Santa Claus Review of the 2022 Yamaha MT-10 SP

  • last year
Santa Claus goes for a ride on Yamaha's 2022 MT-10 SP naked bike.

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The holidays are always crunch time for Santa Claus. Keen to ensure a merry Christmas to all kids, Santa traded his 2022 Indian FTR Carbon for a shiny new 2022 MT-10 SP in Liquid Metal/Raven. Santa rode Yamaha this season because his elves read and watched a couple of new motorcycle reviews on the base MT-10 naked bike from the official US press introduction this past summer.

“Overall we like what Yamaha’s done with the ’22 version of the MT-10,” read his elves aloud to Santa. “We like the styling, we like the R1-based electronics; it’s all a nice step up, especially for track riders,” the article continued.

“So would we pony up $13,999 for this bike? If we were looking for a high-end, liter-class naked, this would be on our shopping list.” This statement sealed the deal for Santa who knows the worth of a dollar.

Still, Santa also has caviar tastes—and Yamaha delivers with its MT-10 SP ($16,899). The SP adds semi-active Öhlins suspension, a painted chin fairing, stainless steel front brake lines, and black clutch and brake levers. The seat cover also features a suede-like material with off-white stitching and the swingarm is polished. Aesthetically, this adds up to a much more tasty MT. The chin fairing especially adds a touch of class and makes it more competitive against European naked bikes...

Full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/santa-claus-rides-yamaha-mt-10-sp-review-2022/

