Yamaha Teases New "Big Bang" MT Model for EICMA + Video
Yamaha uploaded a new video teasing a new MT-series (FZ for us in North America) model announcement for next week’s EICMA show. The video follows the same style as the other MT models’ “Dark Side of Japan” videos (plus a dash of Tron-style lighting on the rider’s gear).
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At first, we figured the video could be for the MT-03, which was previously announced by Yamaha but won’t formally be introduced for the European market until EICMA. On closer inspection, there are signs the video is teasing an entirely different model to join the MT family.
The big clue is in the video’s description which reads:
Yamaha, of course, has long been touting the “big bang” firing order of its R1, even maintaining the crossplane engine motif across the FZ-09 and FZ-07 but not the MT-03 which shares the R3’s 321cc parallel-Twin engine. Yamaha hasn’t, however, used “big bang” to describe the FZ-09 or FZ-07’s firing order.
One possibility is a new replacement for the aging FZ1 using the previous-generation R1’s crossplane crankshaft engine. A partially-faired design would differentiate this hypothetical new model from the naked models, and the R1’s 998cc Inline-Four would fit in nicely above the FZ-09’s 847cc Triple and the FZ-07’s 689cc Twin.
The video doesn’t reveal much about what the new model looks like, besides some generic-looking mirrors. At the 0:13 mark however we can see a reflection in the rider’s helmet of a digital instrument panel:
Judging from the screenshot, the display is offset slightly to the rider’s right with a similar shape to the FZ-09’s screen:
So, at the very least, the evidence suggests the new model is either another FZ-09 variant or a FZ1 replacement with an older R1 engine. Thankfully we won’t have to wait too long to find out, as Yamaha’s EICMA presentation will be next Monday.
[Source: Yamaha]
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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