{"id":444277,"date":"2017-07-22T17:19:46","date_gmt":"2017-07-22T07:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=444277"},"modified":"2017-07-23T08:02:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-22T22:02:00","slug":"2017-yamaha-mt10sp-review-missile-of-the-robo-zombie-apocalypse-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/2017-yamaha-mt10sp-review-missile-of-the-robo-zombie-apocalypse-2\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 YAMAHA MT10SP REVIEW \u2013 MISSILE OF THE ROBO-ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last time I rode an MT-10 was last year.<\/p>\n

It made me a little bit crazy. I confessed to my madness HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was a superb motorcycle. It inspired and delighted me with its sheer motorcycleness. I gelled with it on a base level, and I even came to appreciate its brutal, bug-eyed, robo-zombie appearance. I found myself longing for the robo-zombie apocalypse\u2026and then I gave it back and things returned to what passes for normal for me these days.<\/p>\n

At its base, this MT-10 is an ergonomically sensible motorcycle propelled by the uniquely fiendish insanity of Yamaha\u2019s re-tuned and crossplane-cranked R1 engine. So it doesn\u2019t even sound like any other in-line four as it pastes your face with hell-speed. They all shriek. This one grumbles. It makes a sound like icebergs calving or mountains rubbing their pinnacles together. And it pulls everything closer sooner as such a thing is expected to do.<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t care about the MT-10 anymore.<\/p>\n

I have taken my pants off for the MT-10SP.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Look at it. It’s simply bursting with uncleanable nasty.<\/p><\/div>\n

And that SP can only stand for Special Porridge.<\/p>\n

For this porridge is seriously special, thanks to the addition of \u00d6hlins ERS.<\/p>\n

So if SP stands for Special Porridge, \u00d6hlins ERS should stand for Extremely Resplendent Superiority. But it doesn\u2019t, as odd as that may sound.<\/p>\n

\u00d6hlins ERS stands for Electronic Racing Suspension. And that is precisely what it is, and that is exactly what it does. And I don\u2019t think anyone does it better.<\/p>\n

\"\"

More uncleanable nasty, and would it kill Yamaha to get both those lights to be on? I’m alright about the carbon footprint thing.<\/p><\/div>\n

For my money, there are maybe two manufacturers who do electronic suspension really well. Yamaha is one of them, and its partnership with \u00d6hlins is simply sensational \u2013 it\u2019s a Bogie and Bacall thing, for sure. And it lifts the SP above its rivals and sets it square against king-beasts like the new KTM Superduke R, which overpowers the MT-10SP a little in the engine department, but not in any way any normal human being would even notice. In fact, the two bikes are simultaneously similar and poles apart.<\/p>\n

One is a twin, one is a four, after all. The Yamaha feels physically bigger, steers a breath slower, and is quintessentially Japanese in how it goes about its business.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Yeah, nah – I just can’t clean that. But I would fit a radiator guard. Then I wouldn’t clean that either.<\/p><\/div>\n

But the philosophy behind their respective creation is the same, ie. the electronic taming of a wickedly aggressive and potent motorcycle in a way that is unnoticeable by the rider, but for which he is, by the Throne of Almighty God, grateful for in the extreme.<\/p>\n

And I do so like that in a motorcycle.<\/p>\n

So while the base MT-10 is a hoot to ride, the Special Porridge version takes you to that next level of delight. It is the most technologically advanced suspension on any street-based Yamaha, and yes, we have now moved into YZF-R1M territory.<\/p>\n

O happy day.<\/p>\n

\"\"

This is day mode. It switches to night mode by itself. Just like me.<\/p><\/div>\n

The SP also provides you with a TFT dash, which you don\u2019t get on the base model, and which once again echoes the R1M\u2019s equipment. And of course, it is a special colour (Silver Blu Carbon \u2013 and yes, that is how it\u2019s being spelled), \u00a0and comes with blue wheels, a black front guard, and gold forks. The field-hands will instantly know you\u2019re not astride just any old MT10.<\/p>\n

What does all this exclusivity cost?<\/p>\n

The standard MT-10 is $18,499. The Special Porridge is $21,499 \u2013 a difference of $3000.<\/p>\n

Is it worth it? Absolutely. No issue. I wouldn\u2019t even think twice about it. I can always go and rob another servo if I have to. The suspension alone is worth that to me.<\/p>\n

There is of course nothing much wrong with the bouncers on the base model. But come on, this is \u00d6hlins, people. Electronic Racing \u00d6hlins, no less, and adjustable 16 million ways as well as in seven different dimensions. For $3000? Take my fucking money.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Come at me, robo-zombies!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

I’ll just wait here for something worth chasing down.<\/p><\/div>\n

Where you will most notice what you\u2019ve paid for is, of course, on the road. Yes, it will work superbly on the track, but tracks are smooth and good suspension is needed to cope with fearsome acceleration and braking, which occurs during racing. So while speeds are usually slower on the road, top-end suspension shines because roads are constantly changeable in terms of surface \u2013 some are smooth like racetracks, some are more like goat-tracks, and most are somewhere in-between.<\/p>\n

