We’ve been lucky enough to live through a golden era in naked-bike evolution. The past 12 years or so, about the same time as the Aprilia Tuono V4 has been around, has seen more development and expertise put into the naked-bike segment than ever before. Yes, the overall naked-bike gains have undoubtedly run parallel with the strides made in the superbike category, but let’s not be too picky here and just thankful for what we’ve got, shall we?

Oddly enough, this new-gen “hyperbike” naked-bike category has not been the domain of the traditional Japanese manufacturers. Not at all. It has come via a concerted onslaught from Europe, with BMW, Ducati, KTM, and the aforementioned Aprilia, taking center stage with their stripped-back superbikes.

The Japanese have really taken their time to get to grips with the new age, but they are slowly getting there with the Kawasaki Z H2, Suzuki GSX-S1000, and Honda CB1000R, but it’s their collective arch nemesis, Yamaha, that has trumped them all with the YZF-R1-derived MT-10.

The MT-10 has, for many years (at least in my opinion), been the most underrated naked bike on the market. At $13,999, this is a motorcycle that represents astonishing value when you consider the cheapest of the Euro contingent costs $3000 more—the base-model Aprilia Tuono, a motorcycle which has now been angled more at the sport touring crowd with its ugly but effective high screen than the straight-up naked-bike lovers of the world.

The MT-10 (dubbed as it was back then as the FZ-10) first reared its, err, unique head back in 2016. This was Yamaha’s king hit in its Dark Side of Japan advertising campaign that started with the FZ/MT-09 in 2013 and then the 2014 FZ/MT-07 (in America, Yamaha changed the FZ model name to MT in 2017 to bring the bikes into line with the rest of the world).

The FZ utilized much of the same tech Yamaha would later employ on the YZF-R1S, an America-only model that ran from 2016 to 2019 and featured steel instead of titanium for the conrods and valves, a lower rev ceiling, less compression, and less cost.

For 2022, the same architecture developed in the now-defunct R1S has been retained, but that’s where the similarities end. This year represents the most significant overhaul of the model since its inception, with everything from how it goes to how it looks coming under the microscope back in Japan.

At first glance, the aesthetic of the new MT-10 isn’t too dissimilar to what it was in 2021. There’s always been a lot going on with the MT in terms of edges and plastic bits—it could never be accused of being the most eye-pleasing of the current naked bike crop—but the 2022 model gains, or rather, loses a great deal of the bulk that was present on the 2016-21 edition.

A redesigned headlight, now housing a full LED illumination set, is complemented by the “eyebrow” daytime running lights, and the intakes have been redesigned to work with the new airbox. The airbox houses three uneven intake ducts and mates with what Yamaha calls “acoustic amplifier grilles” to give a throatier roar when the throttle is cracked. The result is a growl that sounds like it could suck in small children.

At the other end, a new, lighter titanium exhaust has been developed to let the motor truly sing on acceleration and does away with the old black exhaust guard.

The MT-10’s look has been somewhat minimalized, with the engineers taking away the plastic bits and bobs that don’t serve any real purpose and contributed to the chassis’ large look. This is a lesson imparted by the smaller, svelte MT-09, which largely steals the family limelight in the public’s eye.

The rest of the aesthetic is a nip-and-tuck affair. The gas tank has been redesigned to allow the rider an easier time moving about the saddle by making it slimmer where the knees grip. The rider triangle of bars/seat/pegs has been altered, with the rider sitting a little deeper in the seat than in 2021 despite the seat height itself being 10mm taller at 835mm. And the passenger seat and surrounding bodywork have come under the designer’s knife for more comfort and to reduce the protruding plastic.

The big difference to the old MT-10 is not so much in the engine but the computers that control it. The motor hasn’t come in for any significant revisions aside from new fuel injection settings and a new twist grip for the Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle that houses a spring, slider, and gear mechanism to help mimic the feel of an old-school cable throttle.

The real change between models is in the electronics. The 2022 MT-10 gets the R1’s six-axes IMU—two sensors that measure three-axes of angular velocity and three-axes of acceleration—giving the motorcycle the chance to join the big players in the superbike/naked-bike world by running lean-angle-sensitive traction control, slide control (Yamaha were the first to bring this feature to market on the 2015 R1), wheelie control, lean-angle-sensitive ABS, and two-stage brake control, a feature that in BC2 uses IMU data to increase ABS sensitivity as the bike’s lean angle increases.

