Motorcycle description sheet YamahaMT-09 900 2024 The party's far from over !

The Yamaha MT-09 celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new silhouette and stronger claims. Being one of the brand's key models might require a certain maturity... Except that it couldn't care less. The dark side of Japan is swirling inside her, and she's not shy about showing it.

The MT-09 has always had a bold style. Too bold, surely, in its 3rd generation! Its approach has always been sober, uncluttered, vindictive and essential. For this 4th chapter, the doctrine follows this ideology, albeit with a few artifices, which we welcome. The rear frame is dressed in a somewhat sporty hull, the tank and radiator scoops are softened Tracer 9-style, and the headstock...... has put some water in its wine.

Or rather, syrup in its gutted saké-bolt cocktail. The 900 MT has done away with its Klingon toaster face to present itself with the face of a mouse. A little addictive, though. The lighting identity has changed both front and rear, with a bi-functional LED mini-block on the nose and a double-decker light on the stern.

The MT-09 2024 will make history! It's not a technical revolution, a stylistic shock or a shift to a new era of motorcycling. But there's a sense that Yamaha is straightening up its design direction, moving towards a slightly less twisted style. It's not yet Italian-style beauty or British-style aristo-delure; the brand isn't going to suddenly emerge from the dark side in which the MT-09 III was mired. All that's needed is to get rid of this luminous wart, and the face will take on an appreciable nervousness.

The nerves are mostly in the belly. The 3-cylinder had gained in cubic capacity and strength with the MT-09 Opus 3. A good dose of 119 horsepower to growl under all circumstances, with character, impact and a slight sense of docility. It's been praised for a decade, not for nothing. Yam just tweaked it a bit to get it up to Euro5+.

Yamaha 900 MT-09 2024The most significant change is in the riding modes. There are now five. Three with factory-set parameters - Street, Sport and Rain - and two more that the user can program à la carte. These can be programmed from the dashboard or via the smartphone, once paired and equipped with the MyRide app. This allows you to calibrate power management, as well as traction, glide, engine braking and wheeling controls. The inertial unit is there to enhance the potential of certain riding aids.

A new feature in the range of assistants is the rear slip regulator (BSR). This system digests torque levels during heavy braking, complementing the anti-dribble clutch. The shifter has also been improved. Its 3rd generation makes it more “natural”, and it doesn't work when engine speed is too low or too high. The MT-09 also gains the SP's cruise control.

The color TFT instrumentation has come a long way. It took Yamaha a while to get it to a decent size, while the competition had been doing well for a long time. But here it is. The instrument panel is now 5 inches diagonal, with a totally redesigned instrument panel, four display themes, and phone interfacing. For YRC settings, as we've seen; and to listen to music, manage calls, have a GPS navigator (Garmin StreetCross system) and personalize the screen by sending images.

The Iwata-based manufacturer has paid particular attention to the riding space of its new models. On the new MT-09, the menu includes new controls on a redesigned commodo, impulse turn signals, ESS auto warnings for heavy braking, an under-seat USB socket, new foot controls, separate rider and passenger saddles, the Brembo radial brake master cylinder from the XSR 900, footrests adjustable to two heights, and a more engaging riding position. In their standard position, the footrests move 3 cm up and 1 cm back. Add to this a lower handlebar (also adjustable to two positions), an increased column angle and a redesigned fuel tank for better movement on the bike, and you're more ready to attack.

There's something weird at the top of this tank. Grilles like sound equipment. Could Yam have put Bose under there?
Not really, no. For one thing, the manufacturer already makes some damn fine HiFi and instrument gear. Secondly, it's all about enjoying the sound of the airbox. As on the MT-10 (the initiator of the process), these acoustic amplification grids bring the vibrating melody of the engine's suction directly under the headphones.

As the MT-09's frame is almost brand new (complete overhaul in 2021), nobody is touching it. Around it, a few improvements. New settings for the 41 mm Kayaba inverted fork, a modification to the rear suspension links, and all-new Bridgestone S23 sport tires to hold the floor. They're wrapped around lightweight SpinForged rims, which are less subject to the centrigugal law, but still feel the measured force of 4-piston calipers. They know how to do a good job, but they could do with a little upgrade, given the way the bike has evolved in recent years.

The MT-09, the fourth in the series, is improving all over the place, above all to appeal to a nervous, stubborn public in search of sensations and a quirky spirit. The Yam seems to be softening in its design, but not so much in its attack. It has also realized that it's time to raise its level of quality in certain areas. Expect adrenalin sweating from the throttle.

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