Saturday 17 October 2015

The 5, 4, 3 - MT: Living with a hooligan

5,000+ kms
4 months of ownership
3 Cylinders of fun

I now feel qualified to give a 'living with' account of the MT-09.
For objectivity, this will be broken into three components.
  1. Commuting
  2. Blatting
  3. Hooligan-ing
Commuting:
In all honesty, I really don't know how you'd find a better bike to commute on. Seriously. 

It's cheap to buy, cheap to run- and - it's a Yamaha.  Dealer support, Japanese manufacturing, piece of mind - work horse. 

Additional to the mundane 'will it start?' question - the MT is a weapon commuter. Upright position, forward stance, minimal rake - she'll tip in and change direction from her nose making her dance in traffic. 

Her triple-pot does not lug, chug, stutter or falter. Slow speed work is a breeze with a light clutch, manageable 1st and 2nd gears, and exceptionally strong rear brake.

"Traffic".....pffft - what traffic?

Done and done. 

Blatting:
Okay - the spirited weekend ride demands more attention and requires more finesse. This is true.
As per my Comparo piece, the MT will catch you out more readily than the Aprilia would have. 

But, hey - that's fine. It's supposed to. 
The MT-09 is not a bike for the uninitiated. Sure, you can buy one as a greenie-squid, but if you push her, she's going to bite your head off.

Plain. And. Simple. 

The suspension is an issue when getting on it - this is not news, not a secret - I am done talking about it. It can - and will - be fixed. 

Other than that. The MT is deceptively fast and fiercely responsive with an instant throttle action.
It's a good thing. 

Blatting with the best of them. 

Hooligan-ing:
Well....um - yeah. It's a hooligan. That's the point. 

Today's antics: Photo-roll






Warming up before hitting the Hills

Oh yeah - I'm still killing these Dunlops.....
Removed some commuter shame today....

\BitSar
Just getting on - MT-ing.....
If everyone did Wheelies, there would be no War