YAMAHA MT-09 SP (2018 - 2021) Review

Overall rating

For less than a grand more than the standard machine and cracking PCP deals available, the Yamaha MT-09 SP should always be the pick of the range to go for.

• Related: 2021 Yamaha MT-09 SP review

It finally gets the suspension it’s deserved all along, letting you unlock even more potential from the Yamaha’s superb engine and chassis. But with its still-vague front end we reckon they should’ve gone for Öhlins at the front to match the rear and fitted stickier tyres. Then it would be the full SP.

Ride quality & brakes

The MT-09 SP has a fully adjustable 46mm monotube Öhlins shock (also available as an official accessory for the standard MT-09), featuring a handy remote preload adjuster. You can easily reach it on the move, if you fancy a twiddle when you’re riding along.

Its classy yellow spring is actually softer than the standard MT-09’s (95N/mm versus 99.96N/mm). It gives the SP a plusher overall ride and a big improvement in stability and damping control. No longer does the Yamaha do its best impression of an 80s FZR600 with a knackered shock, when you’re hard on the throttle. 

Up front 41mm KYB forks are now fully adjustable (including high and low speed damping) and have progressive springs: 6.86N/mm for the first 75mm of travel and 9.32N/mm for the rest of the stroke. The soft bit is for comfort and helping the tyre find grip and the hard bit for support under heavy braking.

Why no Öhlins up front? Well, it would push the price into MT-10 territory…

The new front end is an improvement over the standard MT-09 set-up and works best when you can load the forks up hard on dry, grippy roads, but they don’t match the plush feel of the Ohlins rear. The MT-09 SP lacks the velvety ride of even the standard MT-10 and doesn’t have the balance of the (admittedly bouncy) MT-07.

Sitting low at the back and high at the front, the SP’s bars kick in your hands over bumps under hard acceleration and the front end lacks still feel in less than perfect conditions. Through slippery corners the MT is reluctant to turn and you feel you’re a breath away from losing the front.

There’s no question the SP is crying out for the latest generation sports rubber (its standard Bridgestone S20s came out in 2012 – tyres have moved on hugely since then) and with the extra grip, stability and rider confidence they would give, the Yamaha would really shine.

But when conditions are right, an MT-09 has never been able to cover ground faster, or been more fun. Wide bars and a commanding riding position will help you make mincemeat of sportsbikes through spiralling switchbacks and while the throttle still has a kick to it when you first crack it open, the quickshift-assisted gearbox is notchy and the brakes a little wooden (but effective), it doesn’t spoil your fun. 

Engine

No changes to the 847cc three-cylinder motor for the SP version. Like its MT-07 and MT-10 brothers and sisters the SP has a pathological appetite for name-your-distance wheelies, while singing its (slightly muted) gravelly three-cylinder tune from its underslung pipe. Accelerating from a closed throttle has been smoothed-out over the years, but it can still be on the jerky side around town and in slow corners. 

Reliability & build quality

The SP is really nicely screwed together with a flawlessly finished R1M-style paintjob, blue wheels and classy details like the Nanofilm-coated down pipes to stop discolouration.

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Value vs rivals

Like all the MT range you get a lot of bang for your buck with the SP and priced to compete with the Triumph Street Triple R.

Yamaha MT-09 SP vs nearest rivals

We took the Yamaha around the MCN 250 test route with two of its closest rivals, the Triumph Street Triple RS and the KTM 890 Duke R.

Triumph’s Street Triple RS is the go-to middleweight naked sportster, and it’s easy to see why: you get the performance to embarrass bigger bikes, a glistening spec and more handling than us normal folk can ever use. It’s very focused, though – if you loved the cheeky 675cc original this feels like a flat-barred R6.

Yamaha’s MT-09 SP doesn’t have the same outright handling or rush, but counters this with greater usability than the Triumph. It’s perhaps the best pure road bike here for ‘normal’ riding, and cheapest too.

But it’s KTM’s new 890 Duke R that wins. Punchy, light, easy to ride and oh-so-agile, the beefed-up twin is the trackday-ready tool you’ll genuinely want to ride every day.

Equipment

As well as the new fully adjustable Ohlins shock and KYB forks, like the standard MT-09 you get three riding modes, ABS, a three-stage traction control system, white on black digital clocks, quickshifter and an ‘Assist and Slip’ clutch.