110 miles on MT09SP
 

Expectations versus reality.

When I owned a Street Triple I thought the suspension was harsh so had the front forks revalved by Reactive Suspension (York) and, following the ST forum's advice, I ordered a Nitron rear shock set for my weight. The result was disappointing and the lesson was "just because there's a fancy name on the suspension doesn't guarantee a smooth ride". I didn't learn that lesson.

MT09 SP expectation: Floating over potholes whilst glancing down disdainfully at the uneven road surface. Not only did I not score a bulls eye, I'm not even sure I hit the board.

To be fair, I've only covered 110 miles and the suspension was set to mid settings, on the second ride when I'd softened them a little it was better, so I've softened them a bit more but have reached the limit on adjustability. The bike is new so I expect it to soften anyway as the SV did - it took about 5k miles but I may be too light for the springs - I had a quick check on the front preload and was barely getting 30mm sag with it adjusted to minimum (the forks were on mid setting originally), I haven't had chance to check the rear sag but the rear Ohlins comes set to minimum preload anyway. So fancy suspension name does not equal comfort, I have now learned that lesson.

What else: having owned a Street Triple (with 105hp) I expected lunatic acceleration from the Yam and even taking it gently it's a little manic, changing up doesn't seem to slow the acceleration down, makes me wonder what those 200 hp bikes are like. I haven't played with the mode settings yet and left it in the middle setting but it seems a little woolly (?) on initial throttle but then a bit sensitive as you get rolling but that's probably my learning curve. The SV allows you to pull away without touching the throttle because the AL7 onwards automatically raises the revs slightly, not sure I could get away with that on the Yamaha. I haven't tried the quickshifter and on the subject of the gearbox upshifts are good, downshifts a bit clunky/notchy, the SV is much better, again; the bike is new.

I think the seat height is slightly lower than my SV but that might be the custom seat on my SV. The seat is more comfortable than the stock AL7 seat and it's flatter with less incline towards the tank so I can move around a bit more. It weighs slightly less than the SV so maneuvering around the garage or riding at slow speeds is easy.

The instrumentation is too small for my old eyes, there are things being displayed but I'm not sure what, beyond speed/revs/gear/time. I'm used to zeroing the trip meter on petrol fill ups - on the SV, whilst on trip, press and hold the select and it zeroes. The MT only zeroes when it's flashing and it only flashes when it's selected, the "select" button seems to go around the menus one way and the "reset" seems to go the other, so you have to leave "Trip 1" and then return to it, then zero it: seems clumsy. It has all the AL7 menus plus coolant temp (no separate gauge), air temp and once the reserve light comes on it starts counting how many miles you've run. I like the AL7 gauge better but maybe I need to read the manual again.

So I have a bike that will definitely outclass its rider in performance but, as yet, not supplied the "featherbed" (sorry Norton) ride I was expecting. Leaving on a positive note at least I have the building blocks to get there.
It seems to me that there is a gap in the dealership's service. Since the bike has so many variables it would have made sense for a tech to question your riding style and then set the bike up accordingly.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

i lust or used to lust after an MT09 ever since i sat on a lowered one. it has everything i want in a bike.


not a lot of suspension people understand proper road bike set up as its very complicated to get right unlike track bikes. the MT09 got a lot of stick for soft suspension when it came out but it sounds like they have gone the other way now.


i'll stick with my SV me thinks.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

Seeker, can I ask how much you weigh?

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

I put 10 weight fork oil in AL7 and it is more comfortable. Our roads are not smooth, not so noticeable in a car as it is on a bike, of course the extra weight of a car and having four wheels will help.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

135 lbs/ 61.2kg nekkid, my gear adds 12 lbs/ 5.4kg.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

I found this video which, if he'd stopped riding and spoken to the camera, should have been 90 secs and not 5min50.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un_SnHutCno
He weighs 90kg, complains that the suspension as supplied is too stiff, and adjusts it to Yamaha's suggested soft setting which is where mine is now. It's raining here so I haven't tried it yet.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

Isn't the SP version the stiffer performance / track biased version? A bit like the RS in the 765 Street Triples?


I've had a Nitron shock on my SV and it was amazing. Not all branded shocks that come on bikes off the peg are the same as the aftermarket ones. I know the Ohlins that Triumph fit are not the same as the ones you can buy separate to the bike.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

No, I don't think so. The standard MT09 had developed a reputation for poor suspension even after Yamaha had tweaked it a bit. In fitting "up market" forks and rear shock it aimed to overcome that reputation. They reversed the dash display (now has black background/white characters) and added fancy paint - I think they were positioning it as a "deluxe" version rather than a performance machine.
Unlike the Street Triple range, there are no power changes between variants. (MT09/MT09SP/XSR900)

I'm going to check the sag again today. The forks have 137mm travel so 30% would be 41mm of sag. Although one video I saw said with upside down forks you should measure from the bottom and aim for 70% - I'll try it both ways and compare.

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

I considered a bog standard Street Triple a while back instead of the R that I had as I knew I'd want to swap out suspension to suit me whatever model I was on. I got the R though as the price difference for what people ask for them second hand was minimal. Ended up buying replacement springs and a Nitron shock for it just before I had to sell it and never got them fitted, so will never know if that would have sorted it out, as it was very stiff for bad roads. Amazing on perfect roads but where do you get them in the UK?

Re: 110 miles on MT09SP
 

It seems to me that the OP is expecting his bike to do something it was never designed to do.... The suspension on the MT09 was never intended to provide a plush ride. Yamaha produced a bike with an awesome engine wrapped in a capable chassis that was very much intended to be an urban weapon bought by those wanting to have a bit of fun, and they gave it what they considered adequate suspension for that purpose. The bike proved very popular and when riders capable of exposing the flaws in that rather budget suspension started buying it they were quick to offer an Ohlins kit as a factory accessory, and that has basically evolved into the SP model, so yes you have the bike aimed at the sportier rider......

The rear SP shock spring is actually softer than the standard MT09 one but it is controlled with infinitely better damping and that should allow you to soften it off somewhat, but you will do so at the expense of control. The front is going to be slightly harder to get how you want it as the MT09 has always had a rather vague front end. If you were to change the springs and take out all the damping to try and give the ride you want then I think you'll have a bike bordering on dangerous should you go into a fast bumpy bend a little enthusiastically....

Are you really sure this is the bike for you?