P100
RIDE REVIEW I 2021 YAMAHA MT-09
While the electronic menus are rea-
sonably easy to navigate, there's not
much charm in click-clicking through
page after page of acronym soup-
named rider aids. On the bright
side, the '21 MT-09 will keep all your
electronic setup preferences the
next time you start the bike up, so
you shouldn't need to dive in often.
Ultimately, grousing about the small
display, or the fit and finish, seems
counterproductive. Engineering on
a budget is the story of the MT-09.
That it can accomplish so much pol-
ish on a shoestring is—and always
has been—pretty remarkable.
ALL THE HAIR.
MUCH LESS HAIR-
RAISING
Don't get us wrong, it's still the same
delightfully knobbish hooligan bike.
The styling still shouts of teenage
ambition and is still polarizing. Es-
pecially the headlight, which looks
like a stealth fighter's jockstrap. It
still wheelies like a bandit. It's still a
bike defined by a rude, potent and
compelling engine. But all that churl-
ish attitude fades when the roads get
twisty. Because as soon as you're
behind the bars the 2021 MT-09 is
genuinely good.
Downtown LA might not
be such a pain in the butt
if you're on the MT. But
then, it is Downtown we're
talking about here.
