Upgraded 2022 Yamaha MT-10 Revealed!

Yamaha’s MT range, since inception, has continually provided the entertainment in the naked sports segment. They’re proud of it, they even engineer in a little more rear-end sag than usual on their rear shocks, precisely so they all wheelie easier, or feel like they will a lot of the time. That equates to excitement and thrills aplenty, no matter the MT model, and it doesn’t look like it’ll be changing anytime soon, given the new MT-10…

One way to always tell the true nature of a bike, is by what tyres it comes on. With this new Yamaha MT-10, it’s Bridgestone’s S22, an excellent hoop even in OE trim. But it’s an excellent road hoop, which immediately nails the MT down as a roadster. And it is, really, as from the first incarnation they would be fun on track up to a point, then you stop having fun because you can’t go any faster lest you entertain the possibility of a big whoopsie. Nope, it’s a road bike, and an utterly bonkers one in matter of fact.

As an example, literally the first ever time this author rode an MT-10, it was on one wheel within twenty yards, and it didn’t come down again until it was pinging the red-line in fifth gear… If you have even minor stunting skills, these things make it unbelievably easy to cock around on. And that engine, wow, made for the job it is. More R1 engine similar than R1 engine downgrade (the two are actually quite different), the cross-plane philosophy means it’s easy to control at all times, especially now Yamaha have sorted their throttle-response issues out.

For 2022 the inline-four motor gets a thorough spit and polish, with new offset con-rods, forged pistons and plated cylinders helping to achieve Euro5 regs while also apparently adding power, though precisely how much is currently a mystery. They’ve tuned the intakes for a better sound, and everything exits via a brand new titanium exhaust. Fuel-injection settings have also been refined to match the fettled engine and provide more torque plus a better throttle response.

Better yet is, finally, a decent electronics system rocking a full six-axis IMU. The first MT’s TC was, to put it politely, a bit agricultural. It would often intrude on the fun times, very often, when the bike clearly deserved something better. Now it has a pukka jobbie, plus slide-control, and a decent anti-wheelie gizmo, which should allow the user to tune it so things only intrude when they really need to. Or have it completely hold your hand – the benefits of modern electronics is that they can suit everybody. They also don’t make you pay extra for a quick-shifter any more either, which is nice of them.

One great bit of news is the inclusion of a Brembo master-cylinder to power the four-piston calipers biting 320mm discs. Yamaha brakes have in general been, for decades, functional but never brilliant, and often wooden in feel. Adding a bit of Brembo hotness can only make them better, or at the very least increase feel at the lever. The bike also has a speed limiter, which you can set if you don’t want to exceed local limits. Could be handy in town scenarios, it’s like cruise-control, but for your licence.

They have also finally given in and added a dash similar to that on the R1, meaning a full colour TFT screen, by which one can access the rider modes. And remember with a Yamaha, aside from whatever passes for a ‘rain’ setting, these are not power modes, rather they’re throttle response and delivery modes. It’s something Yamaha have taken years to get even close to right, or at least as accessible as similar systems from other manufacturers. Usually there would be one setting that was palatable, the others awful, but it has been improving year on year, granted.

There are new colours, new lines and new lights on the bike, with smart LEB lamps flanked by cool looking running lamp strips. Gotta give it up, the new MT looks like the badass we all know it will be. Damn, we can’t wait to get our hands on one!