Someone here recently grumbled about the fact that the 2021 Yamaha MT-09 wasn’t much improved, although they made it very different from the previous version, and like, thank you for not making it worse. It’s time to clarify for yourself what the designers have done there, and at the same time compare the Yamaha MT-09 2021 and the Yamaha MT-09 SP 2021.
Well, yes, at first glance, the updated Yamaha MT-09 really has little in common with its predecessor. The entire bike has been rebuilt from the ground up, also to solve the problems of the previous model. First of all, this affected the landing, and the steering column became lower by as much as 30mm.
The old Yamaha MT-09 was a bit different from other members of the MT series: in particular, its relaxed riding position was more similar to the Tracer 900 touring model on the same base. This is not bad for touring, but this fit was quite out of line.
Engine Yamaha MT-09 2021 and Yamaha MT-09 SP
Yamaha got it right with the new engine. By adding 42 cubic meters to the inline three thanks to an increase in piston stroke by 3mm, the designers increased performance to 119 hp at 10,000 rpm and 93 Nm at 7,000 rpm, and this while meeting the more stringent Euro5 requirements. It’s still nice to see that people are working in the right direction: there are fewer emissions and higher productivity. Moreover, not only the environment benefited from this, but also the riders’ wallets: according to the manufacturer, the motorcycle became 9% more economical. The tidy shows a consumption of 5-6 liters per hundred, which is generally not bad with a 14-liter tank.
The 2021 version features electronic throttle instead of a conventional cable. When , not everyone liked it, and rightfully so, given that the first versions were quite glitchy, making the motorcycles not only unpredictable, but also quite unpleasant. Fortunately, Yamaha has thoroughly dealt with this issue, and the system works almost identically to the usual cable throttle, taking into account all the goodies of electronic throttle. Hence the efficiency and precise cruise control (which is only available on the SP version).
Services for purchasing this motorcycle
On the company’s website you can familiarize yourself with the range of motor vehicles offered, which will meet all the client’s requirements. Our qualified specialists will help you make the right choice and analyze the technical characteristics of a particular motorcycle. The company is ready to provide the following services: • delivery of a motorcycle from Japan as soon as possible; • guarantee of bike quality; • compliance of the design with technical documentation; • performing customs clearance of motor vehicles; • assistance in preparing the necessary documents. On the company's website Cemeco.ru, each client will be able to find equipment to suit their taste. We offer to buy motorcycle equipment from well-known manufacturers at a very competitive price, both retail and wholesale. Leave a request on the company’s website, and we will select the necessary model in a short time. Our consultants will not leave anyone unattended.
Dashboard of Yamaha MT-09 and Yamaha MT-09 SP
What the MT line lacks is TFT screens. Now the time is such that even CFMoto is installing a digital full-color instrument panel, not to mention the more famous brands, but Yamaha seems to be stuck with LCD segment displays. It turned out that it wasn’t stuck: both the base model Yamaha MT-09 and the SP are equipped with a new full-color dashboard , albeit quite simple and without a wireless protocol. Which, by the way, is strange, because controlling a playlist from the steering wheel and receiving navigator prompts on the dashboard is already the norm even for budget models from other manufacturers, and it is not clear why Yamaha decided to go a different route. And setting up assistants or the many steps that need to be taken to disable traction control for an unprepared user are somehow not pleasing. Probably, the owner will quickly get used to such navigation, but at first glance, the convenience of the interface needs improvement.
There are good motorcycles that successfully perform their intended function. There are bad motorcycles that, for one reason or another, do not perform their intended function. There are strange motorcycles that successfully perform a function, but not exactly the one that the creator intended for them, it seems. And then there are evil motorcycles - and they will make you feel afraid.
