Riding Yamaha's MT-09 SP

Motorcyclist

Yamaha has once again raised the bar for naked bike enthusiasts with the 2024 MT-09 SP ($12,299). Building on the success of its predecessor, this 2024 SP variation continues as a special-edition, high-spec version of the already impressive MT-09, delivering an enhanced riding experience for those craving a more premium middleweight naked bike.  Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/  Subscribe to our channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/MotorcyclistMag Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/

Transcript

00:00Alright folks, good afternoon. Here we are at the official Yamaha Motor USA press introduction

00:06for its 2024 MT-09 SP naked bike. This is an upspec variation of Yamaha's updated for

00:162024 MT-09 naked bike. Now, this SP variation takes things further. It builds upon the pedigree

00:28of the MT-09 naked bike with putting on some high performance parts designed for all us

00:35riders out there who enjoy going fast and want a vehicle that sets them apart from the

00:43competition in the segment. And that's what this $12,300 MT-09 SP is. Now, the MT-09 SP

00:52lives inside Yamaha's Masters of Torque MT naked bike lineup. Of course, we have the

01:00MT-03 and MT-07, both twin cylinders. We have the MT-09, which is a triple cylinder, and

01:08then we have the big dog of them all, the MT-10, which is in line four. Now, first off,

01:14this particular vehicle benefits from probably the biggest upgrade is the use of a 41mm KYB

01:25inverted fork that features a slick coating on the fork tubes, which reduces the stiction

01:33and allows the fork to travel more freely in its 5.1 inches of movement. This fork also

01:42features spring preload, high speed and low speed compression damping, something that

01:49we don't typically see in front suspension systems, as well as rebound. Spring preload

01:55is controlled atop the fork cap, while high and low speed compression is at the bottom

02:01of the fork leg, and rebound damping is atop the fork cap. Now, the cool thing about this

02:06KYB fork is, unlike other manufacturers that are using more separate function designs where

02:15the spring is in one fork leg and the damping cartridge is in the other, that saves weight

02:20and reduces manufacturing costs, and while those systems are good at times, this fork

02:27is a conventional, traditional setup where we have a pair of springs, a spring in each

02:32fork leg, a damping cartridge in each fork leg. Yeah, it weighs a little bit more, yeah

02:37it's more complex, but it offers better road holding and more exquisite suspension movement

02:45for all of us riders who really, really want a high performance front suspension package.

02:54So good job Yamaha sticking to a traditional fork setup, we really like it, it works really

02:58well. Of course we can see a nice little etched MT-09SP into the top of the fork cap.

03:06Out back we have an Ohlins shock absorber that works through a linkage. It's not a traditional

03:13bottom type linkage, it's a top back linkage, but it does work through a linkage. Ohlins

03:19shock, it offers remote spring preload adjustment, so you can actually adjust the ride height

03:26of the rear of the bike with a handy black knob located on the right side of the bike.

03:32It's really easy to use, you twist it right and the rear end goes up, twist it left the

03:36rear end goes down. We also have a similar type damping adjustment knob for compression

03:43on the nitrogen reservoir on the left hand side, and a nice big adjustment knob on the

03:50bottom shaft of the Ohlins shock for rebound. So the rear suspension is fully adjustable

03:55without tools, you just use your hand and crank the knob right or left and that gives

04:00you more or less force and spring rate. Really nice, really handy, it just makes damping

04:07adjustments very easy. The front suspension you still need to have some tools, you need

04:13to have an Allen wrench and a screwdriver, and of course a crescent wrench to adjust

04:19a spring preload. But still, it's neat that we have such a lofty amount of adjustments,

04:25especially that high speed damping circuit on the fork, that's something you don't really

04:29see every day, so good job Yamaha. This bike definitely rides, it rides, you feel bumps

04:38over the road when you're riding on bumpy stretches of tarmac, but when you are riding

04:44at speed, the road holding of this vehicle is really exquisite. We also like the greater

04:50range of adjustment, this suspension package offers greater adjustment range, so if you're

04:55a slower or lighter or faster and heavier rider, you will have a good window to make

05:02your suspension adjustments. We went a little bit stiffer on the low speed compression,

05:07a little bit more rebound damping, and a little more rear preload and rebound damping on the

05:13shock, really easy modifications to make to customize the handling to suit your preference.

