YAMAHA MT-09SP
It seems a little bit hard to believe that the MT-09 has been around for as long as it has – six years, to be exact. It got a much-needed update in 2017 due to the original version coming up short of the class-leading Triumph, specifically in the handling department. The original bike probably rates as one of the most underdamped bikes I’ve ever ridden; it was truly terrible and, at times, terrifying, so the arrival of some better (not difficult) suspension in 2017 was most welcome and let the brilliant 847cc three-cylinder cross-plane engine begin to shine. It was a much better bike but, being honest, still not brilliant or able to hold a candle to the Street Triple RS, which cost the same money.
Fast-forward to the present day and the MT-09SP has just been completely redesigned from the ground up, to the point that it can reasonably claim to be the only brand new bike in the test; only the name remains. The