Today we have a story about, dare I say it, the best motorcycle of the 2017-2018 season, in our subjective opinion, of course. Today we will talk about the Yamaha MT-09, and yes, it is an evil motorcycle... I was once asked: what motorcycles do you like? Streetfighters – I answered immediately without hesitation. But why? What's so special about them? – my interlocutor did not let up. They make me feel alive. It's like with wild predators. Even through the thick bars of the cage they look at them with caution. To simply enter this cage, not to mention taming and riding such a beast, you need to have “balls of steel.” And even if you have tamed it a long time ago and ride it quite routinely, you must not forget for a second that the animal is still wild and should be feared. The retribution for such an oversight will be bloody.
In essence, this is, of course, adrenaline addiction. Of course, you can ride any, absolutely any motorcycle smoothly, imposingly, leisurely, observing traffic rules not only in spirit, but also in letter, and in general, turn even the wildest beast into a domestic fluffy bunny. There are simply motorcycles that openly provoke. They dominate. They are inherently "evil". They constantly demand more and more and more from the pilot. More speed, more maneuverability, more drive, more danger... Come on, master, look - the Ferrari is crawling, a cast iron turtle, you can’t just leave it like that, let’s tear it apart, eat it, humiliate it! Ferrari sucks! What is it? Nissan GTR? 500 horses? Best time at the Nuremberg Ring? Ha, yes now, like a hot water bottle! Well, everything like that and so on. On such motorcycles you feel truly alive, because you look fear in the face and overcome it. Sometimes you come to the garage like this, park the motorcycle, get off, relax, and both of them give off such a light steam... And you want to smoke.
This is exactly why I love street fighters. And in anticipation of such stormy and vivid emotions, I went to the Yamaha representative office to buy the new MT-09. I had already dealt with its closest relative, the XSR900, and was more than pleased with that motorcycle, so I expected a lot from this new acquaintance. And damn, I got exactly what I wanted. From the very first minutes of our “acquaintance,” the motorcycle literally began to destroy the surrounding reality. Those miserable 10 kilometers from the Yamaha dealership back to the office where I humbly do my despicable work have literally turned into the Colosseum of its heyday, where blood, sweat and fear mixed. But let's talk about everything in order.
And I will start, of course, with the main thing - with the engine, with the fiery heart of the predator. As I wrote earlier, the sorcerers-shamans from Yamaha really wanted an unusual engine. The inline three is not at all a canon in the field of motorcycle engineering, or indeed in the field of engine engineering in general. On the one hand, the engine certainly turned out to be compact and high-torque compared to its four-cylinder counterpart of the same cubic capacity. Yes, and the problem of vibrations is clearly not as acute as with V-shaped relatives, but it is still enough to have a separate balance shaft. In general, from any side there is an attempt at some kind of compromise. The attempt, I must say, is quite successful, and, despite the obvious gap between the first and third flashes (there are still four cycles), which implies some twitchiness, the torque is very strong. Especially in the mid-speed range. What's a lot of meaty mid-range torque? That's right, this is the best thing for an urban predator. Thanks to this very meaty moment, and also thanks to the fantastically low mass and low center of gravity, but more on that later, the acceleration is simply phenomenal. Are you driving smoothly and want to speed up? Just turn the handle! 900cc, which pulls right away, no need to shift gears down, no need to rev the engine, the power is there, already here, now, all at once, just hold on tight.
This is incredibly cool. And although competitors show higher values in absolute numbers, it is sometimes difficult for them to develop these same values. The small and angry MT-09 will make any liter competitors nervous at traffic lights. Even to a certain extent, the reference BMW S1000RR/S1000R, with a successful start, can truly be put to shame. And all this to a very unusual musical accompaniment. The standard exhaust sound is, let's say, specific, after all, an in-line three is, as they say, neither two nor one and a half. This is not the screech of a sports rower, nor the guttural bass of a twin, but something in between. However, I have heard how this bike sounds with the Akrapovic exhaust, and perhaps this will be the first item on the list of additional equipment. But even in the standard version, the sound is quite good, so if the toad is too choking, just don’t worry about it.