05:20Other modifications aside from the upgraded suspension are the use of jewelry like Brembo

05:27Stylema calipers, four piston radio mount Stylema calipers from Brembo, they just look

05:34like pieces of art, they're beautifully machined from billet aluminum, and they allow this

05:40bike to have even more stopping power. Of course we have a Brembo radio mount master

05:46cylinder which pushes hydraulic fluid through the lever into the brake calipers, brakes

05:51are really nice on this bike, it's supplemented by always on ABS, but with the SP variation

05:58you can manually disable rear ABS, that's right, not only that you can also adjust the

06:03engine brake control, so if you want the vehicle to free wheel more in the corners and have

06:09less engine braking, you can actually set it into mode two now which reduces engine

06:14brake, so really nice. So we have that, then of course we have this nice liquid raven paint

06:20job, this paint job is similar to Yamaha's YZF-R1M, nice touch, really looks cool, really

06:28like that polished aluminum swing arm that's clear coated so it'll hand up to the elements,

06:36that's a nice styling touch, this bike is sick. Another neat feature, well for some

06:43of you it might be a neat feature, for me it's not really a neat feature, is this keyless

06:48style ignition, so now this bike no longer has a traditional Yamaha vehicle key, it now

06:53uses a keyless style fob, and the fuel tank is electronic, so the fuel tank you no longer

07:01open with a key, you open it when the vehicle is shut off, of course you have to have that

07:08keyless proximity fob within a certain amount of distance of the vehicle for it to work,

07:14that keyless fob is neat though because it does have a traditional key built in, you

07:18can pull it out and use it to unlock the rear seat and things like that. Those are the differences

07:24you pay for the MT-09SP, suspension, brakes, keyless ignition, the ability to disable rear

07:32ABS and the ability to adjust engine brake control. The other features of this bike are

07:37based off Yamaha's much improved 2024 MT-09, which is introduced for the 2024 model year,

07:45of course we have this 890cc CP3 3-cylinder engine, water-cooled dual overhead camshafts,

07:5312 valve cylinder head, this engine is good for 107 horsepower at the business end of

07:59that 17-inch Bridgestone Batlax S23M spec, 180-55-17 rear tire, this bike puts out about

08:0763 pound-feet of torque at the back wheel with a really flat spread of torque, a lot

08:13of torque in this engine, whoo! The engine drinks from a 3.7 gallon fuel tank and delivers

08:20right around 37.5 mpg, some of the best gas mileage, if you lug the engine and just ride

08:26slowly you'll get better gas mileage, but if you like to hold it wide, this thing's

08:30gonna drink some gas. Yamaha, can we please have a larger capacity fuel tank, 4.5 gallons

08:36would be nice, with a full tank of fuel this motorcycle weighs in at 428 pounds, that's

08:423 pounds more than the MT-09, I love the character of this engine, this engine is awesome,

08:49it just sounds so good, for a long time Triumph ruled the inline-3 engine world, and Yamaha

08:58basically took their concept and sharpened it, this motorcycle has, this MT-09 3-cylinder

09:06has every bit as much character as a Triumph triple, but it's smoother and much more

09:12refined feeling, a lot less vibration than Triumph's triple, love the character, Yamaha

09:18fitted these speaker-like cutouts atop the 3.7 gallon fuel tank and that allows the howl

09:27of the air intake to emit inside the cockpit, just makes for a lot more pleasing ride, yet

09:33it doesn't make it too noisy for when you pass by people on the side of the road or

09:40other vehicles, the exhaust is still quiet but it's got a lot nicer sound inside the

09:46cockpit, good job Yamaha paying attention to the details, not only does the engine sound

09:51super awesome, but it's relatively devoid of vibration, there is some vibration present

