TEST: Yamaha MT-09

Bruce Wilson takes a close look at Yamaha’s hugely popular 900cc hyper-naked…

Yamaha’s MT-09 is a special bike. Its big torque, big wheelies, and a practical, comfy riding position have helped sell the dream to the masses in a way the factory could have probably never imagined. A decade and over 200,000 bikes later, there’s a new fourth generation on the cards.

The MT’s moved on with a new face, projector headlights and split pillion and rider seats, mounted on a new rear subframe that’s also narrower. The ergonomics have been tweaked too, with lower bars and more rearward pegs in a bid to give the bike a sportier feel and more connection with the front end.

What’s less obvious to see are the differences made to the frame around the headstock, or the new engine mounting brackets that combine together to induce more agility and stability, while a reduction in the caster angle from 25 degrees to 24.7 has also happened. To egg the handling on further, the fully-adjustable KYB forks have been made a little firmer, while the rear’s been softened and kitted with a new linkage. There’s also a fancy new five-inch TFT dash that brings a whole new level of technology and interaction to the Yamaha. It also allows for the governance of five rider modes (including two customisable maps), plus alterable power maps, wheelie control, slide control, engine braking and traction control. Cruise control is also standard, and the self-cancelling indicators now have what’s best described as soft-touch, paddle shifters. And then there’s Yamaha’s latest-generation multi-directional shifter and blipper, that allows for down-changes while you’re on the throttle and upshifts while you’re slowing down… should you feel the urge. 

You get the point: there’re a lot of tweaks to the MT, though the engine is largely as you were, with the only real tweak being to the airbox and induction, thanks to new velocity stacks (two instead of three). It’s all good stuff but having taken all this in during the model’s presentation, the only thing on my mind was just how well it would wheelie.

It’s been a while since I’d last ridden an MT-09, which is another way of saying I’d forgotten just how genius the CP3 triple motor is. The torque on tap is tantalising, making general riding a doddle regardless of what gear you’re in or what revs you’re at. But if you want to get the best of this beast, the punch on offer at about 3000-4000rpm in second and third gear is insane and makes wheelie-pulling child’s play.

The MT was every bit as playful as I hoped, and it was also much smoother, too. Throughout the years, and especially on the earlier models, the throttle pick-up on the Yamaha was nothing short of brutal… but that’s a thing of the past. Even with the power setting in its most potent of three maps, getting on the gas was silky-smooth, and that genuinely caught me by surprise. The spread of power is something to write home about, too, offering grunt and excitement up to its peak at 10,000rpm. But what else would you expect form a triple with 93Nm of torque on tap?

Tackling the nadgery, winding roads we were on, the engine proved an absolute weapon, aided by the slick shifter and blipper and the understanding slipper clutch that allowed for multi-gear downshifts without the rear end locking or hopping. The brakes were good, too, with more feel than most typical Yams through the new Brembo radial master cylinder, which gave me the confidence to plough deep into corners.

Featuring a relatively short wheelbase and sub-200 kilo wet weight, the figures suggested this thing would be pretty lithe, and it didn’t disappoint. It was also surprisingly stable, holding a line when put on its ear, with good feel through the pogos at either end. Yamaha says it reworked the front forks to offer more feel through the forks, but I never had an issue on the old bike. The rear shock also got fettled, but maybe not enough for my liking. If I were being critical, the set up was simply too soft for proper enthusiastic riding. Up against it for time, I didn’t have chance to go fiddling with the adjusters, but more compression and added preload would have been the first of my tweaks. And I’d have firmed the front up. While the bike felt pretty plush and well-connected to the ground, it just seemed to lose a bit of composure when being given a thorough workout.

Messing around complete, with our holiday pics in the bag, the ride back to our hotel was pretty hilarious, with each of us keen to get our fill of daftness while we still had the chance. That’s just what this bike makes you do, so buyer beware. But know this: with one of these in your arsenal, chance is your life will only be bettered.

WORDS: Bruce Wilson PHOTOS: ANT Productions and Jonathan Godin