The Yamaha MT-09 has been on quite a journey. The original, 2014 model came into some flak for its handling, blamed largely on cheap suspension componentry and an overly high front end. The bike has been improved over the years with each new iteration, though, to the point where the latest model is one of the best bikes we’ve ridden all year. And now, there’s the inevitable Yamaha MT-09 SP to unpack.
Given how well we got on with the MT-09 at the international launch in Lanzarote, we were intrigued to see how the new SP shaped up via its own dynamic debut at the somewhat less sunny but much more relevant (and convenient…) location of Rutland.
Yamaha MT-09 SP pricing and availability
Yamaha MT-09 SP - switchgear
The Yamaha MT-09 SP costs £11,806, representing a premium of about £1,700 over the standard MT-09. This puts it right in the crosshairs of its most obvious rival, the Triumph Street Triple RS, which is all of seven quid less expensive. The MT-09 SP is on sale as of July 2024, three months on from the standard MT-09 order book opening.
What’s different about the MT-09 SP?
You’re probably wondering what you’re getting for chucking the best part of two grand more at your local Yamaha dealer, and the answer is quite a bit.
Perhaps the most important change concerns the suspension. Like the standard MT-09, the front fork comes from KYB, but there’s a snazzier version deployed here featuring diamond-like coating (DLC) on the stanchions to reduce stiction. The fork is adjustable for pre-load, rebound and high/low-speed compression, while at the rear there's a new Ohlins rear shock with a piggyback reservoir and remote pre-load adjuster. It's also adjustable for compression and rebound damping.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - suspension detail
The front brakes, meanwhile, have been upgraded, now incorporating Brembo Stylema calipers - a first for any Yamaha. As before, there’s a radial master cylinder.
In terms of technology, the SP gets a new ‘Track’ theme on the five-inch TFT display, plus four customisable Track modes to allow the rider to set things like the lift control, slide control and traction control to their liking. From a more practical standpoint, there’s now keyless ignition - another Yamaha first.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - display
It also looks quite different from the standard MT-09, despite sharing the same newly redesigned tank, radically different headlight unit (it no longer looks like a squinting, melted alien face) and split seat with that bike. Instead, it’s differentiated through a gorgeous two-tone finish for the tank and a brushed, lacquered aluminium finish on the swingarm, giving the bike real R1 vibes.
The SP, of course, benefits from the myriad changes made to the 24MY MT-09. These include the updated riding position with lower, closer and wider bars and higher/more rearward pegs, the lightly updated CP3 triple and a tweaked six-speed gearbox.
What’s it like to ride?
You get some sense of where your extra savings have gone the moment you walk up to the bike and swing a leg over. While the standard MT-09 feels built down to a price (inevitable for an upper middleweight bike costing just over £10k), the SP feels more premium thanks not just to the gorgeous, blingy swingarm and the split-paint tank, but also the chunky ignition switch in place of the usual key slot.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - tank
On the move, the 890cc, ‘CP3’ triple quickly dominates the experience. It’s brilliant in every bike it appears, with a whole lot of mid-range clout married to an exciting top-end rush, and yes, a lovely soundtrack. The exhaust might be of the usual apologetic Euro5+ spec, but with the new intake trumpets - which shoot a lot of induction noise straight at your helmet through grilles in the top of the tank - more than make up for that.
Such is the broad spread of torque (don’t forget what the ‘T’ in ‘MT’ stands for), that it doesn’t really matter what gear you’re in - a chunky increase in speed is always a mere twist of the throttle away. But it’s an engine worth revving out, not just because of the fruity top-end, but also because of the quickshifter.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - keyless detail
It has a wider operation than ever before, working from just 10mph and from 2,000rpm for upshifts and 1,600rpm for downshifts. It’s a smooth, slick piece of kit that was flawless throughout our day with the bike.
So good is the engine and gearbox/quickshifter combination that the rest of the bike could be a bit of a dog and we might just forgive it. That’s far from the case, though. The SP builds on all that’s great about the standard MT-09 in terms of dynamics and adds a newfound sense of plushness to the damping.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - riding
While the regular MT-09 can feel a little harsh over rougher surfaces, the SP works through its suspension travel in a less severe manner. The going can still get a bit choppy over particularly shit surfaces, but it’s worth noting I’m not the heaviest of riders and given more time with the bike, I’d probably dial back the compression and rebound, making full use of the additional adjustability available here.
The sporty riding position, while no different here than on the standard MT-09, is a real joy. It doesn’t go too far but sets you up nicely to make the most of the SP’s additional keenness to tip in. Once you are leant over, there’s plenty of mid-corner confidence from the Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport tyres, even in the mixed wet/dry conditions we experienced at the launch.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - riding
The brakes on the regular MT-09 didn’t seem crying out for a fix when we first rode it. In fact, the revised stoppers were one of the clear improvements over the old bike, with much more progression in the lever than before. The SP merely takes this and adds more beef to the brakes with the Stylemas.
As for bad stuff, there’s not a whole lot. The new rocker switch for the indicators might take you some getting used to, and there’s an element of ‘reinventing the wheel’ to the system. And, erm…we’re struggling to think of much else, really.
Should you buy a Yamaha MT-09 SP?
If you’re weighing up whether to go MT-09 or MT-09 SP, we’d steer you towards the latter, unless the £10,100 charged for the former is an absolute hard limit for you. The £1,700 premium brings with it not just a noticeable difference in the way the bike rides, but also a whole heap more kerb appeal. It’ll make you smile when you’re on it, and when you look back after tucking it up in the garage once the ride is over.
Yamaha MT-09 SP - front
A trickier question to answer is whether or not you should get one over a Triumph Street Triple RS. We’ll have to get the bikes together at some point, as based on separate rides of each, they’re now extremely close, with the Striple perhaps being a touch more exciting but the MT-09 SP being a better all-rounder.
Another alternative is the KTM Duke 990, but unless you want a particularly aggro naked to indulge your hooligan side, the Yamaha MT-09 is a better bet.
Matt has a background in motoring journalism of the four-wheeled variety but has long had a passion for motorbikes, taking his first steps into riding in 2010.