09:57through the controls, you can see it in the mirrors, but it's not off-putting, it feels

10:04like it was really tailored to the configuration of the engine, it's not all willy-nilly, like

10:11where the engine just vibrates here but doesn't here, it feels, they call Yamaha the tuning

10:17fork brand for a reason, because they are literally able to tune these powertrains for

10:23the right acoustics and the right amount of vibration and it's evident in this CP3 engine

10:29configuration, of course we have a cable actuated clutch with slipper function, that

10:38augments the 6 speed transmission with an electronic quick shifter, that is, it allows

10:46for full throttle up shifts, down shifts and closed throttle up and down shifts, so in

10:53essence it's a quad band electronic quick shifter, that was a big improvement for 2024,

11:04that just allows you to make lightning fast up or down shifts by just pressing down on

11:10the shift lever, very very nice, oh the sound of this thing, I love this thing, this thing

11:17sounds so mean, now keeping tabs on this vehicle is a nice colored TFT display, this is a nice

11:28big upgrade for 2024, so you have a nice TFT display, looks really nice, easy to read day

11:33or night, very easy to use, Yamaha also fitted much more chunky switch gear, it's chunkier,

11:44easier to use with gloves, has really good tactile feel, the user interface is really

11:51slick, the menu interface makes sense, it's very well organized and it's easy to make

11:57adjustments of course, this particular product offers adjustable traction control, adjustable

12:04slide control, adjustable wheelie control, Yamaha calls it lift control, we also have

12:10adjustable engine brake, and we have two ABS levels, level 1 or 2, ABS level 2 actually

12:18features cornering ABS even though Yamaha won't call it cornering ABS, and brake control 1 is

12:25actually the more aggressive, or I should say least aggressive brake setting which disables

12:31cornering ABS, but offers a higher threshold to ABS intervention when the front brake is

12:40applied, so a lot of adjustment in this motorcycle, really easy to use, there's also now global

12:46settings which you can use and switch with this mode button, really handy here, you can

12:53also go in the menu and tailor the settings to your liking, right now we have had our

12:59own little custom map with map custom 1, we'll probably install a custom map 2 when

13:07we stop, and it just makes riding really fun, you can set the bike up to your liking, other

13:14creature comforts include cruise control, we have electronic cruise control, really

13:20easy to use, super accurate, does a good job holding pace, and then we have a USB-C type

13:28charging port underneath the two-piece rider seat, very, very nice, the ergonomics of this

13:36bike have been updated with the MT-09, the ergonomics are much more sport bike like than

13:46before, the handlebar is a little bit lower, has a little bit more sweep towards the rear,

13:53the foot pegs are a little higher, a little more far back, so a much more sport bike like

13:59ergonomics package, it's not full sport bike by any means, but it's definitely more sport

14:04bike than the traditional naked bike direction that it was from 2021 to 2023, I like these

14:12ergonomics, they work really good for those riders out there who like to mob through twisties,

14:18if you're just riding on the freeway all day or riding in the city, you're probably not

14:23going to like the ergonomics quite as much, but if you like to ride fast through turns,

14:27you're going to like this ergonomics package of course, you can always position the handlebar

14:32more forward or even more rearward by loosening these four Allen bolts, I can see how people

14:39would might want to put the handlebar a little bit more forward, that would give you a more

14:43traditional naked bike feel, but in this OEM configuration, I do like it, it's also worth

14:49noting that the control levers both offer adjustment, the brake lever offers position

14:56adjustment and now the clutch lever does too, so you can adjust the position of these levers

15:01based on your hand size, I love those Brembo Stylemo front calipers, they have a lot more

15:08power and feel that just feel, just give the bike a lot more braking bite, I just wish

15:14Yamaha would have fitted stainless steel brake lines onto this bike, that would have

15:20been a nice touch, still got rubber, old-school rubber hoses, yeah whoa, yeah this thing gets!