The SP copes with them all. It sneers at them. It takes out its insectile robo-hand and gives them the middle robo-finger. Changeable surfaces are as dust to it.<\/p>\n

So riding such a thing hard and fast becomes and exercise in confidence, rather than an exercise in how many prayers you know.<\/p>\n

Few bikes are able to deliver such a feeling to the rider.<\/p>\n

Coupled with a quickshifter, an assist-and-slipper clutch, a range of ride modes and the ability to fine tune them, and in the real world, you\u2019ll be quicker on this than you would be on an R1.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just easier to ride the MT-10SP faster. It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n

You can strap gear to it, tour on it, carry a pillion without too many complaints, and commute with ease. It is a complete motorcycle because it does all of these things with aplomb. But most importantly, each time you get on it, hit the button and hear the strange servo-like noises it makes as it fires up, you will know deep down in your black and hateful soul that if you need to engage in a pissing contest, you can do just that. And you can engage with utter confidence.<\/p>\n

\"\"

There’s a quickshifter in there. And that lovely yellow-coloured shock…<\/p><\/div>\n

This is no small thing. The MT-10SP has the goods. All the goods. Well, certainly all the goods I need, or want for that matter. The engine is a symphony of usable torque, the brakes are great, the menus are easy to navigate, the headlights are good (still not great, and don\u2019t even get me started on that eeping horn thing), and with a set of sticky tyres, you will be the king of all you survey \u2013 even of bikes that cost 10 grand more.<\/p>\n

I love a bike that forgives my screw-ups and has the straight-line punch to make up for that last corner I beshat myself in.<\/p>\n

I love a bike that makes no unseemly ergonomic demands on me, and if you\u2019re comfy on a bike, you\u2019ll be more effective as a rider.<\/p>\n

\"\"

All those angles and recesses actually do a great job at breaking up the wind-blast, even at a theoretical 230km\/h. There is method to this madness.<\/p><\/div>\n

I love a bike which is reliability incarnate \u2013 and Yamaha, any Yamaha, is nothing if not that. The SP is certainly electronically sophisticated, but it\u2019s not carrying any reliability issues as far as that sophistication is concerned.
\nI love a bike that can do pretty much all of what I want a bike to do, and I especially love a bike I will never have the measure of, but which fact does not at all diminish my enjoyment of it. It\u2019s very hard not to ride around on the SP picking fights and smiling knowingly.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It does this cornering thing like a swooping hell-swine. This is a good thing.<\/p><\/div>\n

And you know what? I like the way it looks, because it doesn\u2019t look like any other bike, will never be mistaken for any other bike, and always reminds me of the robo-zombie apocalypse we all secretly long for.<\/p>\n

Do I behold any negatives?<\/p>\n

Well, it feels big. This is not a negative for me. It might be for some, though. The SP\u2019s wet weight is only 210kg. So it\u2019s not heavy, and it doesn\u2019t feel heavy. You can hurl it from side to side with absolute gay abandon and ease. So maybe \u2018big\u2019 is the wrong word. Maybe \u2018substantial\u2019 is the right word.<\/p>\n

Is that a negative for me? Hell, no. The substantial feel helps its high-speed stability, which isn\u2019t really compromised with its slightly shorter-than-the-R1 swingarm.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Please don’t let there be a Highway Patrol car around that corner…<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s tall, but once again, I\u2019m blessed with long supermodel legs, so this doesn\u2019t bother me a bit.<\/p>\n

It is, however, an utter and complete pain in the arse to clean. It is a visually complex motorcycle. There are lots of nooks and crannies, holes and bolts, clefts and divots \u2013 all of which build its robotic appearance, but you try getting all that clean. You\u2019ll go mad. There\u2019s not enough beer in the world to help you in your efforts.<\/p>\n

\"\"

That container is full of zombies. I know it is.<\/p><\/div>\n

So I would never clean it. And I would be OK with that. Lube the chain, keep it in gummy tyres, and watch it layer itself in grime as it ages magnificently.<\/p>\n

And lastly, it is a thirsty, thirsty thing. Oh well. The tank holds 17 litres of petrol. You will be filling it up at about 230. Maybe a bit less. Maybe a bit more. But usually a bit less. That don\u2019t bother me none. Obviously, Yamaha is more interested in making your nipples hard than it is about the Larsen Ice Shelf appearing in Sydney Harbour.<\/p>\n

And so am I.<\/p>\n

I would ride down there on my filthy MT-10SP to see that.<\/p>\n

CLICK ON THIS FOR PICS BY NICK EDARDS\/HALF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC<\/a><\/h5>\n

SECOND OPINION<\/h3>\n

By Nick Warne<\/h3>\n

When Borrie informed the world he had a Yamaha MT-10SP to test, I texted him immediately. \u2018Giz ride?\u2019 I typed hopefully.<\/p>\n

This is not my usual response to Borrie\u2019s Facebook posts of bikes he is riding.\u00a0As a grizzled veteran of some 40-odd summers of motorcycling misconduct, I consider myself immune to the allure of new bikes.\u00a0There\u2019s always something new and shiny with five more pointless horsepowers and 500g less irrelevant weight.<\/p>\n

