Yamaha 1670 MT-01 Kit phase 1 2009 — Specifications

When Yamaha had the idea of grafting the 1670 cc V-twin from the Star Roadstar onto a roadster chassis built for aggressive riding, nobody really knew what the creature would turn out to be. A failed concept bike, a show curiosity, an engineer's fantasy? None of the above. The MT-01 proved to be one of the most singular propositions of the mid-2000s, and this 2009 Kit Phase 1 version, pushed to 97 horsepower and fitted with its twin Akrapovic pipes, takes the concept even further into its own territory.

First contact, standing beside the machine: 240 kg dry, a seat height of 825 mm, and a center of gravity set high enough to put anyone on notice who might underestimate low-speed maneuvering. The width of the single-seat unit doesn't help — legs naturally splay outward, and mechanical heat rises through the thin covering like cigarette paper. Ergonomic purists will walk away. Everyone else will turn the key and press that red starter button that feels like scuttling a ship. The V-twin erupts through the Akrapovics, the die-cast aluminum frame vibrates, the unsteady idle beats time like a heart after a sprint. The tone is set.

In motion, almost everything that seemed like a handicap at a standstill disappears almost immediately. The 150 Nm of torque available from 3,750 rpm settles the question of authority once and for all: you don't accelerate on the MT-01, you let yourself be launched. Arms straighten, the rear wheel finds its footing in the 190/50-17, and the soundtrack on overrun downshifts is something Japanese engineers couldn't have scripted better in a studio. Against a Monster 1100 or a Speed Triple from the same era, the verdict isn't as clear-cut on agility, but in terms of raw sensation, the Yamaha imposes its own definition of pleasure. Less surgical, more visceral.

What genuinely surprises is the handling. The R1 bloodline isn't a marketing argument: the radial four-piston calipers on 310 mm front discs, the 43 mm upside-down fork, the reinforced swingarm — all of this sporting hardware delivers a dynamic coherence you wouldn't suspect at first glance. Push it, the machine responds, and the weight manages better than advertised as long as you're not demanding late-braking heroics. The rev limiter cuts in at 5,500 rpm anyway, which puts the most ambitious intentions in perspective. The five-speed gearbox does its job competently without pretending to rival a modern sports transmission.

The instrument cluster sticks to the essentials: a blue backlit rev counter dominating the display, a digital screen at the bottom for the speedometer and two trip meters, one of which counts down to reserve in the usual house tradition. Sober, readable, sufficient. The 15-liter tank won't be inviting long-distance touring, and with consumption that the V-twin doesn't encourage you to monitor too closely, range will remain modest. This isn't a tourer — it's a machine for punctuated emotions.

The final bill of €15,614 for this equipped version assumes you know exactly what you're looking for. The base price of €13,263 is already a serious proposition, but the €1,427 exhaust system, the solo seat, and the carbon fairing push the total to a level where Italian competition starts to cast a shadow. What neither Ducati nor Moto Guzzi offered at the time was precisely this blend of a supercharged American V-twin in a rigorous Japanese package. The MT-01 doesn't try to please everyone. Yet it manages it anyway, in its own stubborn way, by plunging your hands into the sonic grease from the very first start.