Jack Miller explains how Yamaha’s V4 reminds him of Honda, KTM and Ducati
Jack Miller explains where the Yamaha V4 prototype reminds him of Honda, KTM and Ducati.
While having "Yamaha DNA", Jack Miller says some areas of the factory’s new V4 prototype remind him of the Honda, KTM and Ducati machinery he has raced during a decade in MotoGP.
The Australian, who made his premier-class debut in 2015, has ridden almost every V4 on the grid.
Miller claimed a shock debut win for Marc VDS Honda in 2016, took multiple victories with Ducati, then stood on the podium for KTM before joining Pramac Yamaha this year.
With Yamaha replacing its Inline M1 after 20 years, Miller had his first full day on the V4 during Tuesday’s post-race Valencia test.
“I think it has the Yamaha DNA about it,” Miller said, when asked to compare the bike to his past machines.
“It has a little bit of a Honda-KTM sound to it, and a Ducati feel in terms of the inertia that you get out of the engine.
"But then it has its own character in terms of the torque progression and the way that the power comes on.”
"All hands on deck"
Miller was only 20th on the timesheets on Tuesday, largely spent refining the operation of the engine.
But the 30-year-old emphasised that the current machine is a first prototype and that, with “all hands on deck” for the V4, expects development to accelerate over the winter.
“This is only the first iteration of that motorcycle and now with a full day on the bike, you understand more and they understand more,” he said.
“We have another day here to continue to work on it [on Wednesday] and get clear and precise information for the winter.
“I think now we are done with the old project, it's all hands on deck for the new project… The manpower alone will help to push the development.”
Alongside engine refinement, Yamaha also needs to fine-tune chassis stiffness before the 2026-spec bike appears at the Sepang MotoGP tests early next year.
“As I said, this is the first version of this motorcycle. So they were kind of trying to understand where they need to go: ‘Do we need to go stiffer here, softer there?’" Miller said.
“Then that's what we’ll do for the next version of this motorcycle.”
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