MT10 Unexpected Test Drive

What happened:
I just went for a ride in my R6 with my friend F.o.k on his CBR 1000 RR, because his bike previously had been a bit strange, we wanted to coast a bit. 

When we got to our usual stop Motorcity the new MT10 was there, it had been ridden by a potential customer, so.. because it was so difficult at that time to get the bikes from Yamaha in the dealership, I got extremely lucky.. 

A big thank you to Motorcity, for baring with us all the time ;) 

Visit them if you are in Amsterdam, they have a great selection of Motorcycles a big Service Garage and complete first floor clothing store.

Check them out here:
http://www.motorcity-amsterdam.nl/

2016 Yamaha R1 Electronic Systems explained

A short introduction to the electronic systems that allow the R1 rider to focus fully on riding, with extreme precision and without distractions. LCS, LIF, TCS, SCS, QSS, PWR, YRC… what do they mean and what are the benefits?

Starting point: the IMU that enables it all

Contrary to conventional wheel-speed-sensor systems that make estimations about how the bike is behaving, the new R1 has real 3D motion detection.

An Internal Measuring Unit (IMU) contains acceleration measurement in all 3 directions (forward, sideways and up/down), plus gyro measurement in all 3 directions (pitch, roll and yaw).

By constantly analysing this data 125 times per second, the IMU is able to establish the R1’s position and behaviour – including lean angle, slide speed and pitching rate.

These are used as input for the electronic control systems on the bike and they adjust and refine the engine output when needed. An extensive package like on the R1 is common in MotoGP racing, but quite new to production bikes!

Let’s have a look at those systems:

Launch control (LCS)

Blasting away at the starting line with 200 PS in first gear?

The LCS assists you to improve your starts. This system keeps engine rpm at the ideal 10,000 rpm, even with the throttle fully open, and maintains an optimum level of engine output.

The system has a choice of 2 levels and can also be switched off.

LIFt control (LIF)

Smoothens out front lifts during starts and acceleration.

(It does allow front lifts, its main purpose is to react when a sudden lift is detected).

The system has a choice of 3 levels and can also be switched off.

Traction control (TCS)

To avoid wheel spin and to bring out the maximum drive force potential of the rear wheel.

This system takes into account the lean angle of the bike and applies a stronger control setting at deeper lean angles!

The system has a choice of 9 levels and can also be switched off.

Slide control (SCS)

Just launched in 2012 on the YZR-M1 race bike, and now applied for the first time on a production bike. This patent-pending system controls the engine output when a slide is detected, and works in association with the banking angle sensitive TCS.

A certain amount of sliding is helpful because it helps a rider change lines in a corner. If the slide is smooth, the system intervenes only slightly; if a sudden or excessive slide develops, the system dampens it accordingly.

The system has a choice of 3 levels and can also be switched off.

Quickshift System (QSS)

A sensor on the shift lever rod detects when the rider is upshifting, and the system cuts drive torque to the engaged gear, in an exact relation to throttle opening, rpm, gear position and rear wheel speed.

The system has a choice of 2 levels and can also be switched off.

Power modes (PWR)

The engine has a choice of 4 different power modes to set the throttle response to your own preference or riding situation. In three of the four modes, full horsepower is available; the throttle sensitivity is different.

Yamaha Ride Control

A set of all these individual settings can be saved as a package under the so-called Yamaha Ride Control system. It keeps 4 packages stored (A/B/C/D) that are easily available on the dashboard.

You can save more packages if you want, via the optional CCU / data logger that is controlled by an app.







CCU unit / data logger

This is an accessory item on the R1 (and comes standard on the R1M). It includes a GPS unit to monitor your actual position and has a wireless connection to be able to see the data afterwards on a tablet or smartphone. This provides fascinating info: you can check riding lines, lap times, top speed, brake points etcetera. At any point on the track or route, you can look in detail at all the IMU’s measurements: corner speed, lean angle, brake pressure, G forces, throttle opening etc.

Interesting to improve your skill as a rider, or to compare with friends!




ABS with UBS

The new R1 features an ABS. And there’s also a UBS that is lean angle sensitive.

UBS means Unified Brake System. It combines front and rear brake action for a smoother balance, preventing unwanted machine motion during braking.

It is lean angle related: the more the lean angle, the less the rear wheel brake pressure that is applied through the system. The ABS/UBS system is an integral part of the machine and cannot be switched off or adjusted.




Rider and machine are one


The electronic systems only do what they are told to do. So input from test riders is extremely important, and at Yamaha we put a lot of emphasis on this. Yamaha developed the systems to optimise the interaction between rider and machine. They feel completely natural, so the new R1 is ready to connect to your body and take your riding to a new level!

