CARB Certifies 2017 Yamaha FZ-10

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Naked R1 heading for the States

We figured it’d be a matter of time but we now have tangible proof the Yamaha MT-10 is coming to the U.S., with the California Air Resources Board certifying it under the name FZ-10 as a 2017 model.

The news is not a complete surprise, as Yamaha had previously confirmed the 2017 FZ-10 for Canada. Seeing as how Yamaha Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Yamaha Motor Corp. USA, it was safe to assume the naked R1 would also be coming to America. Still, the CARB certifications should calm the worries of those who thought we’d be deprived of the FZ-10 in the U.S.

According to the CARB executive order, the 2017 FZ-10 will be offered in two options, codenamed FZ10HCB and FZ10HCGY. For Yamaha, this typically signifies two color options, likely black (“B”) and gray (“GY”), matching the two options offered in Canada.

The FZ-10 uses a 998cc inline-Four with a crossplane crankshaft based on the one powering the R1. Yamaha made some changes to the engine for use in the FZ, revising the intake, exhaust and fueling systems and optimizing the crank balance for strong low-to-mid-speed torque. CARB hasn’t certified the YZF-R1 for 2017 yet, but looking at the 2016 emission figures, the FZ-10 produces fewer hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, but a bit more carbon monoxide than its supersport sibling.

The Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle gives the FZ-10 three engine modes to go along with three levels of traction control. The FZ-10 also receives cruise control which works in gears four through six.

While we still haven’t received an official word from Yamaha, the CARB certification means we should expect to get an announcement sometime soon.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

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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  • Evan S Evan S on May 26, 2016

    Love the grey paint scheme overall, just need to swap out those gaudy yellow wheels, for a nice matte black set. What a platform Yami has for a XSR1000!!! Curious to see what price point this will be at in the US....

  • Warren W. Weiss Warren W. Weiss on May 26, 2016

    Bikes usually look better in the flesh than they do in pictures. And I REALLY hope that is the case here.

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