2021 Yamaha MT-09 First Ride

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Yamaha has refined its MT-09 for 2021. (Yamaha/)

When you have a good thing going, you don’t change it unnecessarily. Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA has sold 24,000 MT-09s between its introduction in 2014 as the FJ-09 and the end of 2020. In the modern motorcycle world, where some iconic models move under 1,000 units a year in the US market, that makes the 09 a mammoth hit. Sure enough, it’s one of Yamaha’s more popular models, selling well and continually. Yamaha USA Product Planner Aaron Bast attributes the MT-09′s previous success to its three strengths: torque, agility, and value. Especially value; the original 2014 model sold for $7,990, an amazing price then; six years later, it has only climbed to $8,990. Bast also says the whole point of the new version is to offer more: more torque, more agility, more value.

So the 2021 MT-09 is much more than an update, even if it’s just slightly less than an absolutely complete redesign. Its three-cylinder engine is obviously based on the original 847cc powerplant, but has more new parts than old. Yamaha, as all other manufacturers, has to meet stringent Euro 5 emission rules with the new bike, even though they want to increase performance. Lower emissions have traditionally meant less power, so the engineers gave the bike a new crankshaft with a 3mm-longer stroke, taking the displacement up to 890cc. Additionally, the new crank has 15 percent more inertia, slowing engine response slightly while increasing the engine’s perceived smoothness. To keep deck height the same even with the longer stroke, the connecting rods are 1.5mm shorter. New forged pistons with concave tops maintain the 11.5:1 compression ratio of the outgoing 847cc engine.

Yamaha has sold 24,000 units of it’s CP3-powered naked since its US introduction in 2014. (Yamaha/)

A new cylinder head was created for both emissions and performance. It was given 12 percent less coolant volume for faster engine warm-up; most hydrocarbon emissions are created while an engine is still warming, while the fuel mixture must be rich and the exhaust catalyst isn’t yet up to temperature. For better performance, the new cooling passages completely encircle each exhaust valve seat, eliminating the potential hot spot between the valves. Intake ports were redesigned with reduced volume for faster flow, and the injectors were repositioned and re-aimed to hit the backs of the intake valve. All these changes lead to better fuel vaporization and mixing, improving both emissions and drivability. New camshafts have reduced timing, with 30 percent less overlap; there is now only a 20-degree period during which both intake and exhaust valves are open simultaneously. Shorter timing and less overlap generally favor emissions and torque over top-end performance, but the engineers gave the cams notably steeper ramps, so the curtain area under the whole lift curve stays relatively high. The new ramps are so steep that the entire cam drive had to be redesigned with a wider and stronger cam chain and an oil-pressure-powered cam-chain tensioner added. The tensioner provides more tension when the engine is spinning fast, when the cam chain is more likely to whip around, and less drag at lower rpm.

The intake and exhaust systems also were retuned and redesigned. Three unequal-length runners poke up into the airbox, a design that delivers more torque, a smoother powerband, and a delightful intake note. The exhaust system is pieced together from stainless steel stampings with beautiful robotic welds that look as good as those on some high-end race pipes. It’s an all-new design that places the catalyst forward in the conical header portion of the pipe for quicker warming (emissions again) and tucks almost all the muffler under the engine for better mass centralization. The increased displacement and new engine tuning is claimed to increase torque by 6 percent while further broadening the band. Fuel economy is said to be 11 percent better than with the previous model.

Displacement on the MT-09 has been bumped up to 890cc with a claimed 6 percent increase in torque and an 11 percent increase in fuel economy. (Yamaha/)

Other details were seen to as well. A double-acting, ramp-style slipper clutch, similar to the one in the YZF-R1, releases on back torque and tightens on acceleration, allowing substantially lighter springs and reduced clutch effort. First and second gear ratios were raised by about 3 percent, because of the increased torque and crank inertia. The engine and exhaust system in combination is 3.8 pounds lighter than that of the 2020 model.

While the engine can be considered an update, the ’21 MT’s frame is all new. It follows the brilliant pattern of the previous bike with a construction nearly unique in motorcycling. There are no welds in the MT-09 frame. It comprises two frame halves made from a super-high-vacuum, high-pressure die-casting process that produces higher-strength parts than typical HP die-casting. (Ducati has used the same process for Panigale V-twin crankcases.) The parts come from the dies fully formed, needing only a facing operation before they can be bolted together permanently with tamper-proof fasteners. Then the steering-head bores are machined for bearings, and the frame is done. The three-cylinder motor, when it’s bolted in, reinforces the structure. Beautiful and inexpensive, the frame has always been one of the reasons that Yamaha can offer the MT-09 at an attractive price. This year the construction remains the same, but all the details have changed. The steering-head tube is lowered by 30mm, reducing bending leverage from the fork and allowing a straighter side beam layout. Yamaha claims the lateral stiffness is improved by 50 percent.

The swingarm used to be constructed similarly, in two halves, but the new one is a welded box-section design that’s 0.6 pound lighter. But the two-piece bolt-together die-cast aluminum construction now makes its way to the subframe, replacing what was previously a welded steel part and achieving a 3.3-pound weight reduction. Wheels are also lighter, with the rim section of the cast wheels spin-formed with heat and rollers after casting to improve material strength, allowing a thinner section there. The wheels have 11 percent less rotary inertia, a change that lightens steering and improves acceleration.

