Thinking about buying an MT-09

[Mully]

Hi all, Im Mully from Beccles in Suffolk. I have had many bikes over the years. My current bike is an 2007 FJR1300. Its a great bike with a fantastic engine, but its quite heavy. Its very fast in a straight line, comfortable for rider and pillion and extremely stable in windy conditions. My wife likes it which is a big plus ! Its a great tourer with the full luggage. Thing is i dont often tour. I often due 100 to 150 mile rides, but most of the time i hoon around Norfolk / Suffolk on my own, with a mate or a run with my wife on pillion, with my local bike club. I am getting on a bit but i still seem to be a faster (but safe) rider than most of my mates. What I miss is being able to throw the bike in and out of corners and the general flickability of a lighter bike. Especially on B or back roads. Got to admit a sports bike is too uncomfortable for me now. I was origionally thinking about an MT 07, but think the drop in power would be too much after the FJR. I have briefly sat on a MT 09, and it felt ok. I could get both feet flat on the floor, which i cant do on the FJR as the seat is wide at the front. The main reservation i have about the MT 09, is the tank range. Its a pain when you have to keep filling up, especially when you are out in a group. If i buy an MT 09 i dont want to try and turn it into a tourer, but would like to fit a rack and top box, also a screen that will give a bit more protection than a fly screen but that looks ok on the bike.
Any observations / opinions appreciated, including advise re luggage & worthwhile accessories. Ride safe Mully

 

[PaulG]

Hi all, Im Mully from Beccles in Suffolk. I have had many bikes over the years. My current bike is an 2007 FJR1300. Its a great bike with a fantastic engine, but its quite heavy. Its very fast in a straight line, comfortable for rider and pillion and extremely stable in windy conditions. My wife likes it which is a big plus ! Its a great tourer with the full luggage. Thing is i dont often tour. I often due 100 to 150 mile rides, but most of the time i hoon around Norfolk / Suffolk on my own, with a mate or a run with my wife on pillion, with my local bike club. I am getting on a bit but i still seem to be a faster (but safe) rider than most of my mates. What I miss is being able to throw the bike in and out of corners and the general flickability of a lighter bike. Especially on B or back roads. Got to admit a sports bike is too uncomfortable for me now. I was origionally thinking about an MT 07, but think the drop in power would be too much after the FJR. I have briefly sat on a MT 09, and it felt ok. I could get both feet flat on the floor, which i cant do on the FJR as the seat is wide at the front. The main reservation i have about the MT 09, is the tank range. Its a pain when you have to keep filling up, especially when you are out in a group. If i buy an MT 09 i dont want to try and turn it into a tourer, but would like to fit a rack and top box, also a screen that will give a bit more protection than a fly screen but that looks ok on the bike.
Any observations / opinions appreciated, including advise re luggage & worthwhile accessories. Ride safe Mully

Hi Mully
I have a 1250 Bandit and the MT.The 09 by comparison: Love the light weight and the torque is up there with the 1250.It passes cars in top gear as easily as the 1250.Actually it's a baby bandit.

 

[MT account]

hi mully, turn the bike into anything you want..... although try not to fit a velux window as a screen as in the bike in the pic!

 

[MT account]

hey! did anyone see the cruising pegs on that bike? im off to ebay usa now...........

 

[flydnb]

im going to get flamed here but if you want to put a screen and luggage etc on it your sort of turning it into something it isn't, its a light weight flickable bike because it has nothing on it, if I was going to get a sportier bike that you can still tour on id get the Kawasaki z1000sx, a lot lighter than the fjr and plenty of grunt at 142 bhp plus you can remove the paniers and it looks cool, the mt is really just a big supermoto with a similar riding character which is why I like it to be honest, the mt isn't a mile muncher due to its tank range , and as for pillion I have taken 2 on the back so far and its not bad but I wouldn't want to do it to often.

 

[MT account]

yeah, this person should have really gone out n bought a corsa.................

 

[MT account]

............theres a tiny little handle in there to operate the wiper n all..................class

 

[flydnb]

yeah, this person should have really gone out n bought a corsa.................
View attachment 1386

ha ha ha , have you worked out a way to fix it on your mt ?

 

[MT account]

well it would keep the sun off........wouldnt need the knotted hanky then...

 

[marcusfordus]

Mully, you should be looking elsewhere if you ever intend to carry a passenger, this bike can do it, but your passenger will fall out with you for torturing them. I've had the pleasure of dropping my mate off in town which is a blast down the motorway and city riding, he's not tall about 5,8 and just managed it. I've had my lad on the bike for an afternoon who's a lanky bean pole and he say's it's the worst of all the bikes he's had the pleasure of being stuck on the back of !.
Those Norfolk/Suffolk roads will kill your enjoyment with the bikes standard suspension as it is, so build a fork upgrade into your budget too.

 

[motorcycleboy]

Before the MT-09 i had a DL 650 V-Strom and a KTM 640 S/M.
I'm about 70-72 kg, 1,72m height and many times i had to carry my daughter or me wife who are about 62 kg and same height as me.
Both of them agree that the back seat of MT-09 is more comfortable than it shows..
I' d lay the bike in curvy roads, i did whellies etc. i pulled the bike on 200 km and they didn't worried at all. Of course they love this bike, maybe this "love".... equals the circumstances...
As more as i ride the seat becomes softer cause the foam-sponge in it takes the shape of my (our) but........ (which somebody wrote in the past that is made from iron).
The only problem is that passenger has to put hands on tank when braking.
P.S. the 14 liter tank has enough fuel for 120 mph journey...

 

[Mully]

Thanks for your candid replies fellas. I was origionally thinking of an MT 07 as a second bike. I ride solo most of the time with no luggage, and have my wife as pillion 10pct of the time with mostly a top box only. But I noted on the forum, that several of you have fitted small screens and luggage to your MT 09s, so was wondering if having an occasional pillion with topbox would work. If so i would sell my FJR, & the MT 09 with decent power would be my only bike. From your replies i dont think it is suitable, but as my wife is quite small, about 5ft 1in & 58KGs, i will try and get a test ride with pillion before i rule it out. Ride safe Mully
PS bear in mind that my riding is somewhat restrained, with my wife on the back ! Expect that applies to most of you.

 

[marcusfordus]

Thanks for your candid replies fellas. I was origionally thinking of an MT 07 as a second bike. I ride solo most of the time with no luggage, and have my wife as pillion 10pct of the time with mostly a top box only. But I noted on the forum, that several of you have fitted small screens and luggage to your MT 09s, so was wondering if having an occasional pillion with topbox would work. If so i would sell my FJR, & the MT 09 with decent power would be my only bike. From your replies i dont think it is suitable, but as my wife is quite small, about 5ft 1in & 58KGs, i will try and get a test ride with pillion before i rule it out. Ride safe Mully
PS bear in mind that my riding is somewhat restrained, with my wife on the back ! Expect that applies to most of you.

At 5ft,1 you will pull it off Mully. The seat pad to peg distance is the shortfall, lanky sods like my lad look like some sort of tree frog perched there !
The engine has heaps of torque to haul the pair of you along, and if swmbo is only on 10% of your riding, you might just like this bike (alot )