Yamaha’s best-selling MT-09 has been given a serious makeover for 2021, with a virtually all new model to meet the latest Euro 5 emissions regulations.
The three-cylinder MT-09 has been a significant model in reviving Yamaha’s fortunes in recent years, replacing the aging four-cylinder Fazer range and giving the company a class-leading model that could go wheel-to-wheel with the popular Kawasaki Z800 and Triumph Street Triple when it was launched in 2014. The MT-09 concept spawned other popular naked machines, in particular the MT-07 and MT-10, but this latest version gives us a glimpse into what to expect in future models across the range.
The headline figures are that the latest MT-09 makes more power and weighs less than the bike it replaces, an impressive feat considering it has also successfully reduced noise and exhaust emissions. The die-cast aluminium chassis is also brand new, while the ultra sophisticated electronics and many other components are lifted from the YZF-R1 superbike.
Bigger engine, bigger power
Part of the MT-09’s massive success had been down to the glorious three-cylinder motor, which was full of character as well as performance.
Yamaha says that virtually every major component in the latest powerplant, including the pistons, conrods, camshafts and crankcases, are new. The motor has been punched out from 847cc to 889cc, thanks to a 3mm increase in the bore, and the result is a 4bhp increase in power, with a peak of 119bhp at 10,000rpm. Impressively, the engine and exhaust system combined weigh 1.7kg less than those on the outgoing model, and Yamaha say that it has enhanced the MT-09’s legendary three-cylinder characteristics with the new unit.
The six-speed gearbox has taller first and second ratios and comes with a standard quickshifter, up and down the ‘box, while the fuel injection system is all new. Where the outgoing model has its injectors situated directly on the cylinder head, the new MT-09 has them mounted on the throttle, with the fuel injected onto the back of the intake valve heads. Yamaha says that it gives better fuel atomisation and increases the economy by 9%, while also reducing emissions. The ride-by-wire throttle is also new, and also derived from the R1, while the electronics package is another superbike hand-me-down and uses a six-axis IMU to control the rider aids, including traction control and wheelie control, while there are three rider modes as standard.
New frame, new swingarm
While the MT-09 has always done a great job in filling the middle ground between entry level roadsters like Yamaha’s own MT-07 and their barking mad MT-10, the spec has always felt more premium than budget.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in the chassis, and the 2021 MT-09 runs an all new die-cast aluminium Deltabox frame, which has been designed especially around the new engine.
Yamaha has used a technique called controlled filling to cast the frame and they say that has allowed them to create a structure with the thinnest wall section of any cast frame they’ve made before, contributing to a chassis which is 2.3kg lighter than the old model. At 189kg fuelled up the new MT-09 promises to be even more flickable than the model it replaces.
The new swingarm is more conventional in appearance than the old bike’s asymmetric unit, making for a bike that’s said to be more stable. The 10-spoke wheels too are claimed to be 700g lighter than before, reducing unsprung weight and improving agility. KYB provide the suspension units, with new 41mm forks which are fully adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping, up front and an equally adjustable rear mono shock. The parts bin has been raided for the front brake system, which is from the R1 superbike.
The styling is more aggressive and minimalist and represents the latest generation MT look that debuted on the smaller MT-03 earlier this year. It’s sure to polarise opinion but undoubtedly gives a glimpse of the likely look of the next MT-07 and MT-10 when they inevitably get updated, with the single LED projector headlight replacing the old ‘Transformer’ style eyes and creating a particularly stripped back look.
Minimal is also a word which could be used to describe the instruments, and although the 3.5” full colour TFT display looks tiny it packs all the usual information on its screen. Three colour options will be available: Storm Fluo, Icon Blue and Tech Black. No prices are yet available, but it’s due to go on sale in March.
