Which bike should I buy, all three are Yamahas

[Billy]

Hi, I'm in a quandary, a dealer is selling the 2016 MT 09 for about the same price as the MT 07 (£6234 OTR) and I am not sure which way to go? They are doing this because a new 2017 MT 09 is going on sale in December.

I was unsure if I wanted an MT 07 or an MT 09 in the first place, now I don't know whether to buy the 2017 MT 09, the 2016 09 or wait till next year and see If they upgrade the mt 07 for 2018?

What puts me off the current MT's is the reported poor suspension, I would have to spend about £1000 upgrading the suspension on either bike if the reports are to be believed.

I could hold off till the reports on the new MT 09 emerge but the present one at the above price is unlikely to be around.
I'm an old guy 69 years of age and my last two bikes were an R1 and a GSXR 1000, the GSXR was too powerful for me at the top end but that was 10 years ago. This would be my last bike and I would like to get it right first time, I would hate to get the 07 then wish I had the 09 but the low weight, insurance and MPG of the 07 appeal to me, torque is more important than top speed. Does the 09 have better brakes and suspension than the 07? I would be riding mostly in country lanes.

I am sorry for rambling on but I have no one to bounce my ideas off, I am greatfull I still have my health and have the wherewithal to buy a new bike.
Thanks for your replies.

 

[donut]

I have both an MT-07 and an MT-09. The standard suspension on both is acceptable but if you want to make progress then you would need to spend money on either bike (i've had the MT-07 modded so far at a cost of around £1000 and it has transformed the bike - still waiting to do the MT-09).

The MT-09 does suffer from a fueling issue (at least my 15 plate did) in that it surges/hunts on a constant throttle (caused by open/closed loop fueling) which makes 30's/40's unpleasant. Don't know if they've cured this on the 16 plate model but if not then you'd need to either get one of Kev's O2 controllers or get the ecu re-flashed (about £100 for the first and £300 for the second).

The extra power of the 09 over the 07 is great but if you found the GSXR too powerful then you may well find the same with the 09.

The MT-07 is a cracking little bike and easier to hustle around than the 09. It feels slower than it is but that is partly down to the feel of a twin rather than a triple or four. The 09 is faster to accelerate and on top speed but due to the 07's light weight I find that I often carry a higher corner speed on the 7 than the 9 (also because I may have over braked on the 9).

The 2 bikes also have quite a different riding position and one may suit you better than the other so if possible you need to get a test ride on the current 7 and 9 to see what you think.

Neither bike has a particularly comfortable seat so you may also wish to look into new seats and/or re-upholstery.

If I had to chose between the 2 bikes it would be incredibly close but I think I'd keep the 7- especially on country lanes. Both bikes sound awesome with the factory Akrapovic once the baffles have been cut down or removed.

Hope this helps and feel free to come back with any other questions.

 

[chump]

The 16 model 09 doesn't have the surging issues of the earlier bikes.

Suspension is OK but not in sports bike league. If you don't want to throw money at it you don't have to. MT07 is OK but I found it underpowered and reckoned I would get bored quickly.

 

[Billy]

Thanks for your detailed input donut, it's good to get feedback from someone who has both bikes, the GSXR was too strong for me on road at the top end.Thanks also to chump, what bike were you riding to find the 07 underpowered and what were you using it for?
Thanks again Billy

 

[Billy]

Could anyone tell me if the 09's full throttle acceleration in 3rd gear is as great as the GSXR 1000 up to100mph ,if so I would be leaning towards the MT. 07.The top end power of the GSXR was a waste of time for me on the road and too scary but I loved surfing the torque.Mid range torque with few gear changes for quick overtaking would be my wish.

At one time I had the original Yamaha Fazer 600, I found it too peaky, too many gear changes for overtaking,,, not. Enough torque, if that helps. A test. Ride would be Ideal but it's a bit of a problem at the moment. £6234 otr seems a good price for a. New 09. I Would have to have. It sent up to Scotland adding about £200.

 

[donut]

The 09's full throttle acceleration (even in 3rd) won't be as quick as the gixxer 1000 but won't be far off I'd guess.