The electronic filling of the engine also left a pleasant impression. Three engine modes allow you to adjust the motorcycle to the current mood of the pilot and hold it back a little if, for example, for some unknown reason the pilot is attacked by a spleen, and he does not fall for the diabolical provocations of the motorcycle. We are all just people at the end of the day. The quickshifter, which has become a mandatory element of any motorcycle with a hint of sportiness or aggressiveness, is naturally present. On this particular motorcycle, this quickshifter worked satisfactorily. Yes, of course, it doesn’t reach the standard from BMW, when you practically forget about the clutch handle when you get close to the automatic transmission, but I can’t express any complaints about the operation of this unit. And, of course, traction control, where modern technology would be much better without it. On this model it has two modes, and it can also be completely turned off. Honestly, I tried to play with the modes this way and that, but I didn’t notice any difference, except that if you turn it off completely, you can still perform a spectacular burnout. In any case, the traction control works perfectly, and seems deliberately rough. This is especially noticeable on wet markings, when the motorcycle literally tries to escape from control. If on a BMW the interference of electronics in the work is sometimes simply not felt, then on a Yamaha you will not be able to feel the interference. And perhaps that's a good thing. Electronics is not a nanny, it shouldn’t quietly wipe the sniffles out of its nose, it should not only correct piloting errors, but also poke the pilot’s face at them so that he doesn’t forget.
That's probably all about the engine, let's move on to the suspension, brakes and ergonomics. Unlike its more “progressive” counterparts, the suspension here is very ordinary, without all these electronic bells and whistles with auto-adjustments and other overly smart computers. However, the presence of a full set of adjustments on all suspension elements allows you to easily configure the motorcycle to suit any needs. As they say, fewer elements mean a simpler, and therefore cheaper, design. Would I like a full electronic “mincemeat”, like, for example, on its older brother MT-10 SP? Who the hell knows. Somehow I didn’t really use mode switching on the MT-10 either... But this, as they say, is very subjective. Otherwise, as far as the suspension is concerned, there are not the slightest complaints about its performance. Road bumps are absorbed easily and naturally, without creating the feeling of riding on a billiard table with perfect asphalt; this is not a Harley Davidson CVO series, everything is harsh here.
As for the brakes, you can sing a separate ode to them. The entire braking system was clearly developed for the older sports brothers, so the brakes are not just adequate and grippy, they are literally precise. The braking force can be dosed not only in microns, but also in angstroms, and the feedback will be the same. But this imposes certain requirements for their use. If you under-braked/over-braked, the retribution will be immediate. The ABS, of course, will pull out, but the awareness of your mistakes will be clear and precise. You must know how to use a precision instrument. Comparing the brakes on this bike and, say, the BMW S series is very difficult. BMW brakes literally forgive everything, you don’t have to think about your actions at all, the involuntary analogy about a nanny and sniffles literally doesn’t leave your head. So - I’m for Yamaha’s precision, I’m a tough guy, a metallurgist, and I don’t need a nanny.
I would call the ergonomics on the MT-09 a compromise. You sit almost straight on the motorcycle, with a slight lean forward, which allows you to ride a couple of hundred kilometers a day without experiencing any unnecessary problems. On the other hand, this very slightly forward landing just adds that necessary degree of aggressiveness, allowing you to actively maneuver in dense city traffic. The seat is moderately soft and comfortable, providing good support for the fifth point during active maneuvering. The footpegs are positioned exactly to allow the pilot to actively work his body. With all this, the seating position is quite comfortable, the legs are not as strongly bent as in the “shrimp” position on a sportbike, but this is neither a chopper nor a cruiser with their imposingly relaxed position. In general, a very successful compromise, with a capital letter. The controls and displays also do not cause any complaints, everything is in its place. Except that the horn button and the turn signal control lever have been swapped. This leads to some confusion when you honk instead of turning off the turn signals.
