2018 Yamaha MT-09 SP review

“I know!” someone at Yamaha cried. “Let’s do another MT-09 variant – with a proper remote-adjustable Ohlins shock, adjustable KYB forks (rebound and compression on each leg) and new styling/colours/graphics. Then, let’s make it only $13,499...”

That was, and is, a bloody great idea. Especially the last bit – how the hell Yamaha keeps the price point there, I don’t know. That price enables riders to enjoy a motorcycle that’s better than it should be for that money.

In good company
I do need to be careful here, though, because there are a number of bikes around this price bracket that punch above their weight. Kawasaki’s excellent Z900 ($12,499) and Yamaha’s XSR900 ($12,999) both offer good engines with addictive chassis poise. Neither of them pack the Ohlins goodness though, or a quickshifter as standard. Those two features by themselves don’t necessarily make a bike great, but when you add them to an already nifty handler and don’t mess with the bike’s basic premise of offering a quality machine for a measly price, you have a winner.

Actually, in the quickshifter’s case, it certainly doesn’t add to the package. It’s an upshift-only design, and rather than the world superbike-spec shift noise of the KTM Duke 790, for instance, I could barely tell it was working. Obviously, it changed gear, but did so not unlike a clutchless shift, so I just used the manual clutch most of the time. I honestly thought it was turned off, but no, it just is the one piece of this bike where the “built-to-a-price” methodology shines through. Mostly the only one!

There is a slipper clutch in place, though, and manually shifting is a slick, sweet place to be on the MT-09 SP, so the lack of a high-end quickshifter is not the end of the world.

Completing the package
The shining light in this new variant is the Ohlins out the back. The standard MT-09 has a superb engine, but its ride quality is let down by a clattery suspension set-up compared to more expensive machines. It’s not terrible; it’s just not as refined as bikes with a larger sticker price. Now there is the SP.

That YA535 Ohlins shock isn’t the very top shelf item, but it is the result of some collaboration between Yamaha and Ohlins, resulting in a shock that adds ride quality to the already-nimble chassis and a dose of practicality, too, with its remote spring preload adjuster. That adjustment is handy for dealing with pillions and luggage, but can also allow for fine-tuning of the bike’s steering and front end feel, too. Remote preload adjusters are incredibly handy because a tuned back end can make your front end feel better as well; all bikes should have them.

Deliciously, there are also rear spring options in the Yamaha catalogue so you can match spring weight to your own mass and riding style. Changing a spring is a small price to pay for a better handling machine, and worth going to if you can’t get comfortable on this bike.

For me, the Ohlins shock allowed the bike to ride the crappy Aussie roads we live with day to day much better, and also let me shift a little bit of weight forward by adding pre-load turns, just to get more front end bite. Using the rear spring pre-load as a ride height adjuster can be problematic if you go too far, however in this case the bike is in the ballpark already, in terms of setup, and it was all I needed to feel comfortable.

Up front, the Kayaba fork now boasts rebound and compression damping on both legs – the standard unit splits the compression and rebound to a leg each. I didn’t notice a meaningful difference between the old fork and new, however I always welcome the chance to fine tune suspension to how I like it.

Despite the difference in manufacturer, the suspension balances up nicely, though the Ohlins does feel more refined. I have always enjoyed the MT chassis balance and it remains, though the overall refinement has been improved with the gold member. Has the addition of the Ohlins made the bike better? Yes.

Subjective stance
The value of the other SP-specific add-ons are subjective. You either like the Silver Blu Carbon colour scheme, blue-stitched seat and blue wheels with SP graphics, or you don’t. Thanks to the wizardry of modern photography, you can make your own mind up there, but it works for me.

The bike is different-enough in the looks department from the “base” model that it stands on its own two feet, but is clearly a MT. I guess one of my few problems with this machine is that its price is so close to that of the base bike (now $12,299), is that a large enough gap for anyone to buy the latter? An extra $1200 clams for the suspension upgrades and fresh colour scheme is great value.

Happily, the engine remains the same. Surprisingly, I still have people ask me if the throttle is snatchy from closed, just because early MT-09s were that way and the “issue” stuck. No, it’s not snatchy, and hasn’t been since Yamaha eradicated that problem away with a firmware update that cleaned the action up a few years ago. There is no snatch.

2018 YAMAHA MT-09 PRICE AND SPECS

Instead, there is smooth access to the linear grunt that crossplane engine offers and, as a roadbike, it’s hard to justify anything more. I recently did a ride day and there amongst us litre-bike blokes in Red group was a well-sorted MT-09, slick-shod and punching well above its weight, lap after lap. The owner was having a hoot.

Outright top end power isn’t the be all and end all on the road, something the MT series knows and the 849cc triple takes advantage of. On a wet, greasy road, I couldn’t have been happier to be on the MT-09SP: the improved feel from both ends, the sweet power delivery and remarkably refined traction control system meant an onslaught of wet Sydney weather isn’t the crime it could have been.

When the weather cleared up, threading the roads around Wisemans Ferry in Sydney’s north-west was like-wise amazing, this time the chassis feel walking hand in hand with the near-flawless engine to produce a ride experience other bikes need to charge significantly more to produce.

The MT-09 SP reminds me of an older style of bike, not in that it feels old to ride – far from it – but that it is many bikes to many people. I love commuting on it, because it’s punchy, nimble, narrow and so easy to ride, threading your way to the front of a messy traffic light queue is not only achievable, it’s actually fun!

Then there are the fun tickets it clips on a favourite scratching road, punching in one gear from apex to apex, but also communicating grip and road conditions well above its pay grade. I’d be buying an exhaust end can at least, just to revel in that triple-made music a little easier. A bike without an exhaust note is like a car without a stereo.

Yamaha brakes are solid performers, the bike suits moving around upon if you have Vinales in your soul, or just sitting here, too, thanks to high comfort levels. I could and did ride this bike all day in relative comfort, rain dripping down my neck on too many days, notwithstanding.

Summing up
What Yamaha has done is furnish us with a light (193kg wet, claimed), grunty (115 peak horses, claimed), well-sprung machine for just $13,499, complete with a meaningful colour scheme and a rear shock that transforms the bike’s handling. It’s not necessarily faster than before, but it definitely rides the bumps better and offers easy fine-tuning of a quality bit of rear boinger.

This much go and show for this price is a winning combo, and those pining for the MT-10 SP, but without the bank balance, have a worthy two-wheeler to ride while they save up. I simply don’t have any meaningful complaints for this bike, considering its price point. Yes, the levers could be a flasher shape and the fork isn’t overly sophisticated despite its improved adjustability, but overall it rides like a more expensive bike and the engine is still a winner on the road and throughout all the uses such a bike is subjected to.

It does have strong competition, including from its own base model, but it does have enough “special” to appeal to riders wanting an up-spec MT, and particularly those who use a bike in a wide variety of situations – it’s got a lot of Universal Japanese Motorcycle about it. In a good way.

It can do anything, is fun to ride, looks good and will make owners proud. What more could you want for that sticker price?