The new suite of electronic rider aids and rider modes is controlled via a handlebar switch and the full-color TFT dash. (Yamaha/)

Along with chassis and engine changes, the new 09 gains an impressive array of new electronic riding aids that Yamaha says were directly derived from those of the R1 superbike. A new six-axis IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) tracks exactly what the bike is doing in 3-D space, allowing very sophisticated traction control, lift control (anti-wheelie), and slide control systems to be implemented by the 09′s ECU. This is helped by a new electronic ride-by-wire throttle system that allows the control system to work at multiple levels: spark, fuel, and throttle, depending on the exact need. A new full-color TFT display and dedicated handlebar buttons allow the rider to select from four different throttle maps and three different levels of each of the other control systems, with the additional option of disabling any one or all of them altogether. The IMU also feeds data to the ABS system, allowing it to be mapped to respond appropriately to rider lean. Before starting a ride, you can select either this mapping or a conventional ABS map that ignores the IMU; but unlike the other rider aids, you can’t switch the ABS off. Yamaha also included a quick-shifting system with a shift sensor that allows clutchless up- or downshifts, and allows the rider to turn the system off if desired.

The MT-09′s headlight is a bold design to say the least, but the LED and dual-lens-in-series headlight is effective. (Yamaha/)

Probably the most controversial feature of the new bike is the new and extremely compact dual-beam LED headlight, which allows everything carried on the fork to be pulled back closer to the bike. Whether you like the looks or not, you’ll likely appreciate the bright and well-defined light pattern provided by multiple LEDs and a dual-lens-in-series projector design.

Yamaha introduced us to the 2021 MT with a ride covering about 140 miles of urban roads, freeway, and mountainous rural twisties. First impressions upon sitting on the new machine are that it’s still an MT-09, all right, a sporty street machine that requires only moderate forward lean and pegs planted right under you. And it’s light; Yamaha claims a 417-pound wet-ready-to-ride-full-tank weight, which would place it at 394 pounds empty. Shifting it side to side, you can believe that.

Just a slight lean forward to the bars and pegs right beneath you give the MT-09 a sporty feel. (Yamaha/)

The three-cylinder whirrs to life with a button push, and with a notably light pull on the clutch and a snick of the gearbox, you’re off. The engine is still the three-cylinder torque monster it always was, with a powerband as wide and flat as an ocean horizon. But it’s notably more refined, with a precision to the fueling and throttle response that was never quite there on its predecessor. Throttle maps 1 and 2 are almost identical, with 2 just very slightly calmer, perhaps easier for everyday riding. Maps 3 and 4 are for the valet or rain, and won’t be used much. Snap the throttle open in first gear and in the middle of the rev range, and the front end starts to come up quickly, but the lift-control system smoothly drops it back after it elevates a few inches. Try an aggressive standing start from a stop, and it’s easy to skim the front wheel for all of first gear to beyond 50 mph. With the relatively low gearing, the light weight, and the torque, the MT-09 remains a wheelie monster, only now tamed by the lift control instead of the perhaps less perfect discipline of your right hand.

Handling, too, feels more refined and solid than ever. This is a machine that can run with pure sportbikes on a mountain road, turning well and easily but with a more planted and solid feel than ever. Suspension in this standard version is a balance between comfort and sportiness, leaning slightly toward the former. The ride is smooth, and the bike stays controlled even when hitting midcorner bumps. An SP version will be available later this year with a more advanced KYB fork and Öhlins rear damper if you’re looking for something sportier.

Midcorner bumps don’t upset the MT-09′s well-balanced suspension and chassis. (Yamaha/)

Brakes are smooth and powerful, though only a brave rider will test the cornering ABS. In a straight line, even a hammering grab of the front brake lever stops the bike quickly without drama or rear wheel lifting.

But perhaps the thing you notice most while riding the MT-09 is the pure visceral sensation delivered by one of motorcycling’s great engines. It’s smooth and responsive and communicative, with a thrilling intake and exhaust roar that meets sound laws and still sounds exciting. It’s an engine that seems to pull as hard at 4,000 rpm as it does at 9,000; it has something for you every time you ask. The older FJ/MTs never had the perfect injection map or cycle-to-cycle combustion variation, but this new bike is smooth and refined in a way that Yamaha fuel system engineers never managed to quite achieve on the older generation no matter how much they tinkered.

A small price increase of $400 is trivial compared to the value and performance that has been added to the 2021 Yamaha MT-09. (Yamaha/)

The price has gone up, of course, with all the new features: it’s now $9,399, $400 more than for last year’s bike. But so has the value, with refinement and electronic aids no amount of money could have added to last year’s model. Yamaha is not going to have to worry about this one.

2021 Yamaha MT-09 Specifications

MSRP:	$9,399
Engine:	890cc, DOHC, liquid-cooled, inline 3-cylinder; 4 valves/cyl.
Bore x Stroke:	78.0 x 62.1mm
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Fuel System:	Fuel injection w/ YCC-T ride-by-wire
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate; assist and slipper
Engine Management/Ignition:	TCI (Transistor Controlled Ignition)
Frame:	Cast aluminum
Front Suspension:	41mm inverted fork; preload, compression and rebound adjustable; 5.1 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Single shock; preload and rebound damping adjustable; 4.8 in. travel
Front Brake:	Dual 298mm hydraulic disc w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	245mm hydraulic disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cast aluminum
Tires, Front/Rear:	120/70ZR-17 / 180/55ZR-17
Rake/Trail:	25.0°/4.3 in.
Wheelbase:	56.3 in.
Ground Clearance:	5.5 in.
Seat Height:	32.5 in.
Fuel Capacity:	3.7 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	417 lb.
Availability:	Spring 2021
Contact:	yamahamotorsports.com

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[Copycat73]

three cylinder engines .. wit a 120 crank .. are as marmite, particular to those commin  from IL4 .. most love them .. but i fcukin hate them ..  never again .. 

[Ian Frog]

I would be very interested to see what you would think of an early Laverda Jota before they adopted a 120 degree crank lol.

Cheers

Ian