Things I don't like about my MT09

misscrabstick · Mar 7, 2014

Yes so whilst generally there are many things I love to bits, there are a few that proper piss me off,

1) whining gears, especially in 3rd and 4th, why do they do this? can they not shim a gearbox correctly?

2) The jerkiness at low speeds

3) The gearchange quality, my 19 year old zx6r has a silky smooth gearchange, I find the MT clunky and agricultural in comparison, I do appreciate though that it has not had time to loosen up and due to riding 5 different bikes often it could be I have not evolved that "special" feel for the gear lever yet.

4) There is something about the indicator switch that makes me hit the horn instead of pressing for a indicator cancel, this does not happen on my other bikes.

5) Sometimes I am not that observant, I nearly ran out of fuel yesterday, down to the last black bar on the gauge, I honestly expected a orange fuel light would come up on the dash like my Thunderace does when I was getting low, (admiitedly I should read the manual and be aware of this). I managed to get in 11 pounds worth of fuel, not even two gallons.

6) It doesn't hold much fuel.

Anyone concur? disagree? got anything you hate?

Triple Trouble · Mar 7, 2014

misscrabstick said:
Yes so whilst generally there are many things I love to bits, there are a few that proper piss me off,

1) whining gears, especially in 3rd and 4th, why do they do this? can they not shim a gearbox correctly?

2) The jerkiness at low speeds

3) The gearchange quality, my 19 year old zx6r has a silky smooth gearchange, I find the MT clunky and agricultural in comparison, I do appreciate though that it has not had time to loosen up and due to riding 5 different bikes often it could be I have not evolved that "special" feel for the gear lever yet.

4) There is something about the indicator switch that makes me hit the horn instead of pressing for a indicator cancel, this does not happen on my other bikes.

5) Sometimes I am not that observant, I nearly ran out of fuel yesterday, down to the last black bar on the gauge, I honestly expected a orange fuel light would come up on the dash like my Thunderace does when I was getting low, (admiitedly I should read the manual and be aware of this). I managed to get in 11 pounds worth of fuel, not even two gallons.

6) It doesn't hold much fuel.

Anyone concur? disagree? got anything you hate?

U can do around 30 miles in reserve before you run out of fuel...
The dash will tell u how many miles u have done in reserve as it automatically changes to this function when the reserve segment flashes. I can "squeeze" £16 worth of fuel into it which is around 12.22Ltrs @£1.30 a ltr after doing around 120 miles. I hope this helps?

Have a look at ur CO settings to elevate the "jerky" throttle.

The whine goes after around 1000miles. I don't hear mine at all now and the gearbox is as smooth as my 57plate gixxer 750.

misscrabstick · Mar 7, 2014

Useful info on the gauge, thanks for that Triple, I've still not done many miles so hopefully my whine will go before not too long, my co is at 15 on each pot, I am sure jerkiness has got worse since the akra went on, could be just me being a freak though, as I said before I do ride 4 other bikes, 3 of them often, and all have carbs that are very carefully balanced and smooth, maybe I am perceiving it as being worse than it really is, My car an 05 petrol powered Peugeot 307 is jerkey at just off idle, as are most injected vehicles I drive to one extent or another, I think it's just a function of modern closed loop fueling systems.

Stripy · Mar 7, 2014

Evening MissCS,

Sorry to hear about your findings which causes you less satisfaction.
The only thing, I can sort of agree with of your points, is about the horn button.
It is, to me, placed wrong, and difficult to hit correctly in an emergency situation.
But it is not, so bad, that I'd say, that'd I hate it.

Let it get run in better, and I'm sure you'll settle more in with it yourself.

Triple Trouble · Mar 7, 2014

misscrabstick said:
my co is at 15 on each pot, I am sure jerkiness has got worse since the akra went on/QUOTE]

I have it on good authority that if u have the Akrapovic (without baffle in)! Then 14 is the optimum setting for the CO. I knw it's only 1 "notch" different but it is rite on the border line of being perfect as opposed to 15 being just a tad too much lol

Credry · Mar 7, 2014

misscrabstick said:
Yes so whilst generally there are many things I love to bits, there are a few that proper piss me off,

1) whining gears, especially in 3rd and 4th, why do they do this? can they not shim a gearbox correctly?

2) The jerkiness at low speeds

3) The gearchange quality, my 19 year old zx6r has a silky smooth gearchange, I find the MT clunky and agricultural in comparison, I do appreciate though that it has not had time to loosen up and due to riding 5 different bikes often it could be I have not evolved that "special" feel for the gear lever yet.

4) There is something about the indicator switch that makes me hit the horn instead of pressing for a indicator cancel, this does not happen on my other bikes.

