Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1526730
P118 RIDE REVIEW I 2024 YAMAHA MT-09 SP and make me wonder with sheer amazement and anger why they're not fitted to the R1 or R1M, a bike that suffers from drastic brake fade after only a couple of laps of any given circuit. The base MT-09's brakes are pretty good. Certainly, I've not got much to whine about when just riding on the street, but the Sty- lemas are a class above and complete the Brembo package by mating to the Brembo master cylinder that's new for 2024. They do, however, clamp down on the same dual 298mm discs as the base MT-09. Visually, the SP sets itself apart with a unique Liquid Metal/Raven color scheme and a brushed aluminum swingarm. These touches give it a more premium look com - pared to the base model. The SP also features a keyless ignition and key fob—a feature I've had mixed feelings about due to past reliabil- ity issues. While I hope Yamaha has ironed out any kinks, once you've been stranded by a malfunctioning keyless system, you tend to be cautious. The SP's TFT dash integrates with the Yamaha Garmin app for navigation, which works surprisingly well. Having used the base model for a while, I've explored this system, and though it doesn't use Google Maps, it's fairly intuitive once you get the hang of it. The Bluetooth connectivity between the phone, dash, and helmet headset, which used to be a major frustration, seems to be improving and becoming more user-friendly. For an extra $1700, choosing the SP over the base MT-09 should be a pretty easy deci- sion. The numerous improvements—some ma- jor, some minor—add up to more than the sum of their parts, justifying the additional cost. Plus, the SP's blue, silver, and black paint job is a real eye-catcher. With the MT-09 plat- form now thoroughly updated, it's unlikely we'll see major changes for a few years. It will be interesting to see how these bikes hold their value over time. Whether you decide to buy now, next year, or later, there's no denying that the MT-09 SP is a fantastic machine that will be at the pointy end of the performance arrow for a number of years to come. CN 2024 YAMAHA MT-09 SP ($12,299) ENGINE Inline 3-cylinder, 4-stroke, 240° firing order DISPLACEMENT 890cc VALVETRAIN DOHC, 12-valve BORE X STROKE 78 x 62.1 mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11.5:1 COOLING SYSTEM Liquid MAX POWER 117 hp @ 10,000 rpm MAX TORQUE 68 lb-ft @ 7000 rpm FUEL SYSTEM EFI, YCC-T with ride-by-wire system EXHAUST 3-2-1 TRANSMISSION 6-speed CHASSIS Cast aluminum twin-spar FRONT SUSPENSION 41 mm KYB fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Ohlins shock, fully-adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.1 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 4.6 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 4-piston Brembo Stylema monobloc calipers, 298mm discs, ABS REAR BRAKE Single-piston caliper, 245mm disc, ABS FRONT TIRE 120/70 ZR17 Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23 REAR TIRE 180/55 ZR17 Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23 RAKE 24.7° TRAIL 4.3 in. WHEELBASE 56.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT 32.5 in. FUEL CAPACITY 3.7 gal. WEIGHT (WET, CLAIMED) 426 lbs. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S