Yamaha will debut its new automated transmission (Y-AMT) on September 30th in Japan. I have no problem with the introduction of new technology that takes away the clutch lever and gear selector because I know that some people will prefer that, and more importantly, some riders could need that to keep riding due to disabilities.
The thing I find strange is that Yamaha is launching it on the MT-O9, which is arguably the best wheelie machine on the road and one of the most enjoyable to manually bang through the gears thanks to Yamaha's third-generation transmission, which the company launched on the bike earlier this year.
Clutch-up wheelies and hammering down through the gearbox as you feel the back wheel almost hover under heavy braking. This is child's play for the MT-09.
We covered how the Y-AMT system works earlier this year in detail when Yamaha first released the details. But at the crux of everything is that there's no clutch lever or gear selector. You can ride the bike like an automatic, and the Y-AMT system will shift for you, or you can use the manual shifting option and shift using a seesaw-like toggle switch operated by your thumb and index finger.
I won't say tons of Yamaha's come to mind as better motorcycles to debut this technology, but there are certainly a couple. The first bike that comes to mind is the Tracer 9 GT+, which is the MT-09's more touring-focussed sibling. Even the FJR1300ES would seem like a more suitable package to make use of this system. There's even a wildcard in there in the form of the R1M, and I'll tell you why.
I wouldn't be particularly arsed bringing the MT-09 to the track—I'd definitely bring the SP version—but I also would never chill out with it on the road. The bike has no chill and that's one of its best features. But at least on track, I could see the Y-AMT having a huge benefit.
For the same reason many top-level racers opt for thumb and lever-operated rear brakes, the Y-AMT would theoretically be great on a bike like the R1M on the track. Flying down through the gears on track as you prepare for a left-hander can be fiddly at times, but this system should counteract that nicely.
Is there something I'm missing? Do you see a reason that the MT-O9 is the prime option to debut the Y-AMT? Let us know in the comments.
