Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins took the winding roads of the Pre-Pyrenees to preview the Yamaha MT-09 in its Y-AMT version.
The three-cylinder Iwata is thus equipped with the new “Yamaha Automated Manual Transmission” which allows its rider to choose between a manual transmission mode (MT) and a fully automatic transmission mode (AT).
In manual mode, the left hand shifts up and down the gears by pressing a button with the thumb and index finger. In automatic mode, you don't need to change gears at all.
Although somewhat destabilized compared to their YZR-M1s loaded with levers on the left handlebars, the two MotoGP riders visibly had fun, Fabio Quartararo even rewarding us with a few laughs which were nice to hear.
MT: Manual transmission
With the MT manual transmission, you simply press a button to change gears quickly and precisely, without having to operate a clutch lever. Gear changes are managed by the index finger and thumb, via a dual control: a “+” button to upshift and a “–” button to downshift. To benefit from optimal control in sports riding, the “+” control can not only be pulled to shift up a gear, but also pushed to shift down a gear with the index finger alone, which offers greater freedom since it is not necessary to remove the thumb from the handlebars.
AT: Automatic Transmission
The fully automatic AT transmission allows the rider to choose between two programs to suit different riding scenarios, easily switched at any time by pressing a dedicated, thumb-operated “mode” button. A 'D+' mode provides sporty shifting dynamics, shifting at high revs, to maintain driving excitement, while still providing the benefits of a fully automatic transmission. For daily commuting or motorway use, 'D' mode provides smoother shifting dynamics, while maintaining low engine speeds, to maximize confidence during low-speed shifts and maneuvers and in traffic. In “AT” mode, the rider can also choose to change gear manually at any time by simply using the “+” and “–” dual control.
Below is a quick translation of the video into English.
AR: It's amazing how agile the bike is, huh?
FQ: It’s super nice (laughs)! Shifting gears is also a lot of fun.
AR: It’s really great! Hello everyone, let's enjoy this new Yamaha MT-09, let's go!
FQ : Go !
AR: Have you seen this new Yamaha?
FQ: The MT-09 with the Y-AMT system? So yes, we're going to have fun!
AR: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's going to be interesting, no clutch…
FQ: Yeah, I mean usually we have the clutch and rear brake levers, but let's see. I think it's going to be different.
AR: Yeah
FQ: The gear change here on the handlebars comes from a car (laughs)… Here we go!
FQ: I'm now in Street mode, let's warm up the tires a little. You can also use the two levels to shift gears, one finger, two fingers. I use my thumb to shift, and yes, shifting with my index finger is fun. Ok, I'll try the D+.
AR: The D+ is more like competition, like automatic. As a driver, it's a bit difficult not to have a clutch. This mode is crazy, it's phenomenal.
FQ: I’m changing my fashion again. The shifting is incredible. The ability to choose between automatic and manual is really good.
AR: It's amazing how agile the bike is, huh?
FQ: It’s super nice (laughs)! Shifting gears is also a lot of fun.
AR: Yes, it’s really great.
FQ: I used the Automatic, Street and Sport. Back to the sports version, it was fun (laughs).
AR: Ok, ok, ok, go-y.
FQ: I'm going.
AR: Let’s go!
FQ : Mode sport.
AR: Let's see if I open the throttle. Wow! We can see that in Sport mode the bike is more aggressive, the engine is more linear.
FQ: Sport mode is my favorite mode, the fastest. But it's definitely fun to ride.
AR: You can use two fingers or just one to downshift. It's pretty nice. Look how I am on this stock bike (laughs)!
FQ: It’s weird without a clutch sometimes (laughs)!
AR: Yes, I was looking for the clutch.
FQ: Yes, it’s strange.
AR: But on automatic, it’s crazy what a difference it makes.
FQ: Yes, it’s really nice! To be honest, it's pretty cool that the system works like that. The bike can be ridden two different ways, so I like it. The mode I prefer on the MT is quite sporty, and the AMT is also better than I expected.
AR: For my part, as you said, the MT was pretty good, the engine response was really fast. D mode was also quite surprising. The bike ride was fun, today was a good day. We just miss going home, right?
FQ: We’re taking her home, see you soon guys!
Fabio Quartararo Alex Rins MT-09 Y-AMT
Fabio Quartararo Alex Rins MT-09 Y-AMT