And, most importantly, the motorcycle is very light. No not like this. It is VERY LIGHTWEIGHT! And it has an incredibly low center of gravity. While driving you literally don’t feel it, you neglect its mass, you have the complete feeling that you are riding… the wind. And all these factors described above together give simply breathtaking maneuverability. The motorcycle literally tears the city traffic to shreds; on it you can crawl into any gap, squeeze through where it would seem that even a cyclist would be cramped. And all this at a decent speed and with even traction, allowing you to get away even from your “sporty” brothers with laughs and bugs. By the time they come out into the operational space, while the rank-and-file soldiers are spinning up, and the Twins are pushing their heavy “pots,” you are already rushing off into the sunset with a devilish laugh. What more can I say here? In terms of weight to power, and combined with maneuverability, this is by far the best motorcycle I have ever tested. Moreover, according to these parameters, it came very close to the unattainable ideal that my own motorcycle set (in fact, in some places it even significantly surpassed my motorcycle, but my motorcycle is an ideal, and only the gods of Olympus can surpass it, and let’s not talk about that, oh that's it).
Well, it would seem that we have a winner in the “best motorcycle” category, and the topic can be closed. But I didn’t say a word about his appearance. To be honest, after all these driving characteristics, which forced me to either shit my pants every 42 seconds or experience an enchanting orgasm, I did not care at all about its appearance. Well, really, what difference does it make what he looks like if he drives like that? And so it would be, but be blessed by all the gods the designer of this motorcycle, for he created a masterpiece.
This is exactly what an angry city motorcycle should be. A kind of predatory, sinewy insectoid with a bright acidic coloring. And if you take a closer look at the details... The whole motorcycle looks as if it was preparing for a fatal jump on a defenseless victim. The smooth, sharp shape begins on the slanted, insect-like, four-eyed snout and ends in a sharp seat line. LED headlights, a digital dashboard, and geometrically sharp corners of the motorcycle’s outline lines add high-tech to the image with a hint of extraterrestrial origin. At the same time, these headlight eyes do their job well, and the dashboard, despite its small size, provides all the necessary information. The only drawback is that in bright sunlight the dashboard is not very readable. However, after one day spent behind the wheel, having begun to feel the moments of gear shifting, so to speak, “in the background,” I began to look at the dashboard so rarely that its readability became insignificant. The fuel reserve light is bright enough to be seen at any time of the day or night.
And there's something else unexpected about this bike. Last season I was so looking forward to the BMW S1000R test, I had such hopes for it, and what was the result? As I wrote in one of the previous posts, the BMW did not disappoint me, and it is definitely technologically one of the best motorcycles of our time. But is he evil? But no. He is too good, forgives his rider too much and does not really provoke him. BMW turned a city hooligan into a refined phytony. I never learned fear on the BMW; it doesn’t generate a really strong feeling. Yes, it is technically perfect, and you definitely invested the right money with this purchase, but in fact, deep down in your soul, this is not what you wanted... The closest competitor from Yamaha - MT-10 SP, with all its technological sophistication, turned out to be somehow completely inarticulate. Well, that is, it would be hard to call it bad, but I definitely wouldn’t buy this motorcycle. But MT-09 is just the right test. He's evil, oh yeah, he's fucking evil. It makes you experience those very strong emotions that you expect. This is a natural disaster, this is a forest fire in the Australian prairies, this is a tsunami in Arizona, this is an ocean storm with a squall, such an element cannot be underestimated, it must be respected and feared. This is the feeling when you looked into the eyes of fear, did not look away, and surrendered with rapture to this natural disaster. This is what makes life worth living.
