Yamaha MT-09: A worthful purchase?

There are several naked sportbikes available in the market that can provide you with enough adrenaline rush to keep you all grinning and giggling inside your helmet. But those emotions could change into petrification if you are riding a Yamaha MT-09. This naked bike isn’t for the lighthearted. Yamaha’s MT line-up is like a dark force with unlimited power and fierce anger. But once you learn how to tame the beast and make it your friend, things will be much more enjoyable and the MT-09 will even give you a wider grin. So, does this aggressive, weird-looking, and intimidating two-wheeler a worthful purchase? Let’s see.

The most prominent thing that sets the MT-09 apart from the rest of the competition is its design. Yamaha has just one such a fab job. The front features a twin headlight setup that contains four LED lights and below are two positioning lights. This entire combination gives the MT-09 a predator-like appearance, something straight out of a Hollywood movie. The fit and finish and the quality of materials used are exemplary. We also like how Yamaha has done the MT branding on the fuel tank.

The MT-09 is unique even from the rear thanks to the LED taillights. There is no tail tidy here and the license plate and rear mudguard are placed below on the tyre hugger, something that isn’t new and we’ve seen in other motorcycles. One more thing about the MT-09 that reminds you of its crazy-minded nature is the off-set dash. It is located a bit towards the right and is a fully digital unit but unfortunately, it isn’t coloured.

Now, let’s talk about what gives this dynamic machine its menacing nature, the engine. It’s an 847 cc, inline 3-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that puts out 115 PS of max power at 10,000 rpm and 87.5 Nm of peak torque at 8,500 rpm. There is a 6-speed gearbox coupled with a quick shifter (up only) and assist and slipper clutch system. These make riding the bike even more fun. The stock exhaust isn’t the best-sounding one that we’ve seen in the segment but there’s always an option of going with an aftermarket unit.

When it comes to the handling, the Yamaha MT-09 specs have some top-of-the-line equipment like fully adjustable 41 mm USD forks at the front with separate adjustability functioning - compression damping in the left fork leg and rebound damping in the right leg. Combine this with the diamond frame and 179 kg (wet) weight of the bike and you have yourself a pretty fast and agile machine to play with.

For the brakes, there are two 298 mm disc brakes at the front and a single 245 mm disc brake at the rear. These are aided by ABS and nothing else. Yamaha hasn’t provided a whole bunch of electronics in the MT-09 perhaps to keep things as raw as possible. So it will come down to the rider’s riding technique and capabilities to control the bike.

The riding position of the MT-09 is quite upright but slightly leaned forward. This gives a relaxed as well as a somewhat aggressive rider position which makes a lot of difference in the overall riding experience.

Available in two color options, blue and white, the Yamaha MT-09 price of RM 48,920 is quite reasonable considering the overall package. What could be a point of concern is design and pillion comfort. We already mentioned that the MT-09 isn’t built for everyone and talking about pillion comfort, well, it’s a sportbike and sportbikes are meant to have fun which always pushes comfort to the back seat. The priority here is to have fun, enjoy the ride, and experience the power of the machine. If you are looking for comfort, buy a car instead.

To sum it up and answer the question, ‘Is the Yamaha MT-09 a worthful purchase?’, a hundred times yes! This is a bike that’s going to create cherishable memories in your life that you will remember forever and enjoy while making them. It is going to make you feel more lively which is the whole point of buying a naked and powerful sportbike.