Yamaha MT-10: Detailed Specifications and Honest Review

The Yamaha MT-10 is the most eligible standard-style naked bike with a sheer performance-oriented design and features for those riders looking for a stripped-down sports bike’s performance. It is considered to be the most versatile naked bike with class-apart maneuverability, agility, and flickability thanks to its unique geometry and build.

The Yamaha MT-10 was revealed for the first time in 2015 at EICMA and the production started in 2016. Since then, this bike has been rated as one of the most efficient sports naked bikes in the global motorcycle market. For beginners and intermediate riders, there are other low-powered models in the Yamaha MT range, including the Yamaha MT-03 and MT-07. However, the Yamaha MT-10 is the flagship model in the MT lineup and is specially designed for riders with expert-level riding skills. Continue reading this article to learn more about this amazingly built Yamaha MT-10, its detailed technical specifications, and its honest review.

To power the Yamaha MT-10, the company decided to extract the highly suitable engine to serve the purpose from one of its flagship sports bike models, the Yamaha YZF-R1. The engine was simply not taken out and installed on this bike; instead, there were several alterations made to enhance the output before installation. Almost half of the engine underwent a complete transformation from scratch to make it best suited for a sporty and aggressive naked bike.

The Yamaha MT-10 boasts a 998 cc CP4 engine and is a highly reputable power plant due to its remarkable torque-producing capability which makes the bike accelerate at a faster pace. The modifications also include a better firing sequence and enhanced air intake for a more refined power output.

It is a 998 cc cross-plane four-cylinder (CP4) engine, ensuring a crank angle difference of 90° between each cylinder. Cylinders with 90° of phase angle between them make a cross shape when viewed from the top. Therefore, the engine is called a cross-plane engine.

The main reason why Yamaha uses the CP4 engine in the MT-10 is its ability to produce direct linear torque and negligible vibrations. The counterbalancers are not required in the CP4 engine as it is perfectly balanced and the primary and secondary vibrations are canceled out.

What makes the Yamaha MT-10 a highly stable, agile, manageable, and easy-to-handle motorbike is its build and geometry. This ultimate naked bike features a lightweight aluminum Deltabox frame which makes it a highly compact motorcycle. The Yamaha MT-10 has one of the shortest wheelbases of 1409.7 mm in its class, along with the sportier rake and trail, making it a highly aggressive sports-style naked bike.

For superior handling and cornering, the Yamaha MT-10 features fully adjustable 43 mm KYB forks up front and a fully adjustable KYB rear mono-shock. Both the front and rear suspensions offer a road-friendly wheel travel of 119.38 mm. Overall, the bike is quite composed, balanced, and stable while riding on straight roads and even turning corners. The rider can comfortably maneuver this bike like a sports bike with confidence. The grip of this bike is also commendable on roads and even in wet conditions.

The Yamaha MT-10 is considered one of those motorcycles with a highly addictive sound. This bike has an amazing and distinctive feature that sets it apart from the rest when it comes to spine-tingling growl. Right on top of the broad air intakes on both sides of the headlight, there are two gas tank-mounted exhaust sound grilles for sound amplification and acoustic modeling to provide riders with a MotoGP vibe and feel. The overall sound produced by the Yamaha MT-10 is one of the most appealing in the naked bike category thanks to the acoustic grilles and four-into-one titanium exhaust system.

The Yamaha MT-10 is one of the very few motorcycles in the market that did not take inspiration from a base model and carries its own unique and innovative design and style. This bike is easily identifiable from its look and sound. The key highlight of this motorbike’s appeal is its out-of-the-box headlight assembly which gives it a transformer-style look. It looks like a robotic monster from the front with twin eyes and eyebrows. Behind the sporty handlebars, there is a stylishly designed, broad, and chiseled gas tank with fairly wide air intakes, giving this bike a muscular front look. The engine, transmission, and the rest of the machinery are ideally fitted in a limited space to ensure a compact size and look.