Here I will probably end my story. Does this motorcycle have any disadvantages? Yes, I have. However, this is probably not a flaw of the motorcycle, it is my flaw. The fact is that the motorcycle is very, let’s say, compact, and I am not compact at all. Translated from politically correct into Russian, this means that the motorcycle is small and nimble, but I am old, fat and not so nimble. However, not so much that it was a problem for me. It’s just that on this motorcycle I look a little comical, like a bear on a bicycle. I was particularly pleased with the price tag, which was suddenly quite adequate to the maintenance of the motorcycle, adjusted, of course, for the crisis, sanctions, the dollar and other unpleasant misfortunes of our long-suffering country. So, if you, like me, think that life is boring without risk, if you need to feel like you’re in the mouth of a volcano every day, if you want to look into the eyes of fear and overcome it, then in the name of all the gods of the warp, this is the motorcycle, oh the possession of which you should think hard about.
So I take my leave, peace be with you, drive more often, harder and further.
Pendants
The main difference between the base model Yamaha MT-09 and the SP is the suspension. Both versions are equipped with a 41mm inverted fork from KYB with full adjustment, only the SP has separate fast and slow compression smoothing settings, and at the rear the SP has fully adjustable Ohlins (versus the KYB with preload and rebound adjustments on the base version).
Do you think other suspensions, cruise control and a couple of aesthetic differences cost a little less than a hundred rubles?
For whom
For all its rage and aggression, the motorcycle is only suitable for the city. No, it can reach speeds of up to 180 km/h, but the biker will start to blow away at 130 km/h. The lack of wind protection hints that this motorcycle is still a typical city dweller, and not a conqueror of miles and prairies.
The path is winding
The road leading into the unknown cannot be simple, that’s clear. In a series of turns, the first of the two to show itself was the Tracer, which has a Dunlopy D 222 L. The bike moves quickly and moves easily, only a clearly visible straightening moment during braking in the assembly slightly spoils the good mood. The radial clamps work efficiently and effectively, providing a clear actuation point, and the handle is adjustable. The fork and shock tuning are firm but not uncomfortable.
Both Kawasaki and Yamaha are universal motorcycles in their purest form.
After switching to a Kawasaki running Bridgestone T 30 F tires, the Tracer rides well, but the Versys are even better! Turns of any radius can be overcome more comfortably and without straightening torque. The fork is more comfortable, but the price for this is weak feedback from the front wheel. The brake seems to be a little dull. Compensating for this is precision ABS. Additionally, its four-cylinder engine has stronger mid-range acceleration.
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Kawasaki and chair
On the other hand, on the Kawasaki, the entire crew sits freely and comfortably, almost like in a chair. Unlike the Yamaha, you sit on the bike rather than on it, and you're much better protected from gusts than on the Yamaha. The Kawasaki's fairing is simply larger, although it should be added that the interior finish doesn't look very good. In both motorcycles, the window height is adjusted manually, without tools. After changing the height of the windshield, the noise behind it changes: the Yamaha seems very loud with the windshield up, while the Kawasaki is a little quieter.
Before you go on a trip, you must pack your things. And in this regard, the Versys 1000 Tourer performs better. Two plastic chests with a capacity of 28 liters each, along with a durable trunk, provide so much space that you won't think twice about whether you really need to take this T-shirt. Yamaha responds to this with two hard bags or soft boxes - whichever you prefer. Their total capacity is about 42 liters.
Dimensions and weight
If we compare the dry weight of the MT-09 with the weight of many 400cc classmates, it is quite small and amounts to 170 kg. The gas tank here is small - only 14 liters, which is especially acute due to the average gasoline consumption per hundred kilometers of approximately 6 liters. However, for a city car this is completely uncritical. The current saddle height is 815 mm.
Chassis and brakes
The suspension and brakes are fully consistent with the aggressive nature of the model. The MT-09 features an asymmetrical swingarm and inverted fork. The stroke of the latter is 137 mm, which is quite a lot for a naked bike. With all this, the bike's handling is good, which is partly due to the lightweight aluminum frame.
The disc brakes have sufficient dimensions and calipers to stop this serious machine in time. The motorcycle can be purchased together with ABS, and it is better to do so, because, no matter how good the disc brakes are, otherwise such an option will not hurt.