15:32It's worth noting that this vehicle employs ride-by-wire throttle, the ride-by-wire throttle

15:37is very accurate feeling, but it does take some getting used to because it's just really

15:42responsive, right now we're riding in engine power mode 2, which is, one is the most aggressive

15:50engine power, combined engine power and throttle map, two is slightly less, then we have three

15:55and four, the engine power and throttle modes are connected, so every time you change one

16:01of those settings, it modifies combined engine power and throttle response, pretty neat,

16:08this allows you to make this bike as mild or wild with a push of a button, now this

16:15two-piece seat, the seat is a little bit flatter than before, that was another change they

16:21made for 2024 with the MT-09, it's not only the seat, now a two-piece seat, it's a little

16:28bit more flatter, the 3.7 gallon fuel tanks also position a little bit lower, just helps

16:33give this bike more favorable handling, of course the transmission gears were beefed

16:40up, I believe it was third and fourth gear too, and the shock linkage has a revised ratio,

16:47those were all improvements Yamaha made for the MT-09, really like this bike, it's very

16:54agile, changes directions really well, Yamaha improved the steering radius on this bike,

17:02so this bike is more, there's more steering radius for parking lot speed maneuvers, really

17:09nice, there's really not a thought not to like about this bike, this bike is just sweet,

17:16really like the styling too, the MT-09 was always kind of a goofy look bike, but with

17:23this 2024, it's really coming onto its own, it looks really sharp, really has a unique

17:29stance to it, it just looks really futuristic and nice, another feature I really like of

17:34this bike, we talked about the chunky switch gears, just the self-canceling turn signals,

17:40really awesome, really easy to use, the turn signals have moved to the left control interface,

17:45but they automatically cancel, they're really chunky and easy to use, chunky is the theme

17:49that switch gear makes it just easy to manipulate all the features of the bike while you're

17:55riding. Of course, if you download Garmin's Streets app, you can get turn-by-turn navigation

18:04on this bike, and you can also pair this motorcycle to your phone with Yamaha's Y-Connect proprietary

18:12Android and iOS smart phone app. Rest assured, this bike's fitted with LED lighting, LED

18:19lighting is awesome for all you night riders out there, does a good job of throwing off

18:24a bright swath of light onto the road ahead, makes riding not only more safe, but just

18:30fun, $12,300, the $1,700 upcharge from the MT-09, and for $1,700, this bike represents

18:40really good value, it's got much more high-end suspension, it's got much more beefy, jewelry-like

18:47front brake calipers from Brembo, the electronic add-ons, the ability to turn off rear ABS

18:53so you can hoon around, and being able to reduce the engine braking if you like the

18:58bike to freewheel more in corners, then this awesome Liquid Raven paint job, and while

19:04I don't like keyless ignition, a lot of you out there do, so all of these features are

19:09a really nice add-on for $1,700, it's actually quite a value. If you're getting a lot of

19:15bike for your money, this bike would be perfectly fine to do track days on, so if it was my

19:21money, I would absolutely opt for the MT-09SP, just the performance alone, and then you factor

19:29in the aesthetic, just having a bike that sets yourself apart from the competition,

19:34totally worth the extra cost. Well folks, that wraps up our official review of the MT-09SP,

19:43we love this bike, built in Japan, comes with a one-year warranty, fit and finish is super

19:47good. As always, if you want to learn more about this vehicle, surf on over to our website,

19:53we have tens of articles on this bike, on its predecessor, and on other vehicles that

19:59compete with it in the middleweight plus naked bike segment. Make sure to surf on over to

20:05the At Adam Waheed Instagram page, you'll find a lot of exclusive content about this

20:12vehicle and vehicles like it, you'll find a lot of insight that you probably won't find

20:17anywhere else on the internet, so check out that content if you're interested in this

20:21vehicle. As always, give this video a thumbs up if you liked it, thumbs it down if you

20:27didn't, because we'd love to hear from the naysayers, we are an inclusive organization,

20:31everyone's opinion counts, we want to hear from each and every one of you. And we'll

20:36see you in the next episode, thanks for riding with us, goodbye.

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