the bike’s versatility is down to the new suspension, which you can adjust
on the move by pressing a button—no spanners, expert knowledge or dirty
hands required.
Stopping power, a weakness of the old bike, has been improved with a
Brembo radial master cylinder. the SP also gets upgraded braided brake
lines. the Yamaha four-piston calipers remain the same as in the previous
bike but, like the standard mt, cornering aBS comes as standard.
When i first rode the new 2022 mt-10, i was not overly impressed by
the brakes, which were all right but a little wooden in feel. however, the SP
stoppers were rather impressive, which might be down to the braided lines
or, maybe, the pads had been bedded in differently. at cadwell Park,
despite some heavy abuse, there was no indication of fade as stopping
power remained strong and the aBS was not too obtrusive.
on the road, the lever has a nice feel around town. the brakes are not
overly aggressive and the cornering aBS is a welcome addition over the
now old bike.
the engine remains the same as in the standard mt-10, which is a
positive as the crossplane motor is a peach. Yamaha could have simply
thrown in an r1 engine and given us a 200 hp-plus naked
bike, but that was not their aim. they wanted to keep the
crossplane cP4 engine controllable, with tweaks to the
power, torque, and the much-criticised fuel efficiency. they
also wanted to improve the character of the distinctive motor,
which was arguably already class leading whilst maintaining
the bike’s relative affordability.
i have loved the distinctive sound of the crossplane motor
ever since the original cP4 was introduced in the r1 in 2009.
now Yamaha have simply amplified that feeling and noise
with a new induction system. those air scoops on top of the
fuel-tank are not just for show, they are new acoustic sound grills in the
tank designed to direct the intake noise to the rider.
on lap one, short-shifting around cadwell Park, bringing the road
Bridgestone S22 rubber up to temperature, i could hear and almost feel
the air being sucked into the induction system; it sounds fantastic. then,
with rubber up to temperature, the howl of the exhaust took over. there
is a perfectly timed cut in the ignition on every clutch-less up and down
change. it sounded so good, i almost wanted someone else to take the
mt-10 SP for a few laps just so i could hear it.
the induction and exhaust note, so distinctive in the mt-10, give the
Yamaha a character that no other Japanese manufacturer can match.
Short-shifting around douglas on the isle of man or full gas down Park
Straight at cadwell Park were both equally rewarding to the ear drums.
Power has increased slightly on the standard mt-10 as compared to
previous years, but you would have to ride the new and old bike one after
the other to notice it. the motor is incredibly versatile. around town, the
fuelling is soft and friendly, especially if you soften the power. then,
away from town, you are lavished with low down grunt and a lovely
spread of mid-range from 4,000-8,000 rpm. Get on track or on the
unrestricted roads in the isle of man, where you can really let it sing, and
166 hp is more than enough. only at cadwell Park, when chasing race
bikes, did i want a little more power, but on the isle of man it would
show an indicated 240 km/h-plus with relative ease. how much faster do
you want to go on a naked road bike?
the mt-10 is essentially a naked r1; therefore, comfort is never going
to be excellent. however, i still managed some light touring, including
one 210-km motorway stint without stopping.
Yamaha claim the engine is 15 per cent more efficient than before, with
a quoted 14.65 km/l). during the test, i averaged 13.21 km/l, including
some hard riding on the isle of man and a track-day at cadwell Park. i
assume normal riding would deliver closer to Yamaha’s claim. the fuel
light would illuminate between 195 and 225 kilometres, depending on the
riding, which is not bad. the digital fuel-gauge is a little deceptive and
takes forever to come down from fully fuelled before dropping
dramatically. once the fuel light is on, the digital trip reverts to a fuel trip,
not fuel remaining.
the SP is comfier than the standard model because, in the a-3 mode,
the suspension and ride are noticeably plusher and very comfortable.
Like the standard bike, cruise control and a speed limiter come as
standard, both useful tools on the motorway, especially with the
increasing number of average speed cameras.
the electronic technology is similar to the standard mt-10’s plus the
addition of the electronic Gen-2 Öhlins suspension. Yamaha made a
huge step in the electronics with the 2022 model.
the introduction of a six-axis imu on the 2022 model has made the
electronics lean-sensitive but, do not worry, the big mt is still fun. For
example, you can switch off the lift-control but leave the slide and
traction control active. this was my preferred option at cadwell,
allowing wheelies over the famous mountain, but still with the safety net
the rider aids bring