However, the other idiosyncrasy with the 09 (or at least mine) is that the throttle is very sensitive to even minor inputs. Even bumps in the road may cause changes to input and have you either slowing down or speeding up. The slowing isn't too bad but if you take your hand off the throttle, to wipe your visor for example, and suddenly open it up the sudden burst of speed (especially in the low gears) may lead to some "interesting" moments. This may be relieved with a throttle tamer of some sorts though I believe and you should be able to either search this forum or google it for more in.

The throttle on the 07 is much more forgiving and feels just like an old style cable and carbs.

I was just as quick, if not quicker, on my 07 than my 09 over the mountain section at the Isle of Man TT. If you go on Youtube and search for "donut king isle of man" it should bring up some onboard videos that I took this year (09) and last (07) on the 2 bikes. And just for info both bikes were on standard suspension at the time.

Without knowing how you ride (and not wishing to be condescending) I would have thought that at age 69 and by your own statement of finding the gixxer 1000 too powerful at the top end that the 07 may well be a better bet.

 

[valvestem]

I have both an MT-07 and an MT-09. The standard suspension on both is acceptable but if you want to make progress then you would need to spend money on either bike (i've had the MT-07 modded so far at a cost of around £1000 and it has transformed the bike - still waiting to do the MT-09).

The MT-09 does suffer from a fueling issue (at least my 15 plate did) in that it surges/hunts on a constant throttle (caused by open/closed loop fueling) which makes 30's/40's unpleasant. Don't know if they've cured this on the 16 plate model but if not then you'd need to either get one of Kev's O2 controllers or get the ecu re-flashed (about £100 for the first and £300 for the second).

The extra power of the 09 over the 07 is great but if you found the GSXR too powerful then you may well find the same with the 09.

The MT-07 is a cracking little bike and easier to hustle around than the 09. It feels slower than it is but that is partly down to the feel of a twin rather than a triple or four. The 09 is faster to accelerate and on top speed but due to the 07's light weight I find that I often carry a higher corner speed on the 7 than the 9 (also because I may have over braked on the 9).

The 2 bikes also have quite a different riding position and one may suit you better than the other so if possible you need to get a test ride on the current 7 and 9 to see what you think.

Neither bike has a particularly comfortable seat so you may also wish to look into new seats and/or re-upholstery.

If I had to chose between the 2 bikes it would be incredibly close but I think I'd keep the 7- especially on country lanes. Both bikes sound awesome with the factory Akrapovic once the baffles have been cut down or removed.

Hope this helps and feel free to come back with any other questions.

Very good information..

 

[Davy]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the MT09 has throttle modes that you can change on the fly. I've never ridden the 07 but the consensus seems to be that B Mode on the 09 is very much like the normal throttle of the 07. Maybe Donut can clarify this.

 

[donut]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the MT09 has throttle modes that you can change on the fly. I've never ridden the 07 but the consensus seems to be that B Mode on the 09 is very much like the normal throttle of the 07. Maybe Donut can clarify this.

While B mode does indeed soften the throttle response on the 09 it's not one that I have a great deal of experience with having only tried it briefly out of curiousity. From this vague memory though I'd say that it was inferior to the 07's - though you would of course have the other 2 modes to play with on the 09. Definately something worth thinking about however.

The twistier the road the more I'd be inclined to go for the 07 and conversely the more open, smoother and faster the roads the more I'd possibly go for the 09.

 

[Billy]

Sorry to put a damper on this thread but I just had the first accident of my life on car or bike, t-boned another car on a roundabout in the dark, never saw it, suspect they forgot to switch on their lights as they were coming out of a supermarket, this has given me reason to reconsider buying a bike.Quite shaken and I think my car will be a write off.Maybe I'am getting too old for a bike, my family thinks so.they think I should stick to cycling where I was an enthusiast and ex racer. Feeling quite rattled
Billy

 

[donut]

Sorry to put a damper on this thread but I just had the first accident of my life on car or bike, t-boned another car on a roundabout in the dark, never saw it, suspect they forgot to switch on their lights as they were coming out of a supermarket, this has given me reason to reconsider buying a bike.Quite shaken and I think my car will be a write off.Maybe I'am getting too old for a bike, my family thinks so.they think I should stick to cycling where I was an enthusiast and ex racer. Feeling quite rattled
Billy

Sorry to hear this and hope everyone ok. Give it a few days/weeks and see how you feel.

