‘Wewere right’

How yamaha' s mt series changed the biking world

Towards the end of 2013 Mike Armitage, of this parish, went on the launch of the new Yamaha MT-09. We ran a story about his first ride on the bike with the coverline: ‘Japan’s best bike since the Fireblade’. OK, seven years later I’ll admit that’s arguable, ‘Best’ is a matter of opinion, but on Bike we like a bold statement. But in 2021 it’d be entirely fair to say, ‘Japan’s most important bike since the Fireblade.’

When the global recession took hold in 2008 motorcycle manufacturers reacted by squeezing development budgets and acting confused. Except for Yamaha, who confidently invested big in a bold new range of bikes, to be powered by two engine units. The CP3, an 847cc triple that powered the MT-09, and the CP2, a 689cc twin for the MT-07 that appeared in 2014.

The idea was to build two families around common engine and chassis components and commit to high volume production in order to achieve cost benefits. That would allow the bikes to be priced aggressively. When the MT-07 appeared it was £5334, when Triumph’s (then 675cc) Street Triple was £7349. Obviously, other manufacturers had to respond and the pricing re-alignment that followed was the most significant since grey imports forced reality onto the market in the mid-1990s.

By 2017 both engines were powering three different styles of bike. The basic MT models, a semi-faired ‘tourer’ in the Tracer versions, and a light retro version dubbed the XSR. In addition there would be an MT-09 SP with fancy suspension and, from 2019, an adventure style Ténéré version of the 700, though that required a different frame from the other 700s. All models have been consistently strong sellers across the world. They are great bikes, competitively priced, that deserve their success. The outgoing Tracer 900 wins this month’s Bike group test against newer opposition. That says a lot.