Behind the gas tank, there is a single-piece flat and long saddle with sharp styling. The Yamaha MT-10 also features sport bike-style fenders. This bike is available in two color schemes, including the iconic and vibrant Cyan Storm and Matte Raven Black for riders looking for an all-black naked bike. The Cyan Storm color scheme includes a dark gray gas tank, blacked-out frame and finish chrome exhaust system, and five-spoke aluminum sky blue wheels with a small red-colored patch. Wrapping the aluminum wheels are the Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22 tubeless tires, ensuring a quick and sporty performance on paved roads.

The Yamaha MT-10 is a standard-style naked bike with sporty and aggressive performance. It is purposely designed to ensure a punchy and quick on-road performance. So, it means that the ergonomics and comfort are not that relevant in the design of this bike. The overall stance of this bike is slightly more towards the aggressive side. Riders will have to sit a bit forward to reach the handlebars and they can also switch to a more aggressive riding style depending on their preferences for a quick sprint. The legroom is also quite compact, making your legs kinked up. The rider triangle and overall ergonomics of the Yamaha MT-10 suggest that this bike is ideal for those average-sized riders looking for an expert-level high-end naked bike. The seat height of 32.87 inches also supports riders with normal height.

The Yamaha MT-10’s brake equipment was upgraded in 2022 for more reliable and effective stopping power. This bike carries new front and rear master cylinders by Brembo and pad springs for better precision. There are 320 mm dual discs up front and a 220 mm rear single disc, along with the ABS.

The Yamaha MT-10 packs loads of high-end advanced rider aids. Starting with the six-axis Inertial Measure Unit (IMU) that encompasses several other safety elements to make sure this bike does not lose control, grip, and traction at any moment during the ride. The IMU comes with highly advanced sensors to sense the motion of the motorbike in all six directions, including forward, backward, left, right, up, down, pitch, roll, and yaw. With even a slight disturbance in these motions, the sensors are activated and accordingly send signals to the ABS, traction control, engine brake control (EBC), lift/wheelie control, and slide control. The overall tech package is designed to enhance the performance, safety, and fun element of this bike.

On top of the safety features, the Yamaha MT-10 also incorporates a standard cruise control to allow riders to maintain the throttle without the rider’s input for relaxed cruising on open roads. the tech package also includes a variable speed limiter which allows riders to set a limit to the top speed of the motorcycle depending on the riding situations and preferences.

To make your riding experience more automated and less fatiguing, the Yamaha MT-10 also comes with a stock quick shift assist system for clutchless and smooth gear shifting. The assist & slipper clutch also helps to provide a smooth transition between gears and stability in difficult riding situations, especially while decelerating.

One of the major drawbacks of the Yamaha MT-10 as noticed by most riders is its low fuel mileage of 36 mpg. It is because this bike is designed for high-speed performance which ultimately puts extra pressure on the engine to keep up with its high-end character and burn more fuel.

Performance-wise, there is no match for this kind of bike as it becomes a beast when you twist the throttle on the road. If you do not find your bike fun enough to give you the adrenaline rush while twisting the throttle, hop on the Yamaha MT-10 to experience the most fun and agile experience on a two-wheeler.

• Appealing naked bike look
• Distinctive and easily recognizable headlight design
• Produces the most attractive sound in its class
• High power and torque output
• Reliable bike
• Equipped with innovative features
• Makes cornering easy
• Highly maneuverable and agile
• Upgraded engine technology

• Low fuel mileage
• Slightly uncomfortable seat

The Yamaha MT-10 holds a reputation as the most perfectly built and capable sports-style naked bike with tons of premium highlights and characteristics, making it a top contender in the middleweight naked market. It boasts an incredible 998 cc cross-plane inline four-cylinder (CP4) engine which is completely redesigned for more torque, power, and speed. There is nothing about this bike that can disappoint you. The Yamaha MT-10 fills all the boxes which makes it a top-of-the-line performance-oriented motorcycle. It performs the best in all departments, including linear performance, cornering, maneuverability, and agility. If you want to experience pure fun on a naked-style bike with a sports bike soul, the Yamaha MT-10 can be your best partner for the most thrilling riding experiences. You will get to hear the best sound with its acoustic grilles and titanium exhaust system.

The Yamaha MT-10 can be used for long-mile trips with the inclusion of luggage-carrying options. You can easily find the best luggage bags specially designed for your sporty street bike models at Viking Bags’s online store. These include tank bags, backpacks, tail bags, and saddlebags.