FZ-10

This nameplate arrived in Yamaha’s U.S. lineup for the 2017 model year as the American-market version of Yamaha’s flagship naked streetfighter based on the MT-10. It was positioned at the top of Yamaha’s then-FZ roadster range, bringing the liter-class, inline-four “dark side” formula to riders who wanted the performance and character of the YZF-R1 family in a stripped, upright package. In Yamaha’s own U.S. announcements, the 2017 model was introduced as the new FZ-10, but the company later shifted its American hyper-naked lineup to the global MT naming strategy for 2018, ending the FZ designation for this model. In that sense, this was a short-lived but important transitional nameplate in Yamaha’s streetbike history. The motorcycle was effectively Yamaha’s liter-class standard bearer for the U.S. market before the brand alignment to MT nomenclature, and it helped establish the modern Yamaha hyper-naked identity for American buyers. Enthusiasts generally remember it as the first U.S. appearance of this model family under the FZ-10 badge, bridging the gap between Yamaha’s earlier FZ-roadster naming and the later MT-10 branding that became standard worldwide.