Way back in 2005, Yamaha unleashed its first master of torque on an unsuspecting world.  Thgrandaddy of all MTs, known as the MT-01, generated a claimed 90 horsepower from its 1670cc, air-cooled, V-twin engine. It also tipped the scales at nearly 600 pounds. Not a bike for everyone, surely, but a bike to make you sit up and take notice, regardless. 

This video describes it quite aptly as “a power cruiser in a tracksuit,” and you know what? It’s not wrong. Please do yourself a favor and slip into your favorite headphones before you hit play, because my absolute favorite part about this video is the engine sounds that accompany each step in our romp through Yamaha MT/FZ history.  

The family lineage is as strong as walking through a hall of portraits, except it just took 15 years instead of multiple decades to get through several evolutions. Every single one of them sounds good, no matter how tiny! I’ve ridden a few of these, and this video just serves to remind me exactly how much I want an MT-07 with an Akrapovič exhaust someday.  

Pick your favorite number from 01 to 125. You can’t go wrong! Well, I suppose how each bike fits you personally might have some bearing on your final decision. However, the fact remains: there’s probably not a bad choice to be made here. No matter which MT you end up with, it’s gonna be a pretty solid little naked, torquey bike. Granted, you might not be into naked, torquey bikes at all. If you are, though, the MTs have been here for you, and will probably continue to be here for you at any and all distances at which you care to ride. 

Yes, even when they hid their true identity under the “FZ” moniker, most people who cared knew about Yamaha’s attempted sleight of hand. Eventually, the Yammie powers-that-be realized it was pointless, and pretty soon, that torque mastery was acknowledged and advertised everywhere, as it should be. 

Which one is your favorite? It’s OK if you have more than one, also. 

Source: YouTube 

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