So why did this one erect my tail feathers like a horny peacock?<\/p>\n

Let me count the ways.<\/p>\n

\"\"

His pants came off shortly after this and I had to throw a bucket of water over him.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s an MT.\u00a0 Yamaha has moved from six-odd per cent of the Australian naked-bike market to 43-plus per cent and it has done it off the back of a simple truth: No one cares too much about peak horsepower any more.<\/p>\n

What do we care about?\u00a0We care about torque; that irresistible, grunty goodness that punts you out of a corner\u00a0like a trebuchet throws a diseased horse into a castle while your sportsbike mates languish in a miasma of valve overlap waiting for the tacho to reach umpty-thousand.<\/p>\n

We care about feel.\u00a0And we\u2019re getting older, fuck ya, so naked bike ergos are kinder and gentler for our frangible bones.<\/p>\n

These then are the attractions of the MT series, and they are Yamaha\u2019s success story.<\/p>\n

And Borrie agreed to my SMS request.<\/p>\n

Riding up to Colo in the bleak dawn of a midwinter morn, he handed me the key to the Best Motorcycle I Have Ever Ridden\u2122 (BMIHER\u2122).<\/p>\n

\u201cBig call,\u201d he said later when I told him it was the best motorcycle I had ever ridden.<\/p>\n

Maybe.<\/p>\n

After all, I have ridden or owned many excellent motorcycles, including the S1000R, the SpeedTriple, the StreetTriple, an RS1200R, an R1200R and\u2026 well, you get the picture.<\/p>\n

So just what makes the MT-10SP the BMIHER\u2122?<\/p>\n

It could be the donk.\u00a0If it\u2019s not the most crisp, characterful and charismatic in-line four ever built, well, to paraphrase Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, it\u2019ll do until that gets here.\u00a0A cynical old geezer, it enables me to imagine myself at 340km\/h down the Mugello straight, with that engine\u2019s creamy growl bellowing defiance at time\u2019s tyranny.<\/p>\n

It could be the ergos.\u00a0This bike fitted me like a Savile Row wetsuit.\u00a0Gently cupping my aged buttocks as a 170km\/h wind tried, and failed, even to gain my attention.\u00a0 I overtook Boris (gamely riding and twisting my MT-09\u2019s throttle to the stop), like a brick falling down a well. Totally effortless.<\/p>\n

It could be the electronic \u00d6hlins suspension front and rear.\u00a0Never have I had more confidence in a chassis. Never, ever.\u00a0 It rides like MagLev.<\/p>\n

It could have been any of those.\u00a0But it wasn\u2019t any of them.<\/p>\n

It was all of them, in a bizarre mathematical addition that massively surpassed its already impressive sum.<\/p>\n

This bike spoke to me.<\/p>\n

And what it said was:\u00a0\u201cI am Pegasus, winged and divine.\u00a0 Come now, oh Bellerophon, let us defeat the Chimera together.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can feel its silver spirit in my blood, still.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TECH STUFF<\/h3>\n

Engine type – Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valves
\nDisplacement – 998cc
\nBore x stroke – 79.0 mm x 50.9 mm
\nCompression ratio – 12 : 1
\nLubrication system – Wet sump
\nClutch Type – Wet, multiple disc
\nFuel management – Fuel injection
\nIgnition system – TCI
\nStarter system – Electric
\nTransmission system – Constant Mesh, 6-speed
\nFinal transmission – Chain<\/p>\n

Chassis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Frame – Aluminium Deltabox
\nFront suspension\u00a0 – \u00d6hlins electronically adjustable telescopic forks, \u00d8 43 mm
\nFront travel – 120 mm
\nCaster Angle – 24\u00ba
\nTrail – 102 mm
\nRear suspension\u00a0 – Swingarm, (link suspension)
\nRear travel – 120 mm
\nFront brake – Hydraulic dual disc, \u00d8 320 mm
\nRear brake – Hydraulic single disc, \u00d8 220 mm
\nFront tyre – 120\/70 ZR17 M\/C (58W)
\nRear tyre – 190\/55 ZR17 M\/C (75W)<\/p>\n

Dimensions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Overall length – 2095 mm
\nOverall width – 800 mm
\nOverall height – 1110 mm
\nSeat height – 825 mm
\nWheelbase – 1400 mm
\nMin ground clearance – 130 mm
\nWet weight (including full oil and fuel tank) – 210 kg
\nFuel tank capacity – 17 litres
\nOil tank capacity – 3.9 litres
\nWarranty – Two years, unlimited kms, parts and labour
\nColours – Silver Blu Carbon
\nRRP (inc GST) – $21,499
\nYAMAHA’S WEBSITE IS HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last time I rode an MT-10 was last year. It made me a little bit crazy. I confessed to my madness HERE. It was a superb motorcycle. It inspired and delighted me with its sheer motorcycleness. I gelled with it on a base level, and I even came to appreciate its brutal, bug-eyed, robo-zombie [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":444035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[4,304,106,58,103],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444277"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444277"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444314,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444277\/revisions\/444314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}