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Post by slv on Dec 7, 2016 16:09:07 GMT -7
Quick story, then on to something cool. 1999. Yamaha introduced the first MT concept bike at the Tokyo Motor Show called the MT-01.  I moved to Tokyo in 2002, bought a BMW and happily tooled around Tokyo for three years until Yamaha introduced a production MT-01 as a 2005 model. Had to have it. I bought it in November 2004. I loved the bike and still believe it to be the best bike I ever had. In August 2007, a Tokyo City Bus pulled out between some hedges in the median and my MT was no more. I soon moved back to the USA.    A lot of American forum perceptions about the MT-01 were way wrong. It weighed 529 lbs dry. It had 110 ft-lbs of torque stock, R1 brakes, R1 type frame and gobs of character. Super quick stoplight to stoplight, and excellent handling for its weight class. Just an awesome feeling of torque and quality. Fast forward 9 years. I read every article on the MT-10 and was sure Yamaha was ignoring our market again. When the FZ-10 was announced. I knew it would be mine. I've had it two weeks, and I'm loving it. OK. Now for the cool stuff. I was reminiscing about my MT-01, looking at used bikes in far stretches of the world. Read that Yamaha named the MT series as an abbreviation for Master of Torque. Then I found these. Read the web page too. Season 3 has our bike as (an MT) but all three have MT series bikes. Enjoy. global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/mt/ |
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Post by tigershark on Dec 7, 2016 17:01:51 GMT -7
Other than the weight, I like the MT-01 a lot. Really beautiful design, especially the engine.
So if MT stands for Master of Torque, what does FZ stand for, Full of Zip, Friend of Zorro?
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Post by slv on Dec 7, 2016 17:27:26 GMT -7
Even at that weight, the rigidness of the frame, good brakes and much less shifting disguised the weight really well. It wasn't a pure-sports bike, but much sportier than the specs imply.
Good question about the FZ. I haven't seen any anime about FZ's.
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Post by tigershark on Dec 7, 2016 17:47:21 GMT -7
I can't believe it never made it to the States. The more I read about it, the more I like it. Looks like as much weight as possible was down low, including the actual shock position. Lucky you for having owned one. The closest I came to something that special was my Ariel Square Four, but I'd much rather ride the MT-01. Truly ahead of its time.
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warnock
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Registered: Aug 23, 2016 14:01:04 GMT -7
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Post by warnock on Dec 7, 2016 17:54:06 GMT -7
That is one sweet looking bike !
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tonysal
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Likes: 74
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Post by tonysal on Feb 15, 2017 12:05:51 GMT -7
slv,
thought the MT-01 was awesome when it was introduced, but was disappointed the Tuning Fork folks never brought it to the States.
How did you get licensed in Japan to ride large capacity? or were you gtg with your US license?
regards, Tony |
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Post by slv on Feb 15, 2017 15:54:52 GMT -7
slv,
thought the MT-01 was awesome when it was introduced, but was disappointed the Tuning Fork folks never brought it to the States.
How did you get licensed in Japan to ride large capacity? or were you gtg with your US license?
regards, Tony I used an international permit. It's allowed for 6 months. I just got a new one every year. |
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latte
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Posts: 198
Likes: 131
Registered: Jan 19, 2017 2:06:59 GMT -7
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Post by latte on Feb 17, 2017 12:14:51 GMT -7
Very cool tidbit. The MT01 looks like a novel bike for sure. Quite jealous you got to live in Japan, what brought you there?
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Post by slv on Feb 17, 2017 15:43:58 GMT -7
Very cool tidbit. The MT01 looks like a novel bike for sure. Quite jealous you got to live in Japan, what brought you there? My company has a JV with a Japanese company. I went their to start and stabilize the JV. 6 years. I'm starting one in El Salvador now |
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