Tracer in for a service so I just spent an hour on a Yamaha MT10. Like almost every other inline 4 I have ridden, it's not my thing. I missed the torque of the triple engine at the first junction.
The R1 derived, crossplane engine makes a lovely burble when you open the throttle at 5000 rpm but after that the wind noise drowns out the engine until you are near the top of the rev range. I didn't use earplugs but any long term owner will want them.
Riding position is not too bad. My knees were happy. Arms less so as you are canted forward more so than the Tracer. Compared to what I'm used to, I felt perched on top of the bike. Bars are not so wide as I am used to so felt narrow to begin with, but I soon got used to the level of steering needed for each turn. Due to the wet conditions I wasn't pushing it hard in corners.
Riding at 50-70 across a twisty B road was fine as far as wind/noise. Accelerating up to over a ton happens very quickly as you would expect. If you ride at this speed often then I would suggest using a fly screen to deflect the air over your head - at an indicated 100mph my helmet visor was trying to make friends with my nose so I didn't go much faster.
Suspension was set on the firm side (no idea if this is the default). This was too firm for the bumpy roads I deliberately selected to be quite representative of my main riding. One bump made me leap out of the saddle to the point where I inadvertently opened the throttle. Not something to be recommended on a 160bhp bike.
The seat is an odd shape. It feels hard when you sit on it and it feels even harder after 40 minutes and by the end of my hour, I just wanted to get off the bike.
Fuelling is very good. At low revs the bike is a pussycat. My perception is the bike is not going anywhere but that is because my brain is calibrated for big twins & triples and I expect the initial take off to be a bit jerky and maybe needing some clutch slippage. People who go the other way complain big twins & triples are lumpy or jerky.
I tried all of the power modes but defaulted back to the middle one. I didn't alter the TCS from the default as the roads were quite damp in places and pissing with rain elsewhere. The air in your face is an advantage in the rain as it keeps your visor clear.
I went around the Gloucester North bypass and the bike is a pussycat in traffic. You might get fed up with the leant forward riding position if you do lots of urban miles.
Mirrors are straight off the Tracer so work for me but others may fill them with elbows. There's an annoying white LED on the dash - seems to be like the Eco thing on the Tracer which encourages you to change up - it's not linked to revs. I would want to turn it off or fit some tape over it.
So, the funny crank hasn't changed my mind about inline fours. They just don't float my boat. The seat is a major disappointment and will cause many threads on forums and create business for Bagster etc.
I won't be going back to test the bike in better weather.
The R1 derived, crossplane engine makes a lovely burble when you open the throttle at 5000 rpm but after that the wind noise drowns out the engine until you are near the top of the rev range. I didn't use earplugs but any long term owner will want them.
Riding position is not too bad. My knees were happy. Arms less so as you are canted forward more so than the Tracer. Compared to what I'm used to, I felt perched on top of the bike. Bars are not so wide as I am used to so felt narrow to begin with, but I soon got used to the level of steering needed for each turn. Due to the wet conditions I wasn't pushing it hard in corners.
Riding at 50-70 across a twisty B road was fine as far as wind/noise. Accelerating up to over a ton happens very quickly as you would expect. If you ride at this speed often then I would suggest using a fly screen to deflect the air over your head - at an indicated 100mph my helmet visor was trying to make friends with my nose so I didn't go much faster.
Suspension was set on the firm side (no idea if this is the default). This was too firm for the bumpy roads I deliberately selected to be quite representative of my main riding. One bump made me leap out of the saddle to the point where I inadvertently opened the throttle. Not something to be recommended on a 160bhp bike.
The seat is an odd shape. It feels hard when you sit on it and it feels even harder after 40 minutes and by the end of my hour, I just wanted to get off the bike.
Fuelling is very good. At low revs the bike is a pussycat. My perception is the bike is not going anywhere but that is because my brain is calibrated for big twins & triples and I expect the initial take off to be a bit jerky and maybe needing some clutch slippage. People who go the other way complain big twins & triples are lumpy or jerky.
I tried all of the power modes but defaulted back to the middle one. I didn't alter the TCS from the default as the roads were quite damp in places and pissing with rain elsewhere. The air in your face is an advantage in the rain as it keeps your visor clear.
I went around the Gloucester North bypass and the bike is a pussycat in traffic. You might get fed up with the leant forward riding position if you do lots of urban miles.
Mirrors are straight off the Tracer so work for me but others may fill them with elbows. There's an annoying white LED on the dash - seems to be like the Eco thing on the Tracer which encourages you to change up - it's not linked to revs. I would want to turn it off or fit some tape over it.
So, the funny crank hasn't changed my mind about inline fours. They just don't float my boat. The seat is a major disappointment and will cause many threads on forums and create business for Bagster etc.
I won't be going back to test the bike in better weather.