 

[Billy]

Everyone ok,only damage to both cars, cannot believe I never saw the other car although the area is very dark without street lights,,still find it difficult to explain why I did not see other car,

 

[LewFZ1]

Billy I run a 2013 MT09 the fuelling has had the Yamaha upgrade, not great but you can live with it. The stock seat is certainly okay for me.I tend to do long haul touring at least twice a year. I live in SW France and this year have been to N Ireland in April, 2500 miles approx in a week, in September Sw France to N Wales, 2600miles approx in 9 days. I meet up with a group of friends who mostly run Z1000sx's. In A mode on twisty Welsh and Irish roads it was fun and an awful lot of so called quick lads ended up with egg on their faces.
If you keep the MT09 in either Standard mode or B mode it is a nice bike to ride, in A mode it becomes a bit of an animal. Yes the suspenion is not the best but I weigh in at 120 kgs and as long as you get it setup correctly again you can live with the suspension. I came from 1 litre bikes to the MT09 via Honda CBF 1000, then the Z1000SX, and then a FZ1 Gen 2 Fazer. Like you I found the bigger bikes to be getting to heavy for me. I nearly packed in biking and a friend lent me his MT07, nice but coming from a 1000cc bike the lack of power had me thinking I wonder what the MT09 would be like.I love it , oh and I will be 68 in February,my health is not great as I have Arthritis. The MT09 iis a stop gap bike for me for now, my next bike will be the MT09 Tracer.Sorry to hear about your bump. If you feel you need just 1 more bike, grab the 2016 MT09 at that price trust me you will love it. good luck no matter what you decide. Lew

 

[chump]

Thanks for your detailed input donut, it's good to get feedback from someone who has both bikes, the GSXR was too strong for me on road at the top end.Thanks also to chump, what bike were you riding to find the 07 underpowered and what were you using it for?
Thanks again Billy

I was riding a CBR600RR at the time but have had many bikes over the years.

MT07 power is the same as a Bonneville and SV650.

 

[Stan09]

Hi Billy.
I hope this helps, I'm 70 years old now and my last 2 bikes were a Suzuki GSX-R 1100, and a Triumph Speed Triple. I rode both of them for 3 years.The Suzuki was very heavy and having 2 dislocated collar bones (2 previous accidents) it was to heavy for me to handle at low speeds or when filtering. The Triumph again was to heavy at slow speed maneuvers.
I have had my MT 09 since 2013, and it's lighter and has a lower seat than both my previous bikes. There was a re-map of the ECU available in 2014, which I had done, and that sorted the snatchy throttle out a bit. Now I'm used to the bike it's not a problem. The Triumph was 135 BHP, and I don't know what the Suzuki was. The 09 is about 115 BHP, but the 09 is quite a bit lighter and the weight is all low down. So I can maneuver the bike at low speeds no problem as my feet are both flat on the floor. Also at my age I wouldn't need anything more powerful or heavy. But I think it is almost as quick as both of them. When I first got it I used B Mode to run it in, then I progressed up to Standard Mode. Now I go everywhere in A Mode. It's a lovely bike, it's light agile and powerful. This will also probably be my last bike, as I don't need anything more powerful. On the seat issue, it is very hard. So I bought a Bagster comfort seat. Problem solves. I use it for fun and for touring trips. I have also done more miles on it than I did on both of the previous bikes.
Hope this helps you. Buy the 09, You won't regret it.

 

[Billy]

Thanks to everyone for your informed replies, my car crash has put the bike on the back burner for now as I need to buy a replacement car. I am a bit concerned and have lost a bit of confidence since my crash. I will probably wait to next April before buying a bike.
Billy

 

[Shaun64]

There's some pics today in mcn of a mt07 based t7 tenere concept which looks & promises to be very good,if I could afford two bikes this would be my 2nd bike.