In 2006, the Japanese maker launched the Yamaha MT-01, a muscle bike manufactured by Yamaha from 2005 to 2012. The bike was available in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, India, and parts of North America.
The bike was initially unveiled at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show as a concept machine, but due to significant interest from the public, Yamaha developed a production version from 2005.
The bike was offered with three different tuning kits developed with Akaprovic, such as Stage 1, 2, and 3, where Stage 1 was street-legal, and Stage 2 and 3 were available only for track use.
The 2006 Yamaha MT-01 came with standard features right from the factory, including a large headlight, a single-piece dual seat, a high-mounted exhaust system, an engine guard, and lightweight four-spoke magnesium wheels.
The bike was built on a newly designed aluminum sports frame with an R1-type aluminum subframe. On the front, the bike packed an inverted telescopic fork with 120 mm wheel travel, and on the rear, it packed a fully-adjustable shock absorber with 117 mm wheel travel.
As for braking performance, the machine was fitted with four-piston calipers, two 320 mm discs on the front wheel, and a single 267 mm disc with a single-piston caliper on the rear, delivering strong stopping power.
The 2006 Yamaha MT-01 muscle bike took its power from a 1,670cc four-stroke V-twin air-cooled engine fed by a twin-bore fuel injection system, delivering an output power of 90 Hl at 4,750 rpm and 150 Nm (111 lb-ft) torque at 3,750 rpm.