“I believe the greatest excitement, comes from besting who you were yesterday” says our Project Leader. “This bike is your partner for doing it, and nothing can beat that kind of excitement!”

KTM taking a piece of MOTOGP first debut in Valencia

Mika Kallio has confirmed that he will give the new KTM MotoGP machine its race debut as a wild-card in the Valencia season finale.

Kallio - a former 125, 250, MotoGP and Moto2 racer - stepped back from competition to become KTM's official test rider ahead of its entry in the 2017 world championship, when Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro will race the orange machines.

It has long been known that KTM would take part in the Valencia round, just as Suzuki did prior to its 2015 return, with paddock sources naming Kallio as the rider during the German Grand Prix weekend. 

The Finn confirmed the deal after testing alongside current MotoGP riders in Austria on Tuesday, when he was 16th quickest and 2.292s from the top.

“I think everyone can be really satisfied that we're here with the others. In the end I think the lap times were on a good level," Kallio said.

"Around two seconds behind the fastest guys, at the moment it's quite good. We still have time to work before we come to the Valencia race."

Thomas Luthi was 18th and last on the other RC16, but still within 2.7s of Andrea Dovizioso and 1.6s from the top non-Ducati rider, Suzuki's Maverick Vinales.
Check out the Video from MCN on the KTM Roll out bellow:

Yamaha MT10 !

Today was a beautiful day.. 

Why ? because I got to test drive the Dark Ray of Light, the transformer style MT10, the naked R1 that everyone was expecting, the beast that came to represent the top range of the Torque Monsters series, that's why it was a beautiful day ! 

Looking at her, at first, it gave me all kinds of wrong design signals, it seemed misshaped, put together like some type of cheap Meccano , but after your eyes start to adapt to the edges and all the details, one starts to realize that this was meant to be, there is a specific call on this design, and I believe it is Less is More, also it would have been impossible for Yamaha not to have come up with this motorcycle, impossible why ? Any R1 owner would get to a point in his life where he would have told Yamaha, guys please can we have a naked bike with the R1's CP4 engine ? :) and Yamaha would have gladly responded, yes, yes you can and the motorcycle would have been exactly the same.



In Short:

• Torque-rich, 4-cylinder 'CP4' crossplane engine
• YZF-R1-derived engine, chassis and suspension
• Tuned for strong, linear low to mid range torque
• YCC-T, D-MODE and Traction Control System
• Assist and slipper (A&S) clutch
• Lightweight aluminium Deltabox main frame
• Short 1400mm wheelbase for class-leading agility
• Dynamic mass-forward silhouette
• Upright riding position with forward lean
• High specification ABS brakes with radial calipers
• Fully adjustable high specification suspension
• Multi function LCD instruments

Now let's go about some figures:

Engine

Engine type
liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valves

Displacement
998cc

Bore x stroke
79.0 mm x 50.9 mm

Compression ratio
12 : 1

Maximum power
118.0 kW (160.4PS) @ 11,500 rpm

Maximum Torque
111.0 Nm (11.3 kg-m) @ 9,000 rpm

Lubrication system
Wet sump

Clutch Type
Wet, Multiple Disc

Carburettor
Fuel Injection

Ignition system
TCI

Starter system
Electric

Transmission system
Constant Mesh, 6-speed

Final transmission
Chain

Fuel consumption
N/A

CO2 emission
185 g/km

Chassis

Frame
Aluminium Deltabox

Front suspension system
Telescopic forks, Ø 43 mm

Front travel
120 mm

Caster Angle
24º

Trail
102 mm

Rear suspension system
Swingarm, (link suspension)

Rear Travel
120 mm

Front brake
Hydraulic dual disc, Ø 320 mm

Rear brake
Hydraulic single disc, Ø 220 mm

Front tyre
120/70 ZR17 M/C (58W)

Rear tyre
190/55 ZR17 M/C (75W)

Dimensions

Overall length
2,095 mm

Overall width
800 mm

Overall height
1,110 mm

Seat height
825 mm

Wheel base
1,400 mm

Minimum ground clearance
130 mm

Wet weight (including full oil and fuel tank)
210 kg

Fuel tank capacity
17 litres

Oil tank capacity
3.9 litres

It is also possible to equip the MT10 to look a little like an MT10 Tracer, which by the way according to Yamaha officials will never see the light of darkness. However Yamaha has a set of accessories for it that would make her definitely tour worthy, here is a picture:

After test drive Conclusion:

for the PROS and the CONS, well wait for my VLOG to come out, I will tell you all about it! :)