Bike of the year.

[Jackrat]

I was in a gas statsion today and saw a magazine,can't remember which one but it was local.
Anyway on the cover it had the Yamaha MT01 as bike of the year.
They have to be joking,I would of thought BOTY would go to more of a sport-tourer than a bike like that.
Thoughts????

[DingDong]

automatic bikes are 4 kids... oh and amputees:shake:

my BOTY: K5 and close 2nd RF900

[James Deuce]

Errr, the MT01 isn't automatic.

I think it deserves it just for the amount of balls Yamaha have been showing in the design area of late.

[MD]

That was my first reaction too Jackrat when I saw the mag. What a weird choice. Not the fastest, not the best tourer, not the latest in new techo, or best commuter or anything, apart from odd and out there styling.
But they did have some reasonable logic when you read it. And what else deserves it? Sportsbikes shouldn't automatically get the dong every year just because one is tweaked to be 1.3 seconds faster than last year.
edit- love the avatar Jackrat.

[bladez]

my god i thought it would have been one of the 1000cc beasts not that :shit:

[Motu]

I'm with Jim2 - Yamaha are always ready to break boundries and do something different,merging different bikes.....like the VMax.They have put out more ''interesting'' bikes than the other 3 combined.

All we need is for them to make a 21st Century XS650 eh Jack?

[skidz]

Yep, A 21st century XS650 would be great.

[Ixion]

Better still - a 21st centruy RZ350 !:woohoo:

[gamgee]

not taking anything away from the bike, it does look, and sound nice, what with the 1600cc engine :gob: which is bigger than my cages engine! but come on, bike of the year?? personally i would have picked something from the kwaka zx*r series, probably the 12

[Kornholio]

I thought the MT01 was fucken hot....and its a 1700cc motor isnt it?

[MidnightMike]

I thought the MT01 was fucken hot....and its a 1700cc motor isnt it?

Yeah something like that, but would you go anywhere near something that looks like this? :crazy:

[Jamezo]

I think we need a 21st century Che Geuvara.

[Kornholio]

Yeah something like that, but would you go anywhere near something that looks like this? :crazy:

Why yes I believe I would :scooter:

[MidnightMike]

Why yes I believe I would :scooter:

Ok then you do that <_<

[Groins_NZ]

I like the MT01 - looks awesome in my eye. Too much CCs, Kgs and $ for me though.

Not sure why it would get BOTY but I'd like to read the article to see what they said about it.

[Eurodave]

[QUOTE=MidnightMike]Yeah something like that, but would you go anywhere near something that looks like this? :crazy:[/QUOTE

Yep, I would too, but Id have to strip off all those little plastic covers & gee gaws & I dont like the headlite at all so that would be the first thing to go,oh, & a nice set of aftermarket pipes would be next on.The trouble with a lot of jappas is there too sanitized, deodorized & PC....unleash the animal within!!

[Ixion]

I like it, except maybe the headlight. Still, I suspect it's probably very functional. But how big is the fuel tank? It looks tiny, and with such a large motor you'd need a big tank.

[Pwalo]

I personally think it looks like one of those Japanese cars designed for the US market. Sort of ungainly, and just not quite right.

I'm sure that it's probably a really nice bike to ride, but it just seems a bit pointless. It's strange but I can't think of a bike that springs to mind as a stand out for BOTY, although I guess it's hard to go past the K5 for what it's achieved in sales, race results etc. (Yes I know it's nothing to do with stats, results, cost etc).

[Motig]

Nothing wrong with it, beautiful bike. Good to see someone has the guts to be differn't. Also always good to see a complete lack of bias on topic:dodge:

[riffer]

Interestingly, the MT-01 is the first bike in the last five years my wife has looked at and said:

"That looks so cool - why don't we get one of those?"

until she found out the price ... :(

[Big Dave]

That was the Motorcycle Trader and News - and it was decided by 'popular vote' (read: only with people who are geeky enough to be arsed sending in a coupon).

Kiwi Rider Magazine's Road BOTY was the R1 - as adjudged by MacKay.
3 of the staff testers - myself included - gave it to the Triumph Sprint ST.

[pritch]

The current issue of BIKE has a four way shoot out between the Triumph Speed Triple, The Harley StreetRod, the BMW K1200 and the MT01:
And the winner was...
The Yamaha!

