In 2008, Yamaha launched the MT-01, a muscle bike that debuted in 2005 and remained essentially unchanged over its production period. The bike was part of the MT series in Yamaha's range and powered by a Yamaha Warrior XV1700 modified engine.
The Yamaha MT-01 was presented at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show as a concept machine. Still, due to enormous interest from the public, the manufacturer developed a production model, which started its life in 2005.
For the MT-01, Yamaha offered three different tuning kits developed with Akaprovic, such as Stage 1, 2, and 3. Each Stage delivered performance increase from the standard form, including Stage 1 for street-legal riding and Stage 1 and 2 for track-use only.
The 2008 machine was fitted with standard features, such as a large headlight, an instrument panel-mounted above the headlight, a bulbous fuel tank, a dual exhaust system mounted under the seat, and lightweight four-spoke magnesium wheels.
In the suspension department, the bike packed a 43 mm fully-adjustable inverted telescopic fork on the front and a fully-adjustable piggyback-type shock absorber on the rear, delivering excellent suspension performance and handling.
The braking system was retained from previous models, including a single-piston caliper with a 267 mm disc on the rear wheel and four-piston calipers with two 320 mm discs mounted on the front wheel.
As for power, the 2008 Yamaha MT-01 took its muscles from a 1,670cc air-cooled V-twin engine fed by an electronically controlled fuel injection system, boasting 90 hp at 4,750 rpm and 150 Nm (111 lb-ft) torque with a peak at 3,750 rpm.