You’ve got four different power modes at your disposal, level one being the most direct and level four for low grip/rain riding. These go with the four preset ECU modes (A-D), all with their own Traction, Slide, Wheelie, Engine Brake and Brake Control values that are preset from the factory—and that you can vary individually if you so desire, so you can make Mode B have no TC, no Wheelie, full Engine Brake, etc.

Yamaha’s also fitted a cool Yamaha Variable Speed Limiter (YVSL) system so you can set a speed at the dash and know you won’t go over it, kinda like a pitlane speed limiter perfect for high-radar areas.

On top of that, you’ve got cruise control, four riding modes that can be toggled via a 4.2-inch dash that, I’ll be honest, looks a bit small compared to what much of the competition holds, and a new, faster quickshifter for sublimely smooth gear changes.

Don’t forget, this is all still for under $14,000 (barely).

Compared to the electronics, the remainder of the MT-10 remains close to what it was before. The main Deltabox chassis and swingarm come from the R1 as before—indeed, the MT runs the same 55.3-inch wheelbase (up 0.2-inches over the old MT), and the suspension hasn’t been changed from before. Up front sits the same conventionally adjusted, fully adjustable, 43mm KYB fork and fully adjustable KYB shock at the rear, both offering 4.7 inches of ground clearance.

In a word—brilliantly. The MT-10 held up near-perfectly to almost any test I could throw at it, from high-speed canyon chasing to dealing with the maniac, motorcycle-hating drivers in Asheville, NC.

Even the first sit is inviting. The MT is a comfy, roomy ride, plenty big enough for two people, and the firmer seat gives a pleasant ride that doesn’t have the rider sinking into the foam after an hour on board.

At 6’1”, I’m near spot-on as far as the ergonomics go. The handlebar and peg position are just as I’d like them from the factory—Yamaha hit the sweet spot with the original FZ/MT in that the only thing standing in your way of either sport or touring riding is the rider themselves.

If you’re after V-twin-like performance under 4000 rpm, you’ll be left a little disappointed as the motor doesn’t produce that low-down grunt we all know and love. You need to get this thing singing above 5000 rpm for the beginnings of the best performance. This stretches almost all the way to the 12,000 rpm redline, only tapering off after soaring past 11,000 rpm.

The surge of forward momentum is accompanied by one of the best noises in motorcycling. A cross-plane crank R1 at full roar is an audible joy, and it’s been acoustically beefed up by that new intake, airbox and exhaust setup. Anyone fancy riding a bear?

This MT houses the non-electronically adjustable suspension compared to the Öhlins-equipped MT-10 SP that we’ll ride a bit later in the year, so the ride can be a little on the stiff side for simple day-to-day cruising but switch your focus to even a hint of sporty riding and the damping characteristics make perfect sense.

The MT-10 absolutely loves a good mountain road, the combination of nicely set springers, and those excellent Bridgestone S22 tires (check here if you’d like to read the test we did in 2019 on the Bridgestone S22 Tires in Jerez ) and that glorious motor making for a joyous occasion.

There really is very little to fault with the MT. The electronics are well organized and easily changed by the rider, which is no mean feat given many manufacturers fail miserably in this regard, and that new quickshifter is an excellent addition to the show—I can think of at least three bikes that cost this much that don’t have a quickshifter, let alone all the other electronics the MT has.

An area I don’t love, much like the R1, is the front brake setup, which has that dreaded wooden feeling at the lever I’ve become sadly accustomed to with sporty Yamahas. At least the brakes stayed consistent and didn’t fade to nothing as they do on the R1, but the master cylinder is a bit old-school and more in line with the $14k pricing. It’s a simple fix if you go surfing through the Brembo catalog, but something to be aware of.

Aside from that, I have very little else to criticize with the MT-10. The motor shines, it’s got an excellent chassis, and the price is most definitely right. Perhaps it lacks a bit of the pizazz we associate with the Euro contingent, but it’s hard to argue with the facts overall. This really is an excellent motorcycle. CN

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One Year, Two Championships for Rekluse-Powered Eli Tomac and Star Racing Yamaha