[Quasievil]

Well the real bike of the year in the MASTER BIKE OF THE YEAR is the ZX10r 2004 2005 running, the bike of the year in 600 ish class was the ZXR636, as per the MASTER BIKE OF THE YEAR.
And this is a real test 13 nations 15 riders 5 bikes and 5 days at Valenciana in Spain.
the order is
5Th CBR1000
4th GSXR1000
3rd MZ Augusta
2nd R1
1st ZX10r

Same test different Class

5th Triumph Daytona
4th Suzuki GSXR600
3rd Honda CBR600
2nd R6
1st ZXR636

Now I admit this is sports track bike stuff, but if you read the test in SPORTSBIKE Australian motorcycle news (current) you will see that this is a real test on a real track with racers riding, and not individual opinions thrown into a box and drawn out over a beer in some pub gathering. as far as Im concerned the MT01 is a horrible looking peice of kit which has little or no functionality on the road, I mean whats it for ? a mooring in a few years could be one suggestion !!


(yes Im baiting you all, but the masterbike stuff is factual)

[Big Dave]

The whole thing is pretty bogus anyway - BOTY? it should be BTCLB.

[Ixion]

But to me , a sprotsbike picked on the basis of racers racing on a track could never be Bike of the Year.

To me BOTY would be based on a number of riders riding the bike for a year under all sorts of usages: communtering, touring (including long distance) on all sorts of roads, track, the lot. Cos that's what real world riders who BUY the bikes will do. If it's going to be racers on a race track, then you should include race bikes, which obviously would clean up the road bikes, on the track. Otheriwse it's just the RBOTY (Race bike of the year)

[MidnightMike]

Nothing wrong with it, beautiful bike. Good to see someone has the guts to be differn't. Also always good to see a complete lack of bias on topic:dodge:

Fair enough, I'm now starting to come around to the idea of riding on an engine with handle bars. :niceone:

[Ixion]

MT01 is a horrible looking peice of kit which has little or no functionality on the road, I mean whats it for ?


Long distance touring springs to mind (need to throw on some luggage, mind you). Should be comfortable enough, controls are in the "proper" place, heaps of nice lazy torque, and a nice big motor. ya can't beat cubes!. And looks like it should handle OK. Only worry would be the fuel capacity.

[Hitcher]

MT01? Bike of the year? Hardly. That moniker presumes Yamaha want to sell some. I have yet to see one in the flesh, mind you Yamaha's marketing arrangements in Wellington leave a bit to be desired.

[Quasievil]

But to me , a sprotsbike picked on the basis of racers racing on a track could never be Bike of the Year.

To me BOTY would be based on a number of riders riding the bike for a year under all sorts of usages: communtering, touring (including long distance) on all sorts of roads, track, the lot. Cos that's what real world riders who BUY the bikes will do. If it's going to be racers on a race track, then you should include race bikes, which obviously would clean up the road bikes, on the track. Otheriwse it's just the RBOTY (Race bike of the year)

No No No, the bike of the year must be by category, I mean they are all so completely different example by your rational, how can a ZXR636 be the bike of the year when a honda CRF250 dirt bike was not tested against it, or for that matter a BMW K1200. They are completely different and the BOTY os essentially a waste of time for this reason. To nominate only one is crazy, to be done properly it needs to be by type for example
Best tourer Triump ST1050
Best Sportsbike 1000cc ZXR1000
Best Sportsbike 600cc ZXR636
Best bike under 600 cc
Best Dirt Bike KX250
Best small bike Hyosung comet 250

Or whatever, to name on is silly and quite meaningless for all those that dont ride in that particular segment of bike.

[**R1**]

who cares about fuel economy/range, comfort, style etc, my only question would be-Does it wheelie? surely BOTY would have to wheelie...

what else would there be to judge it on?