Photography: Jeff Allen
Video: Adam Waheed

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We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/
Transcript
00:00 Ho ho ho, happy holidays and welcome to Santa Claus's workshop. Today Santa Claus
00:07 will be going on a very special mission on Yamaha's 2022 MT-10SP naked bike. So
00:16 without further ado let's strap on the reindeer and go for a ride! Ho ho ho!
00:23 Alright folks we are here inside Santa Claus official race shop / toy
00:31 workshop with Yamaha Motors 2022 MT-10SP. This model is positioned ahead of the
00:42 standard MT-10 and it does so with the fitment of this semi-active Ohlin
00:50 suspension fore and aft. Yum yum! We also have this polished aluminum swingarm, a
00:59 different suede like material seat, we have these blacked out brake and clutch
01:07 levers, stainless steel brake line right here, and this chin fairing that doesn't
01:16 come on the standard MT-10. We also have this signature paint scheme that the MT-09SP
01:27 also has and the top dog of them all Yamaha's YZF-R1M. This motorcycle
01:35 cost $2,900 more than the $14,000 2022 MT-10. Standard model just south of
01:48 $17,000 for this vehicle. Is it worth it? Santa Claus is about to find out!
01:57 Alright good morning boys and girls today Santa Claus is riding
02:04 Yamaha's 2022 MT-10SP. He's on a special mission but before we get to this
02:13 special mission let's talk about this high-performance naked bike seated at
02:21 the controls of this MT-10SP. Santa Claus loves how racy it feels. The
02:30 handlebar is nice and high. It's not too narrow. It's not too wide. The seating
02:37 position is aggressive and set up for for riders who want to go fast but it's
02:45 not uncomfortable. The semi-active Ohlins suspension makes things even more
02:55 comfortable on the street but we'll get to that in a bit. Of course this SP has
03:01 black clutch and brake levers versus the standard bike. This motorcycle is powered
03:10 by Yamaha's now legendary 998cc CP4 crossplane crankshaft equipped engine.
03:20 This engine is the same engine that Yamaha uses in its YZF-R1 and R1M
03:29 superbike. This engine is good for upwards of 160 ponies at the business
03:36 end of the 190 series Batlax S22 from Bridgestone. This engine is so neat
03:47 because the CP4 crossplane engine configuration gives it a hybrid feel
03:53 between that of a torquey V-twin and the extreme horsepower of a high revving
04:04 inline-four. Yamaha has been making this crossplane engine configuration for 15
04:10 years at this point maybe 14 but this engine is just awesome. It has loads of
04:17 character, it has a very unique sound that no other motorcycle has in its
04:26 segment, and it's loaded with all the bells and whistles in terms of ride by
04:34 wire and traction control and slide control. That is one of the big
04:40 improvements Yamaha Motor did for 2022 with its MT-10. It fitted its current
04:51 traction control and engine management system so now we have adjustable traction
04:58 control, eight-way adjustable, we have slide control, and we have wheelie
05:04 control. Yamaha calls it lift control. We also have engine brake control so you
05:10 can tune the way the vehicle freewheels into corners. Ooh, this is fun. And brake
05:18 control which is basically two different settings for the lean angle sensitive
05:26 ABS. It's worth noting that the lean angle sensitive ABS only works in BC
05:33 level 2.
05:36 Keeping tabs on Santa Claus's ride is this nice 4.2 inch color TFT screen. I
05:48 like that this screen is loaded with information. You can adjust the ride by
05:57 wire throttle maps on the fly here using this mode button. Right now we are in
06:05 power mode 2 which is the second to most aggressive power setting. Let's put it
06:12 into power mode 1 which is the most aggressive setting. Now Yamaha Motor made
06:18 some big improvements in terms of the throttle with its... whoa!
06:24 In terms of its eight... in terms of its new throttle hardware which is
06:30 mounted here on the right twist grip that makes for an engine that is much
06:37 more easy to wield on the street or on the track. And away we go folks. Santa
06:47 Claus mistakenly said eight levels of traction control. There is only five on
06:51 the MT-10. There is eight on the YZF-R1. Back to the dash. Very legible. The only
07:00 thing that could be better is if this screen was bigger. You have to remember
07:04 this dash display is now seven years old. It originally came out in the 2015 YZF-R1
07:14 and while that was cutting-edge for the 2015 model year, fast forward seven years
07:20 and now it's just too small. So Yamaha please fit. For Santa Claus a bigger TFT
07:26 display. We do like how crisp the fonts are and the ability to put it in dark
07:31 mode where it is white fonts on a black background. That is all neat.
07:42 This MT-10 SP comes in at 472 pounds. That is about four or five pounds more
07:50 than the standard MT-10. But you'd be hard-pressed to notice the difference
07:57 when you are riding it. Yes here we go on our favorite cornery road. And this is
08:03 where the semi-active suspension by Ohlins really comes in handy. Right now
08:09 we are riding in the least aggressive mode. Mode A3. That offers the most supple
08:16 suspension action. If you are a track rider on street tires, Yamaha Motor
08:23 recommends A2. The A2 setting. And if you're a track rider on racing slicks, A1
08:29 is the semi-active suspension mode you want to be riding in. As always you can
08:36 leave the vehicle in fully auto mode. It will automatically adjust damping in
08:42 real-time based on rider control input and vehicle on what the vehicle is
08:48 receiving through the IMU and various sensors that has on it. You can also
08:54 manually tune the suspension electronically of course in this slick
09:00 working instrument display.
09:06 Preload, spring preload still has to be adjusted the old-fashioned way with
09:14 these preload adjusters atop each fork leg and the preload adjuster on the
09:20 shock collar. I really like the suppleness of this suspension. This
09:26 motorcycle rides, it delivers improved ride, more comfortable ride versus the
09:33 standard MT-10 in its least aggressive map. Of course if you want it to get a
09:39 little bit more firm, have a little more road holding, put it in A2 or A1 mode.
09:46 Yes! Santa Claus loves this MT-10 SP. It gets some!
09:55 All right, Santa Claus needs to make it to the freeway.
10:00 Oh yeah, Santa Claus likes this bike, it eats!
