Yamaha MT-09

It is not everyday that you find yourself in a foreign land, on a racetrack that you’ve never ridden on, and astride a bike you’ve only seen in the flesh about ten minutes ago.

The setting for our first encounter with 2024 Yamaha MT-09 was at the Sodeguara Forest Raceway in Japan. I have to admit I had my concerns about riding a near-120bhp bike on an unknown piece of looping tarmac.

What transpired next was nothing short of great memory. Allow me to explain.

Yamaha has always had a rather distinct approach to the design of its naked motorcycles and this is true in the case of the new MT-09. The bike has been completely redesigned for 2024 and I think it is the best-looking MT-09 to date.

Starting with the front end, the thin LED DRLs with the projector style LED headlights above it in the central area give it a mean and aggressive face. The fuel tank is new as well and it adds visual mass to the design, which I quite like. Bits like the exposed aluminium Deltabox frame, the radiator shrouds and the slightly upswept tail section are all essential parts of the street naked design elements of the bike.

The MT-09, in my opinion, balances form and function very well and more importantly, the MT-09 has road presence that some of its competitors struggle with. But, that’s not all. It’s the attention to detail and finish levels that had us appreciate the MT-09 to a higher degree.

I particularly liked the paint quality, switchgear and the two acoustic intake nostrils on the top of the fuel tank.

The heart of the MT-09 is the 890cc, inline-triple, cross plane crank engine producing 117 bhp and 93Nm. In the real-world, though, this engine is incredibly characterful.

The bike also packs a plethora of electronics including a new TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation which is quite legible, even under harsh sunlight. The MT-09 also gets a bi-directional quickshifter and cruise control as standard.

A six-axis IMU based traction control system and slide slip control system adds to the safety quotient and so do the customisable ride modes or the wheelie control systems.

As a package, the MT-09 has all the features that you’d expect from a motorcycle of this class. But the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating or in the case of this MT, the ride experience. And my word, was it entertaining!

Fire up the crossplane triple, blip the throttle a few times and you instantly get the feeling that you are on to experiencing something special. As we rolled onto the racetrack and familiarised ourselves with the layout, the corners and the dips and crests, the engine’s refinement and responsiveness came to the fore.

This engine has a nice, fat midrange and it is one of its biggest strengths. I was never left feeling that I had no drive out of corners, even when I was in a gear higher than ideal. The engine’s responsiveness translates to reduced effort to keep it on the boil and that means fewer gearshifts. Not that I minded that since the gearbox is smooth and precise.

On the race track, while I reveled in the strong mid-range of the engine, what also added to fun was the top-end rush. The engine loves to rev and does so quite freely. And while you take this engine to the upper reaches of the rev range, the turn of speed is very quick. It isn’t scary though and I think a lot of riders, especially those graduating to this class of motorcycles will appreciate that.

That said, the proverbial icing on this Japanese cake is the soundtrack as you let the engine scream to the redline. It's thoroughly enjoyable and this is certainly an engine that is a class apart. Even the quickshifter works beautifully as you bang up and down the gearbox.

All that firepower is tamed very well by the electronics safety net. The traction control system is one of the best out there and the way it intervenes is smooth and almost seamless. As for the ride modes, the difference in power deliveries in the three standard modes- Street, Rain and Sport is noticeable. That said, even in Sport mode, the throttle response is measured and predictable while still being properly entertaining.

As for the ride quality, the race track isn’t the right place to pass a conclusive judgement of the same. While riding over some of the small bumps, the suspension felt pliant and absorbent, for the most part.

What I can definitely talk about is the MT-09’s handling prowess and my word is it is delightful. The Deltabox chassis, the adjustable 41mm USD fork and monoshock and the Bridgestone Battlax S23 tyres come together to offer a handling package that is incredibly good.

I simply loved the forgiving nature of the chassis, the bike’s ability to manage mid corner corrections or the amount of feel and feedback that the front end offered. The MT-09 feels agile, connected, precise and predictable. Which explains why all of us were comfortable with riding fast on a racetrack that we’d never been at before. This also means that the friendly handling will help riders move up the skill ladder without scaring themselves silly. Even the braking system with the new Brembo radial master cylinder is great at bringing the bike down to a stop and I had no complaints with the system, whatsoever.

We also got a chance to experience the MT-09 with the Y-AMT system. The bike doesn’t have a clutch lever or a gear lever. Instead, the AMT system has a clutch and gear actuator that is placed behind the engine. It collects data based on the throttle position, speed, lean angle and gear position to shift up or shift down automatically when the system is in D mode.

In D+ mode, the shift points are moved higher up in the rev range, while the downshifts are more aggressive. This is more suited for sporty riding. One can also shift to manual mode which allows the rider to toggle up and down the gearbox using switches on the left switch cube.

In D and D+ modes, the gearshifts were smooth enough but one could clearly hear the cogs being selected. That said, in D+ mode, the system upshifted unpredictably and at times mid-corner, which compromised my exit out of the said corner.

I reckon keeping the AMT system in Auto mode while riding in the city while for spirited riding, as in this case on the race track, shifting to manual mode was ideal. For the purists, the manual transmission equipped motorcycle will be all they want. Not to mention it will be cheaper to purchase than the Y-AMT.

Speaking about buying the bike, the Yamaha MT-09 is being considered for launch in India. That would be great for the sport naked enthusiast looking for alternatives to bikes like the Kawasaki Z900, Triumph Street Triple or the Ducati Monster.

What Yamaha India will most certainly have to do is price the bike competitively. Anything in the vicinity of the Triumph Street Triple R and RS should be good enough but a higher price tag will spell trouble.

I sincerely hope the Yamaha MT-09 is priced well because it deserves to be experienced. The engine is lovely, the handling is sublime and the bike feels properly modern with the amount of equipment it has. Perhaps, the MT-09 could turn the tide for Yamaha’s big bike operations in India and give their fans and enthusiasts a chance to experience what the triple tuning fork brand is capable of.