[**R1**]

No No No, the bike of the year must be by category, I mean they are all so completely different example by your rational, how can a ZXR636 be the bike of the year when a honda CRF250 dirt bike was not tested against it, or for that matter a BMW K1200. They are completely different and the BOTY os essentially a waste of time for this reason. To nominate only one is crazy, to be done properly it needs to be by type for example
Best tourer Triump ST1050
Best Sportsbike 1000cc ZXR1000
Best Sportsbike 600cc ZXR636
Best bike under 600 cc
Best Dirt Bike KX250
Best small bike Hyosung comet 250

Or whatever, to name on is silly and quite meaningless for all those that dont ride in that particular segment of bike.like this

Best large capacity bike to wheelie -gsx1300
Best 1000cc bike to wheelie -R1
Best 600cc bike to wheelie -GSXR600
Best Dirtbike to wheelie -Husaburg 480
Best small bike to wheelie -VTR250
Best Kids bike to wheelie -Husqy boy jnr

there we go bikes of the year:cool:

[Ixion]

No No No, the bike of the year must be by category, <snippy>

.

Very true. And knowing that a 1000cc sprotsbike won BOTY is quite unhelpful if one is trying to decide on a choice of a 250cc MX bike. Of course, in some cases the category may be implicit in the nature of the judging panel - one may assume that the judges of MotoX Weekly would not select the 1000cc sprotsbike. So , to be menaingful one must know WHOSE BOTY

(Unfortunately , I have not been able to track down a copy of Nana Rider's Weekly to find what they chose as BOTY)

[Deano]

Yamaha are always ready to break boundries and do something different,merging different bikes.....


From that photo, it looks to me like a cross between a v-max, a rocket and a brutale.

[Devil]

MT01? Bike of the year? Hardly. That moniker presumes Yamaha want to sell some. I have yet to see one in the flesh, mind you Yamaha's marketing arrangements in Wellington leave a bit to be desired.
I thought it was pretty 'meh' when I saw the pics. Then I saw it in person and loved it. Nice chunky engine. I'd have one, but maybe with the stage 1 or 2 kit on it.

[Hitcher]

The Triumph ST1050 a "tourer"? I suppose inasmuch as the Blackbird, Hirebus and ZX12 are "tourers" it can lay claim. But really these four are just stretched sprotsbikes and not something designed to eat 600+ km a day, after day, after day (my definition of "tourer").

[Slingshot]

MT01? Bike of the year? Hardly. That moniker presumes Yamaha want to sell some. I have yet to see one in the flesh, mind you Yamaha's marketing arrangements in Wellington leave a bit to be desired.

Motorad & TSS have one on their showroom floors.

I know a guy up in Palmy that has one, he took it on the Coast to Coast last year and the number of people that gathered around it was incredible.

I personally think they're pretty cool, I haven't riden one so can't comment on the handling but in the world of standards that we live in...it's nice to see a company that has the balls to be different.
Imagine if all we had to look forward to in the future was GSXRs/R1s/CBRs/ZXxxRs or the Harleys and look alikes etc.

[Slingshot]

Oh, and the motor is 1670cc and it has a 15 litre fuel tank.

[Hitcher]

Motorad & TSS have one on their showroom floors.
Sounds like a trip to TSS is in order. I have been in Motorad/Sawyers on a weekly basis recently and haven't seen it. Maybe I'm going blind. Or something. I've seen the promo banner on the Sawyers side of the shop but nothing much else in the new Yamaha line except a couple of trailies.

[Slingshot]

Sounds like a trip to TSS is in order. I have been in Motorad/Sawyers on a weekly basis recently and haven't seen it. Maybe I'm going blind. Or something. I've seen the promo banner on the Sawyers side of the shop but nothing much else in the new Yamaha line except a couple of trailies.

I saw it in Motorad just before Xmas, and TSS last weekend.

[moop]

Hi ..
I have Yamaha MT-01 for few weeks now. I would not swap it for anything! It is very good bike, incredibly stable and quick in corners for the weight and size!
If you wille have an opportunity, take it for test ride!
I used to ride bandit 1200, Vmax, GSXR,Monster 900, honda cb750 and cagiva canyon. MT is far the best of these!!
Martin

[Hitcher]

And they have that rockinghorse shit fear factor.

[Forest]

Interestingly, the MT-01 is the first bike in the last five years my wife has looked at and said:

"That looks so cool - why don't we get one of those?"

until she found out the price ... :(

A little blue kiwi bird told me that there's a run-out special on the 2007 MT-01

Only $18,000 plus ORC and it can be yours.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Tourers/auction-115497188.htm

If I hadn't just bought a Ducati, I'd seriously think about getting an MT-01. It has torque in spades.