10:05 Electronic quick shifter allows you to seamlessly upshift through the
10:12 six-speed gearbox. It also has an auto blip down shifter so you can downshift
10:17 without the clutch and you don't have to worry about any rear wheel instability
10:23 when entering corners.
10:29 Santa Claus loves this new radial mount brake master cylinder that allows for a
10:34 lot more braking power and feel when Santa Claus is using the brakes.
10:43 Santa Claus is in a rush so away we go!
10:56 Oh sorry, Santa Claus got carried away with the speed there. Just the power and
11:04 the torque and the character of this CP4 engine is just too much. Good thing we
11:10 have cruise control! Cruise control allows us to maintain our speed at a
11:19 consistent velocity without having to futz with the throttle. This MT-10 also
11:29 has a max speed setting so you can enter a max speed where the vehicle won't
11:35 exceed a pre-designated speed. I know that's kind of strange for America but
11:41 in Europe where there's a lot of speed cameras and Santa Claus has to ride in
11:46 Europe and deliver presents there, you have to have a max speed limit just to make
11:51 sure that you're adhering to the rules of the road.
11:58 Of course Santa Claus does a lot of his work at night in the evening so he rode
12:09 we rode this motorcycle after dark and the LED head beams do a very nice job of
12:15 illuminating the road ahead especially in the high beam mode. That is a very
12:23 nice touch. Still it would be nice if this motorcycle offered IMU power
12:31 cornering headlamps. The headlamps to be fair do work for night riding even going
12:38 through corners but cornering headlights would always be a preferred setup
12:43 especially because this vehicle employs the electronic hardware to power that
12:51 system in theory.
12:54 Now this MT-10 SP has the same capacity four and a half gallon fuel tank. Now the
13:07 one drawback about these CP4 engine configurations is they are thirsty at
13:13 the pump. If you are a ham-fisted rider like Santa Claus expect MPGs in the mid
13:22 to low 30s but that's what you get for having a highly charismatic and highly
13:30 capable power band. If it was easy everyone would do it.
13:41 Now another cool thing about these Yamaha MT-10s is just how far they'll go
13:49 in terms of maintenance. At Santa Claus's workshop he changes the oil every 4,000
13:57 miles, replaces the engine oil cartridge filter every 8,000 miles. At that same
14:04 time Yamaha Motor recommends you replace the spark plugs every 8,000 miles which
14:10 is every other oil change. Air filters right around 14,000 miles I believe and
14:16 the valve inspection for the 16 valves every 26,600 miles. That's why Santa
14:27 Claus loves his Yamaha Motor products because they go the distance and you
14:35 don't have to mess with them. You just put gas in them, service them every once
14:39 in a while and away you go.
14:44 Yes I love this bike! God it eats! I'm gonna use that speed limiter again. Santa Claus
14:57 just gets carried away.
15:00 All right folks we are reaching the interstate to our special destination. We
15:11 will check in with you folks in a little bit.
15:16 All right boys and girls here comes Santa Claus en route to the Children's
15:26 Hospital of Orange County and we're here.
15:36 Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho ho! We bring it the toys!
15:54 Hi Lenny! Merry Christmas! Have you been a good boy or a bad boy? Mom said you're
16:01 an iffy boy. I don't know. Just joking. I'll just pour these toys in here. All right
16:14 folks we apologize for Santa's beard blocking the video camera. So here we are
16:20 at the Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange, California. This is a
16:24 premier destination for children who are under the weather and need advanced
16:31 medical services. Now the cool thing about Children's Hospital of Orange
16:36 County is that it was started by Walt Disney and the founder of Knott's Berry
16:42 Farm almost 60 years ago. Now this holiday toy drive was instituted by our
16:50 friends at the Moto 4 Kids Racing Club. Moto 4 Kids Racing is a Southern
16:55 California motocross organization that specializes in kids racing. So if you
17:02 have a kid who wants to race his dirt bike Moto 4 Kids Racing is the premier
17:09 racing club in Southern California to do it. That's Colleen. She works at
17:14 Children's Hospital of Orange County and helped put this whole toy drive together.
17:19 So thank you Colleen. Now some neat facts about the Children's Hospital of Orange
17:24 County is that it actually cares for over 720,000 kids per year. Isn't that
17:31 crazy? Between the two locations in Orange, California where we are here and
17:37 Mission Viejo they have almost 400 beds. Over 130 pediatricians work at the
17:47 Children's Hospital of Orange County and it's a leader in pediatric mental
17:53 health care, autism, and cancer for kids and teenagers. How neat is that? There's
18:02 actually two major pediatric trauma centers. One here in Orange, California
18:08 for level one trauma and for more severe trauma there is one at the Mission Viejo
18:14 California location. Now the neat thing about the Children's Hospital of Orange
18:20 County if you're a parent is no matter how ill your child is Children's
18:26 Hospital of Orange County is obligated to care for your child and all of the
18:32 the payment for this will be paid for if you don't have health insurance by the
18:37 generous donations and all the wonderful people that pool money together to this
18:45 hospital. Alright we're setting up for our group photo which you will see here
18:50 in our minute there is our staff photographer behind the lens Jeff
18:54 Allen right there and that is basically a wrap-up of this year's holiday toy
19:02 drive. Thank you everyone for tuning in to this special edition MC commute review
19:08 on Santa Claus of 2022 MT-10SP naked bike. As usual surf on over to
19:16 MotorcyclistOnline.com that's where all of our content lives. That's our buddy
19:21 John Samanovich, his awesome wife Ashley. Thank you to Ashley. Thank you to the
19:26 Samanovich family. Thank you to Moto4Kids Racing and thank you Colleen
19:30 at Chalk for putting this on and thank you to all of our our readers and
19:35 watchers at home and at work and thank you for tuning in to this this premium
19:41 4k content and we'll see you guys next year for another 2023 holiday episode.
19:47 Happy holidays folks and we'll see you next time.
20:02 [Music]
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