Yamaha MT-09SP
Right name, right components, definitely the right price – Yamaha’s hopped-up version of their capable -09 line-up could be the surprise package of this test
Ooh, it’s an SP. Two letters guaranteed to cause gooey sensations and irrational actions in blokes of a certain age. In the sportsbike boom of the 1980s and ’90s the letters stood for Sport Production. Slapped on a fairing they guaranteed desirable goodies and, as the models were generally limited production to homologate them for racing, some look-at-me exclusivity. Yamaha have history with such specials. The SP version of the Japanese-market TZR250 V-twin had revised engine porting, different carbs, close-ratio gearbox, uprated suspension and even a dry clutch. And the YZF750R SP we got in the UK boasted an Öhlins rear shock, adjustable swingarm pivot, gulping flatslide carbs, revised gear ratios, removable subframe and a single seat. They were exotica.
Maybe this is why the MT-09 SP gets a bit overlooked. It’s got the right letters after its name, but the overall impression of the tall triple is that it’s just an MT-09 with an Öhlins bouncy bit. Like the old XJR1300 SP it’s not special enough to be a ‘real’ SP, and equally isn’t as high-tech or sharp as the Street Triple RS. It’s been on sale for three years – but when did you last see one?
This may be the case, but you shouldn’t care. Because the Yamaha is a cracking road bike.
Yamaha’s 847cc, 113bhp inline three is an internal combustion masterclass. Delivering the often-promised halfway house between V-twin grunt and inline-four rush, the tractable triple is great on any road, at any speed. Tall-gear flexibility? Wheel-lifting acceleration? Instant corner-exit thrust? All of the above, and with a delicious exhaust note. Triumph’s triple makes more power and the revvy MV may deliver a bigger thrill, but the Yamaha is easiest and nicest to use. ‘What a brilliant engine,’ agrees Andy. ‘Definitely my favourite.’
The Yamaha has his favourite seat too. 25 years ago they’d have torn off the MT’S standard unit and fitted a super-thin foam pad in the SP conversion (and charged you extra for the discomfort), but thankfully the stock perch remains. It’s the plushest accommodation here. With the tall stance providing the legroom of a mile-munching adventure bike the MT-09 is the most comfortable, especially as its chassis has the most compliant ride. Previously we’ve grumbled the SP is a bit firm next to the base MT-09, but in this sporty company it’s the most absorbent. On potholed, uneven B-roads it’s calm and stable where the Triumph blurs vision and smacks your arse.
Tall at the front and siting you near the ’bar, the Yam feels, ‘like a slightly chubby KTM,’ according to Andy, and the semi-supermoto feel means it lacks the plugged-in connection of the Street Triple when riding in an antisocial manner. It retains a hint of the front-to-rear mismatch the base MT-09 is sometimes criticised for and can’t quite scribe the lines of the KTM or Triumph.
‘Yamaha’s inline three is an internal combustion masterclass’
However, like the regular MT-09 it’s light and easy to hurl around, and in ‘normal’ riding feels just as great. Only with added crispness – while its posh fully adjustable Kayaba forks and luxurious Öhlins shock (with super-cool bolt-on remote adjuster) might not bring Street Triple levels of outright trackday handling, the SP is more accurate than the stock MT and less keen to drift to the outside during fast corner exits.
There’s traction control, ABS and three throttle modes (standard, a bit too soft and a tad too abrupt), though the SP lags behind the others on bling. It’s a white-on-black LCD dash rather than a Tv-size colour panel, the quickshifter only deals with upshifts, and the simple switchgear doesn’t offer gizmo control. Slightly odd switch layout too – you catch the irregularly placed horn when indicating right. Flimsy-feeling winker switch, too.
Of course, the SP riding experience isn’t spoilt by not having different display colours to choose from or light-up switches. And fewer tech fripperies means the Yamaha is keenly priced. At £9747 the MT-09 SP is a whopping £4933 cheaper than the MV Agusta (that’s a third less), and the only bike here under ten grand. Cheapest doesn’t mean worst, either. ‘I said I’d want the KTM over the Triumph,’ claims Andy. ‘But I’d have the Yamaha over the KTM.’