5) Sometimes I am not that observant, I nearly ran out of fuel yesterday, down to the last black bar on the gauge, I honestly expected a orange fuel light would come up on the dash like my Thunderace does when I was getting low, (admiitedly I should read the manual and be aware of this). I managed to get in 11 pounds worth of fuel, not even two gallons.

6) It doesn't hold much fuel.

Anyone concur? disagree? got anything you hate?

1) Haven't noticed any gear whine

2) Changed CO setting and got used to throttle

3) Totally agree, hopefully with a few more k's on the clock and another oil change this will improve

4) Fine with the indicator, but can never find the F*&^ing HORN!!

5) I like the fuel display and F trip, haven't had a problem

6) The 14 litres the MT holds gets me further than 17 litres on my SV1000 so quite happy with that

7) The SEAT, I hate that seat.

8) That crappy bit of metal under the fuel cap, that if you don't go a very precise angle filling up ends up splashing petrol everywhere

But I still love her!!

marcusfordus · Mar 7, 2014

I have to agree with you Credry on that stupid, stupid piece of metal in the top of the tank filler. WHY is it even there ?

I find the seat suitable but I've had lots worse.

My gears are super slick and it's not even run in yet, but I have adjusted the lever angle for my correct foot angle (it helps)

I run B mode a lot so have no jerkiness, but it's never going to be as smooth as a proper set-up 4-cyl carbs.

pipski99 · Mar 7, 2014

Mine had some gearbox whine through 4th, 5th and 6th but after 1000 miles it's now only in 6th and I'm sure that yesterday I noticed even that's quieter than it was.

I don't have any trouble with the indicator switch position as it seems natural to me, maybe similar position to my last bike, but the horn is way too far to reach.

The fuel tank is a bit of a joke. I rode a friends XTZ1200 Super Tenere yesterday and that was averaging 43mpg and had probably double the range of the MT but then lets be fair the XTZ is a big numb bus and too heavy and lumpy to be any fun. We had planned to do a ride to the coast - probably around 200 miles round trip and there would have been my little MT, the XTZ1200 and a BMW GS1200.

My fuel gauge began flashing at 106 miles so I would have been the only one having to fill up before we set off, again when we arrived and again when I got back. But I would have had more fun than the others on their world crosser touring busses.

The seat, again is not the best for 200+ mile trips. It's fine for short blasts and for up to a couple of hours but then numb bum sets in and constantly need to shuffle to get comfy.

Another sore point with many MT owners, the suspension - it was very poor in standard condition but with adjustment I'm more than happy with it. Not only is the handling much improved but the braking now gives much more confidence and it seems happier to get heavy on the front brake now. The rear does still just lock up and slide about if you so much as talk to the brake pedal wrong.

All in all I think the MT is awesome for what it was built for and what I bought it for - a fun toy to play out on when I'm not in the car or at work - it's perfect for its purpose. But I believe most bikes are a compromise in some way and I still regret not choosing a Triumph Tiger 800 or a Kawasaki Z1000SX to stick panniers on and be comfy for hundreds upon hundreds of miles. That's why I'll probably top up my savings then buy one of those to have as a 2nd bike.

Twozup · Mar 8, 2014

Gearbox whine disappears with mileage..

Snatchiness- smoother wrist action more or less sorts this out but as stated before it's an engine mapped to fall within strict emissions laws so never gonna be as smooth as balanced carbs. But you WILL stop noticing more miles you do

Horn v indicators. Again the more you use the bike the more it becomes second nature. Just like how you can use the telly remote without looking at it now!

Seat- I've never had probs with long mileage on the seat in fact I think I would struggle with anything softer? But my buns are made of steel!
I suppose if you were used to plushness then it would be a step backwards. There is a comfort seat option but I'd just buy a BMW if I wanted to do high mileages....

Suspension. Agree it's shite but with a day spent tweaking you'll find a decent enough compromise

Fuel level indicator- agree- bring back reserve switches!!!

Just my views everyone is different

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Triple Trouble · Mar 8, 2014

^^^^^wot he said^^^^ but I am getting the street rally seat as it's flat so no more nut crushing lol

trevorleigh · Mar 8, 2014

I can sort of agree of the fuel tank size, another couple of litres would be nice, I don't really find any problems with the seat, gearchange, gearbox whine, indicators or the throttle response, Only issue I have is that it always wants me to go faster than I really should be going!l Great fun bike though

Twozup · Mar 8, 2014

I hate my new radiator guard bought from Infinity.
Poor quality flimsy I'll fitting Chinese shite

Click [HERE] then {HERE}

marcusfordus · Mar 8, 2014

Twozup said:
I hate my new radiator guard bought from Infinity.
Poor quality flimsy I'll fitting Chinese shite

Click [HERE] then {HERE}

Chinese takeaway carton re-cycled ?

