tips into corners better than a bike this size has any right to, and the front-end feels so planted that you’ll be tempted to push harder and harder the more you ride it. Run into a corner a little hard and it will eventually push wide, but all you need to do is back off the throttle slightly and let the engine braking bring it back into line.

Practicalities

The MT-10’s pillion pew is obviously an afterthought; it’s tiny and the pillion ’pegs are way too high for anything but the shortest rides. You could secure a small bag to the pillion seat but tie-down points aren’t great. There’s not much space under the seat either, so a tank bag (or a backpack) could be a good option for those who need to carry gear. There’s a 12V power outlet up front and the handlebar is ideal for securing a phone or satnav device.

The twin LED headlights look great and project a decent spread of light, on both low and high beam, while the basic LCD display provides plenty of information in a clear and concise format, and visibility is not adversely affected by direct sunlight.

On test the MT-10 recorded average fuel consumption of 6.8L/100km, allowing for a touring range of around 250km from the 17L fuel tank. This could probably be stretched a little when cruising on the freeway as I saw 5.8L/100km a couple of times on the MT-10’s trip computer.

Perfect ‘10’?

Stripping the fairing off a superbike and fitting a flat handlebar is by no means a new concept, but the latest generation of hyper-naked bikes like the Yamaha MT-10 (and competitors like the Aprilia Tuono V4 RR and BMW S 1000 R) are some of the best roadbikes money can buy. They are fast, comfortable, fun and practical, as well as generally more affordable than the superbikes on which they’re based.

Thanks to its awesome crossplane inline four, well-sorted suspension and advanced electronics, the MT-10 is one of the most character-rich and fun-to-ride hyper-nakeds on the market.