Filled with dread, I threw a leg over Yamaha’s fourth iteration of the MT-09 in San Jose, California. There are always some nerves that come with taking a fresh press bike out for a rip, but that’s not what was fuelling my thoughts.
My mind was swimming in a mishmash of conflicting outcomes. I worried that, due to the latest sports-inspired design changes, the new MT-09 had left behind its hooligan ways while simultaneously failing to make up enough ground on its direct rivals known for their sharpness. I wanted that character to still be there because I’d never got to try and see what the fuss was about myself.
