Yamaha 1670 MT-01 Kit phase 1 2007 — Specifications

Forty-eight hours. That's how long it takes to understand that certain machines aren't tested — they're endured, in the best possible sense. The first outing on the MT-01 had ended in persistent rain and slippery tarmac, meaning the verdict had been postponed. The following weekend, clear skies, the Kit Phase 1 version waited on its sidestand, its twin Akrapovic silencers announcing their intentions before you'd even turned the key.

This kit deserves closer attention. Factory transformations usually inspire skepticism, caught between the usual compromises and often disappointing results. Here, the exhausts change the game on two fronts simultaneously: the visual line gains cohesion, and the 1670 cc V-twin finally finds a voice that matches its stature. The single-seat unit and carbon fiber tail section complete the package with conviction. One complaint about the seat — hard and narrow — which shamelessly conducts mechanical heat upward on longer rides. The instrument cluster, centered around a blue backlit tachometer with a redline at 5,500 rpm, remains readable and functional, with the reserve countdown characteristic of Yamaha production bikes.

A cold start in an enclosed courtyard is enough to measure the gap between this machine and any comparable roadster. The unstable idle shakes the die-cast aluminum frame, the Akrapovics rumble deeply, and the throttle — slightly stiff — demands respect from the very first meters. The 240 kg dry weight is there, perched high on top of that, with an 825 mm seat height and a center of gravity that makes itself felt during low-speed maneuvering. The seat width forces you to splay your legs, and three-point turns in a parking lot become a matter of concentration. That's the price of fitting an American big-cruiser-derived V-twin into a sporting chassis.

Once past that preamble, the road erases everything. The 150 Nm of torque available from 3,750 rpm pulls at your arms with locomotive regularity, without the slightest dip in the curve. By way of comparison, a Ducati Monster of the same era offers a similar temperament, but without this excess of displacement. The MT-01 draws from a different register, almost anachronistic for a 2007 motorcycle, and that's precisely what gives it character. The 97 horsepower, delivered at 4,750 rpm courtesy of the Akrapovic kit, don't make it a highway rocket — top speed is capped at 216 km/h — but it doesn't need to go any further than that. The radial four-piston calipers on 310 mm front discs provide bite to match, and the R1 bloodline shows in the suspension quality and the reinforced swingarm.

The final price tag of €15,614 represents a serious sum once you add up the base price of €13,263, the exhausts, the seat, and the carbon protection pieces. But the MT-01 Kit Phase 1 doesn't target a specific audience. It casts a wide net, from American big-twin enthusiasts to European roadster riders and bikers drawn to Italian lines. This blending of influences, without an exclusive identity, is both its strength and its limitation. For an experienced rider seeking an atypical machine with genuine mechanical character, it ticks nearly every box. For a beginner, the 265 kg fully fueled and the torque's impulsiveness would suggest waiting a few more seasons before stepping up.