2024 Yamaha MT-09 SP Review – First Ride

As the tail rider in a train of approximately seven identical Yamahas, I couldn’t help but watch in awe as each of us weaved our way through the notorious Tail of the Dragon, bending the bike underneath us to our will through the 120-something corners, the unison of the dance mesmerizing as each of us took our turn, one by one, around each apex, at irresponsible speeds, front wheels inches away from the person in front of us. This is the kind of trust you build up after you’ve ridden with the same group of people for years on end. We all know that riding with your friends is fun. For us, the experience was heightened thanks to the motorcycle we were riding – Yamaha’s updated 2024 MT-09 SP.

What’s In A Name?

By now, you should already know what the standard MT-09 has to offer. Yamaha kept the bones of it intact while giving it a facelift and updating some of its electronics. So, what does the SP add? Not a lot, really. Which is good because there wasn’t much else to do to the MT-09 (other than slap fairings and clip-ons on it and call it an R9, but I digress…). But what’s upgraded essentially addresses the standard bike’s perceived flaws.

In the interest of getting right to the point, we’re not going to bother with a recap of the standard MT-09 here. If you want a refresher before reading on, I encourage you to click the link above to my review of the standard bike. Go ahead. Read that and come back here.

Now, with my thoughts on the standard MT-09 fresh in your mind, I’ll start with what I think is the biggest upgrade the SP has – the brakes. Specifically, I’m referring to the Brembo Stylema calipers. One of the few nits I had to pick with the base model was the brake feel at the lever during hard braking. I felt like I didn’t know what was happening during the last 10% of braking. Strangely, this is a common complaint with Yamahas, and the only reason I can guess is Yamaha’s partnership with Advics as its standard caliper provider. The ones on the base bike use two 30.2mm pistons and two 27.0mm pistons.

With the SP, Yamaha switched to the industry-favored Brembo Stylemas on both sides. Not only are the Stylemas 13% lighter than the Advics (including the mounting bolts), but they also have better heat dissipation thanks to the larger pad opening to flow more air. You need the extra cooling because all four pistons are 30.0mm. Everything else is equal between the two models – the 298mm discs haven’t changed and we’re still using the same 16mm Brembo radial master cylinder and steel-braided lines.

The verdict? There’s a reason Brembo is the gold standard, and the Stylemas prove it once again. I wish I could say which ingredient made the difference, but going hard on the brakes on the SP inspires more confidence than on the standard MT (which, I remind you, isn’t bad at all). Hauling ass on the Tail also means scrubbing off a lot of speed at times – consistently – and the Brembos never let me down. Crucially, I always felt comfortable knowing where I was with my braking power and how it translated to the grip and feedback from the front Bridgestone Battlax S23. It’s a subtle difference between the standard and SP, but a noticeable one.

From a visual standpoint, you’d probably notice the upgraded suspension before you look at the brakes. It makes sense, since the gold suspenders are easy on the eyes and are synonymous with Swedish performance. However, they’re not exactly what you think. The shock is an Öhlins piece with separate remote adjusters for preload and compression (rebound adjustment is still at the base of the shock), but the forks aren’t Swedish after all. They’re from KYB with gold outers to make you think they’re from Sweden. Nonetheless, they’re still quality pieces with DLC-coated inner tubes as well as preload, rebound, and high- and low-speed compression damping.

While playing rear gunner to Yamaha street ambassador – and the winningest AMA/MotoAmerica racer of all time – Josh Hayes, the pace was pretty hot. Now, Hayes was riding in front of me when we tested the standard MT, too, and I didn’t have any issues then. However, with the upgraded pieces and an equally hot pace, I found the chassis to be just a tiny bit more compliant and more responsive. I was impressed with the baseline settings for the fork so much that I didn’t touch a clicker all day. Never did I feel out of touch with what the front tire was doing.

Initially the shock felt too soft, so a couple turns of compression and preload helped firm things up and raise the rear a tiny bit. After that, I was happy with the compliance from the rear. If anything, the shock felt like it would blow through its stroke quickly when hit with a big bump or jolt. If the shock had the ability to adjust high-speed compression damping like the fork it would have helped, but for the most part, the Dragon is so well paved it was basically a non-issue. But hey, I gotta complain about something…

Unlike the standard MT, the SP gets a dedicated Track TFT display that puts a lap timer front and center on the screen while the speedo turns into a tiny figure in the corner. Track also gives you the ability to adjust the Engine Brake Management (between two levels) and the ability to turn off rear ABS. Neither option is available on the standard MT-09. Not only that, but Track theme also gives you not one, not two – but four customizable Track modes to tailor the bike’s settings for virtually any condition you might face.

Why a Track mode on an MT-09 SP, you ask? Well, Yamaha maintains its tight lips surrounding a hotly-anticipated R9, but why else would this feature exist?

If It Ain’t Broke…

Other than the above, the MT-09 SP is the same bike I couldn’t stop raving about in standard trim. The 890cc Triple is still the all-star here, with a soundtrack seemingly sent from the heavens (with the stock exhaust, too!). It moves with gusto, and is fueled beautifully in both Street and Sport modes – though there is a noticeable flat spot low in the rpm range. Break free of that dip and the MT screams with reckless abandon, accompanied by an invigorating pop each time you click up through the gears with the slick bi-directional quickshifter.

The best part? At $12,299, Yamaha’s only asking for $1,700 more for the SP than the standard MT-09. Good luck modifying a standard bike to the same level for that much dough. If it were me and I had to choose between the two, I’d work the extra shift to bring home the SP. Mainly for the better brakes. The up-spec suspension is an added bonus. The middleweight naked bike category is stacked these days, but I maintain that the fight for top dog is between the MT-09 SP and KTM’s 990 Duke. But that’s a test for another time…

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