00:00Hey there, I'm Jen, and this is the 2024 Yamaha MT-09.
00:11I think the MT series has always had a little bit of a reputation for being raw, you know,
00:17and a little uncouth sometimes, but I would have to say after riding this newest edition
00:21of the MT-09, Yamaha's made just the right amount of refinements, so it's still really
00:25fun and sporty, but it's not so in-your-face and trying to fight you on the ride.
00:30Alright, so it's the same triple that we all know and love here in the MT-09, and that
00:34is really a good thing.
00:35They didn't have to make any changes there because it has such a playful power band.
00:40Down low, and even when you're getting up 6, 7,000, 8,000 RPM, this thing is still hauling
00:45the mail, and that's what riders want out of a street fighter machine.
00:49One of my favorite things about this MT-09 is the updated quick shifter.
00:53I really tried to confuse this quick shifter.
00:55I definitely tried to shift when I'm idling, when I'm aggressive on the throttle.
00:59This might be the smoothest shifting MT today.
01:02Alright, so as a shorter rider, I really pay attention a lot to levers and foot selectors,
01:08things like that, because I normally have a little bit more trouble getting a reach
01:11on all those different things.
01:12So I really like that the MT-09 does have adjustable levers for both the front brake
01:16and the clutch, and also I think the riding position in general is going to suit smaller
01:19riders as well.
01:20So Yamaha told us about some changes they made to the riding position.
01:23At first, I was a little concerned.
01:24It sounded like it was going to get a little too aggressive and sport bike-like.
01:28Now after riding all day on this MT-09, I would want to say that I think that verbiage
01:31is just a little over the top.
01:34This is still a really relaxed riding position, especially compared to the sport bike models.
01:38So if you're a rider and you're worried about this thing getting a little too sporty, don't
01:41worry about that.
01:42I was still comfortable all day, nice and upright, no soreness in the shoulders.
01:46Alright, so out here in Cupertino, California, and all the way through Santa Cruz, we found
01:50a lot of tight technical roads.
01:52I was definitely doing some heavy trail braking into a lot of these corners, blind corners,
01:57not sure where I'm going to be going next, and I'd have to say the MT-09 was a really
02:00great dancing partner in that aspect.
02:02And so if I needed to make a quick, fast dive, the MT-09 was there with me all the way through.
02:08So Yamaha did update the suspension with stiffer settings.
02:12Now me being a smaller and shorter and lighter rider, I do notice things like that.
02:16I would say the suspension is a bit stiff for my liking.
02:19Now I like that into tight technical corners, but I would have to say for the casual riding,
02:24going through town, hitting potholes and bumps, you're going to feel a little bit more of
02:27that getting transmitted up through the seat of the pants.
02:30So the good news here is of course that the suspension is adjustable on the MT-09.
02:35The MT-09 has seen some refinements in the electronics department as well.
02:38It now has three pre-baked rider modes, rain, street, and sport.
02:42Before it was up to riders to individually select TC, ABS, and other rider aids independently,
02:47but now the pre-baked modes take all the guesswork out.
02:50And you also have two custom maps, you can fine tune that to whatever you like.
02:54I tried out rain mode, it works as advertised, nice gentle setting.
02:58Now between street and sport, you know, I actually find they're both pretty aggressive,
03:03really sporty and fun.
03:05So I'd say in either of those modes, you're going to have a good time.
03:08All right, so new for this year, Yamaha has taken another look at the front end and they've
03:11updated it here, the styling and look of it.
03:14It's a little bit more aggressive and brooding looking.
03:18I personally like it.
03:19I think previous MTs were a little friendly looking, you know, they had like a smile in
03:23those headlights there.
03:24So for this year, you can enjoy a little bit meaner look to the dark side of Japan.
03:29The MT-09 still rides like the aggressive street fighter machine it has always been,
03:33but it has gotten even more aggressive.
03:35With the new riding position and stiffer settings, it is definitely inched back toward a sporty
03:39and not a casual riding experience.
03:41All right, so that's going to do it for our first ride review on the 2024 Yamaha MT-09.
03:45If you want to see more about this bike, head on over to CycleWorld.com.
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