Sports touring version of the street bike. I like the sound of this
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/yamaha-mt-09-tracer-unveiled/25840.html
I don’t understand how you make a crossplane triple… Otherwise, though, it looks like Yamaha might’ve got their act together.
No more MT-09’s for me for a while. Just because they put a bit of fairing on and make it a bit more expensive doesn’t make it a better bike. Having had one for 9 months I have to agree with MCN and everything they say about the bike and it sounds like even the recent ECU reflash that is supposed to fix the snatchiness doesn’t quite live up to the expectations.
Each cylinder is set at 120°?
I’ve have to say that I do like that.
I’m not going to worry about snatchiness, they said that the TDM900 throttle was snatchy, but it was one of the smoothest throttles I’ve had on a bike. And I currently ride an KTM 990SMT, and the throttle on that is not for the feint heated!
I’d like to give this a try when it comes out - looks like being the sort of motorcycle that does everything I’ll want it to. Hopefully the suspension is up to the job, bit annoying having to buy a bike then get straight on the phone to Nitron as the suspension isn’t adjustable or just too soft.
To me it looks like a long awaited replacement for the TDM so it will fail in this country
There was an article in MCN last week I think on how to fix MT-09’s suspension. It was something like £1500+ and the bike is what it was meant to be.
Haven’t read it but £1,500+ seems a lot. My current Honda CBF1000 has been transformed by a £500 Nitron shock (built to weight for my purposes with a lot more adjustment than Honda provide), and 15W fork oil instead of the usual ten. The only times I’ve reached the limits of this setup has either been on track at Silverstone or two up, with luggage, on the roads around Melton Mowbray…
What did MCN do? I remember also the Fazer 800 got slammed by the press for poor suspension.
I tested the road version and found it a big disappointment when it came to its handling. The front did not feel ‘planted’, the rear lacked ‘feel’ and the quicker I went the less stable the whole bike felt. The sports touring version appears to have more front fork travel but little else changed.
All I would say is test ride one first to see if you get along with it or just like its looks. I agree that you should not have to spend a fortune to upgrade the standard suspension especially when the kit that comes with modern bikes is generally more than enough for most riders once dialled in.
Ironically around the same time I was testing a 10 year old Fazer 1000 and was very impressed with it. For a fraction of the cost you’ve got a Sports Tourer that you could ride all day in comfort or scratch round the track and embarrass some supersports bike depending on your mood.
Fair points Brian!
One of the annoying trends in modern biking is to stick on some bling (i.e. USD forks instead of RWU) but with no adjustment on them whatsoever. I’d much rather have the adjustment as standard. The Ducati Hyperstrada being a case in point…