Twozup · Mar 8, 2014

marcusfordus said:
Chinese takeaway carton re-cycled ?

And measurements for fabrication taken using an elastic tape measure!

Click [HERE] then {HERE}

Cypher · Mar 8, 2014

misscrabstick said:
Yes so whilst generally there are many things I love to bits, there are a few that proper piss me off,

1) whining gears, especially in 3rd and 4th, why do they do this? can they not shim a gearbox correctly?

2) The jerkiness at low speeds

3) The gearchange quality, my 19 year old zx6r has a silky smooth gearchange, I find the MT clunky and agricultural in comparison, I do appreciate though that it has not had time to loosen up and due to riding 5 different bikes often it could be I have not evolved that "special" feel for the gear lever yet.

4) There is something about the indicator switch that makes me hit the horn instead of pressing for a indicator cancel, this does not happen on my other bikes.

5) Sometimes I am not that observant, I nearly ran out of fuel yesterday, down to the last black bar on the gauge, I honestly expected a orange fuel light would come up on the dash like my Thunderace does when I was getting low, (admiitedly I should read the manual and be aware of this). I managed to get in 11 pounds worth of fuel, not even two gallons.

6) It doesn't hold much fuel.

Anyone concur? disagree? got anything you hate?

I don't really have whining gears so can't comment. I might not be an expert with that but I like all the howls and grunts the engine makes so no complaints in that department.
There's no jerkiness in B mode but I know that's not perfect in all situations. I've stopped using B mode since a few weeks back and even though STD is jerkier, I counter it by using the clutch a bit more. I know some people don't like using clutch much but for me it's how I ride.
I have the exact opposite opinion about the gearbox - I think it's perfect. It almost feels like it knows which gear you're looking for and just clicks in. 2nd to 3rd and up is literally just a centimetre flick.
That's just a question of getting used to it. I did hit it a couple times but realistically haven't had any issues since. Horn being tucked away doesn't really bother me, I just rev the engine if someone does something unexpected in front of me.
I prefer the blinking last bar to a light if you ask me. Just watch when the F-TRIP switches on and from that point you have some amount of fuel left. Mileage obviously varies but I discovered that it's 16 miles for me when I stalled 50 metres from the petrol station :/ Heavy Central London riding though.
As per #5 - I agree. 2-3 more litres would have been perfect. In its current state I have to fill up every 80 or so miles which is annoying.

I'd say - ride it more. No wonder you can't get used to it if you're riding 5 bikes

I was given XJ6 as a courtesy bike for a day and it felt weird getting back on mine after such a short switch so I can't even imagine what I'd feel like if I had a new bike every day of the week

Stripy · Mar 8, 2014

Cypher said:
As per #5 - I agree. 2-3 more litres would have been perfect. In its current state I have to fill up every 80 or so miles which is annoying.

Cypher, / just of interest - when foooting around in the streets of London, and you're stuck at traffic lights, do you ever turn off the engine while waiting for green?
How often do you reach 3rd in the 30-zones?

Cypher · Mar 8, 2014

SuperMotoBoy said:
Cypher, / just of interest - when foooting around in the streets of London, and you're stuck at traffic lights, do you ever turn off the engine while waiting for green?
How often do you reach 3rd in the 30-zones?

I never turn the engine off and I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do it in London. There's just not enough time for it. Besides, I rarely get stuck at traffic lights. I filter to the front if there are cars queueing and I'm gone before they put it in 1st

Regarding gears - most of the time. It's jerking just a bit too much at 30 in 2nd. I'm usually in 3rd or even in 4th when I'm cruising.
I guess I'm going through gears quite quickly - 1st to 4th to get away from the pesky cyclists and then just cruise to the next red light. It is a low revving bike after all and I think 3-4 is the best rev range

Stripy · Mar 8, 2014

Okay, cool.
I just wondered. Not sure how much you eventual would be able to gain by keeping an eye on the traffic lights, and turn the engine off meanwhile.
It can just be the very frequent brake, stop, speed off/syndrome causing the havoc on the milage.

Im usually seeing 115-120 miles when commuting in through Manchester.

Triple Trouble · Mar 8, 2014

SuperMotoBoy said:
Im usually seeing 115-120 miles when commuting in through Manchester.

I'm seeing the same sort of mileage... 115-120 depending on whether I've been hacking about with mates or just plodding thru the
traffic

Twozup · Mar 8, 2014

Triple Trouble said:
depending on whether I've been hacking about with mates or just plodding thru the
traffic

Wish I had mates

Click [HERE] then {HERE}

Things I don't like about my MT09

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