All Tests – MT-09 Test: Yamaha’s future road’star ‘! – A versatile roadster

Posted on by admin

MT-09 test: Yamaha’s future road star !

All Tests - MT-09 Test: Yamaha's future road'star '! - A versatile roadster

Symbol of a new era to come, Yamaha unveiled a new three-cylinder almost a year ago. The first motorcycle to be equipped with it, the MT-09 roadster arrives in dealerships at the end of September … but it is already being tested on Site ! Verdict.

A versatile roadster

Regarding small solo arsouilles, the MT-09 is better armed: the engine has ultra full mid-revs which catapult the light cycle without difficulty. Impossible in the absence of the competitors to establish a classification, but one thing is certain: this Yam ‘roadster will give a hard time to its rivals…

As desired by Yamaha engineers, the thrust of the 3-cylinder over the revs is always vigorous, therefore relatively linear. The tone a bit more rocky of the exhaust past 7000 rpm fortunately gives a little character to this formidable mill..

Obvious when entering a curve, the MT-09 remains perfectly stable on its bearings, as long as one does not apply too much pressure to the throttle. Mode A, selected to take advantage of the best acceleration, requires perfectly controlled management of the right grip, due to the injection jerks..

Too dry or jerky, go-arounds have a great influence on the attitude of the motorcycle: the rear shock absorber suddenly settles and then relaxes a little too quickly, causing inevitable movements of the swinging arm and disturbing the balance. of motorcycle.

The resumption of the brakes in delicate bends must also be reasoned, the bite of the two front discs making the fork plunge there as well. Fortunately, the bike does not lock excessively and corrections to the handlebars are quite possible..

The big braking around the small pins offer their share of sensations, whether the grip is there … or not! The power is there and the more athletic of the future buyers of MT-09 will not be disappointed. Their little friends will have to be really good to put them on the brakes…

On occasion, we note a clear improvement over the FZ series: the ground clearance of this MT allows terrible cornering speeds, which should appeal to fans of track days – and reassure future participants of the !

Out of curves, a well driven MT-09 should also be able to handle the attacks of the competition. Be careful only on bumpy roads, where the motorcycle can widen while the front wheel momentarily leaves the ground under the action of "CP3".

By choosing Croatia and its winding roads, the Japanese clearly did not make it easy for their new bike. Provident, they had all the same taken care to increase the preload (at the rear) and the relaxation of the suspensions for these damn journalists always "in a hurry"…

The right side of Yamaha !

In the end, the Yamaha MT-09 shows excellent general behavior, whatever the roads traveled: fast or slow, clean or dirty, smooth or dilapidated, in the city center or in the passes! By selecting all these different portions, Yamaha knew full well that the sport / comfort compromise of this new roadster would ultimately turn to its advantage….

Even the end of the route seems to have been mischievously chosen: on the motorway that brings us back to Split, the MT-09 does its best to spare its driver. Sensitive vibrations in the feet and then in the buttocks (past 6000 rpm) as one comes out of the insertion path disappear once the gait has stabilized.

At 5,000 rpm in sixth, the roadster trots at 130 km / h odometer. Gallops beyond 200 km / h are therefore widely possible, but are frankly not reasonable, for the shoulders and neck as for the license and the wallet !

Finally, Site completed the first 195 kilometers of the course with only 10.2 liters, driving at a fast pace but without too often climbing high in the laps. The maximum autonomy of the roadster could therefore exceed 250 km: to be checked during a next comparative test on MNC !

At the end of the 310 km course – punctuated by four stops including a long lunch break – our buttocks are just starting to tire. To cut the road, the MT-09 is therefore not far from doing the trick: it lacks a fairing and a larger tank….

But the big rollers can rejoice in advance: Yamaha has already planned the release of other models declined or inspired by this new MT-09. "We are planning other versions of this bike, but also bigger and smaller ones."Says Yamaha Motor Europe Product Manager Shun Miyasawa !

"The MT-09 is the first brick of a new building", insists to French journalists the big boss of YMF, Eric de Seynes."We also wanted this stone to form a solid base on which to build the rest of the range.". Be reassured: the foundations are remarkably well laid !

Faith of Site, the MT-09 has the potential of a best seller which could quickly make you forget the rather mixed commercial successes of the previous MT-01 and MT-03 (the small mono remains in the catalog). Other MTs will then be able to follow suit. See you in Milan, in less than two months, to discover the next issue (s) !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *