Sibling Rivalry

- Roland Brown

YOU CAN’T ACCUSE YAMAHA of lack of effort when the subject under discussion is the MT-09. The lean, 847cc naked triple was the hit that kick started the firm’s revival, selling more than 10,000 units in 2014 following its launch towards the end of the previous year.

And that was just the beginning. Spin-off models (the Sport Tracker and Street Rally) were followed by the Tracer sports-tourer and retro XSR900, before the basic MT’s fuelling, electronics and suspension were revised for 2016. And now the triple has been tweaked again, in the process surely becoming the first motorcycle ever to have been granted two press riding launches in the same calendar year.

It’s easy to understand why Yamaha are trying so hard. Regular refreshes are vital to keep any bike in the public eye, especially one which, like the MT-09, has seen a more powerful and glamorous sibling arrive in the same market sector. The more expensive MT-10 can’t match the 5,000-plus units that the triple has sold in 2016, but has inevitably stolen some attention and sales.

Hence this further update for the MT-09, intended both to improve the triple still further and to give it a fresh shot of publicity. And, in the process, to bring its styling slightly closer to that of the MT-10, and reinforce the Dark Side of Japan theme that has given the MT family a strong, edgy image.

The main visual change is up front, where the Nine joins the Ten in getting an aggressive, insect-like look thanks to two pairs of small, angled LED headlights, above a smaller pair of “positioning” LEDs. The inner two main lights are for low beam, and always on; the outer pair join in for main beam.