Yamaha 1670 MT-01 RACING LIMITED EDITION 50th ANNIVERSARY 2006 — Specifications

Fifty years of victories, titles, and noise. When Yamaha decides to blow out its candles, the manufacturer doesn't produce a simple anniversary badge slapped onto a generic fairing. The MT-01 Racing Limited Edition, reserved exclusively for the French market, features two colorways that alone summarize half a century of competition dominance. The yellow evokes the fairings of the 1980s, the era when Kenny Roberts Sr. snatched his WorldGP titles with an aggressiveness that kept the paddocks on edge. The blue harks back to the Rossi seasons, when the number 46 turned every Grand Prix into a show of force. Two generations, two philosophies, one V-twin of 1670 cc.

Because that is indeed the machine's center of gravity. This long-stroke V-twin, with a 97 mm bore and 113 mm stroke, is borrowed from the world of adventure touring. It pushes out 90 horsepower at 4,750 rpm, which on paper seems modest, but more importantly delivers 150 Nm of torque from 3,750 rpm. In practice, this means the MT-01 never really revs high, doesn't enjoy high rpm, and has no need for them. The five-speed gearbox and chain do the rest. This is the kind of engine that moves on muscle, not frenzy, with a thick, sonorous character that has nothing in common with the Japanese four-cylinders that scream at the top of their rev range. Compared to a Triumph Rocket or a Harley-Davidson V-Rod of the era, the Yamaha occupies a unique position: neither American cruiser nor classic sporting roadster, but something more hybrid, harder to pigeonhole.

The 265 kg fully fueled is a reminder that the beast is no lightweight. The die-cast aluminum frame, the 43 mm upside-down fork with 120 mm of travel, the rear monoshock: all of this makes for a motorcycle that is ridden, not endured, but one that demands an experienced rider to be truly exploited. The 825 mm seat height and the mass in motion are not for beginners. The MT-01 is aimed at seasoned riders seeking a raw sensation and unfiltered engine character, not at those just starting out who want the forgiveness of a modern parallel twin.

The brakes — twin 310 mm discs up front with radial four-piston calipers and a 267 mm disc at the rear — are up to the task of managing the weight. The claimed top speed of 210 km/h is consistent with the power output, without being exceptional. The 15-liter tank requires regular stops, which is no issue on a machine built for the pleasure of riding rather than swallowing motorway miles.

This limited series distinguishes itself from the standard version through its commemorative stickers on the belly pan, two small "MT-01 LIMITED EDITION" plaques set into the V formed by the cylinders, and above all through those two colorways that cannot be improvised. The price of €13,999, slightly above the base model, remains reasonable for an exclusively Franco-French edition. Yamaha has not turned the anniversary into a crude commercial operation: the planned mid-September delivery gives meaning to the limited run. There will be few, and they will be for the enthusiasts. For everyone else, the standard MT-01 remains available, while these two competition colorways find their owners in French garages.