2024 Yamaha MT-09 SP review: Better brakes and more electronic goodies for the top-spec CP3 naked

It took Yamaha until 2018 to answer the please of experienced riders who enjoyed the regular MT-09’s punchy triple-cylinder engine and agile chassis, but not the low-rent suspension that held back what could be a potent sporty middleweight naked motorbike.

The MT-09 SP’s Öhlins shock and fully-adjustable KYB forks saved punters from having to fork out for aftermarket shocks and fork internals, and took the fight to the Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS: not wholly successfully, as the Triumph’s origins in the Daytona 675 supersport machine still gave it a much more assured feel, where the MT-09’s unusually long forks (and less-than-perfect standard suspension settings) meant it still wasn’t fulfilling its premium middleweight naked potential.

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The 2021 revisions to the MT-09 SP helped, and now in 2024, it’s better than ever. Naturally, it shares all the updates to the core engine and chassis introduced earlier in the year on the base £10,102 MT-09, but the usual SP refinements (Öhlins shock and KYB forks, R1M-inspired blue/black/silver paint with a clear-coated brushed-aluminium swingarm) are supplemented with Brembo Stylema calipers (a first for Yamaha, who use the oft-maligned ADVICS stoppers on every other big bike), keyless ignition (operating the ignition, steering lock and fuel cap but you’ll need the  pull-out blade to unlock the pillion seat) and new electronic options.

The most notable digital change is the ability to deactivate the rear anti-lock braking function, which is to satisfy part of the SP’s expanded design brief that it can handle moderate track use.

There are also two further rider-customisable modes (in addition to Rain, Standard, Sport and the User mode present on the MT-09), plus a Track Mode which allows engine braking levels to be adjusted, too. There are also two different circuit-focused options for the TFT display, in addition to the usual four.

The result is a bike that’s more composed and capable than the regular MT-09, as well as feeling more of a true sports edition, justifying the SP tag better thanks to the enhanced braking as well as greater ability to set the bike to suit your needs, particularly for faster road and track use.

The standard 2024 MT-09 is keen steering and fun to chuck around, particularly at lower speeds – it’s in its element around town. But put some more speed and load through it, and the KYB suspension can’t cope: it’s too soft, with the rear end in particular squatting and rebounding too quickly, which unloads the front tyre and promotes instability.

This is where the MT-09 SP feels better from the first turn explore more of its enhanced capability: grab a handful of brakes or throttle, and there’s no excessive pitching from one tyre to the other. The same is true when you keep your speed up and rail a bend – it holds its poise with a keener turn rate and more ground clearance than the stock bike which loads up and makes it clear there’s a limit to how much speed/lean it’ll stand, especially if you throw bumps into the mix.

The balance is better as well as the support, both ends responding in a similar way and using around the same amount of travel, where the shock tends to collapse under duress on the basic MT-09. That’s likely where the better turning and ability to hold a line come from: factors like weight, geometry and even tyre fitment (Bridgestone S23 as standard on both models) unchanged between the two.

Spring and damping are matched well enough, though it’s definitely on the sporty side and it can be harsh on poor surfaces or big bumps. The fully-adjustable KYB forks (including both high/low-speed compression adjustment, an unusual addition) and Öhlins shock should have enough adjustment range to knock that back a touch, maintaining the SP’s superior stability and mechanical grip while introduced a little compliance for Britain’s battered roads…

The Brembo Stylema front calipers may be the most welcome change for owners of either the previous MT-09 SP or the current base model: power and feel are much superior to the ADVICS four-pots used across just about every large capacity Yamaha, including the R1.

And it’s not just the calipers themselves that improve braking performance: the forks extra support mean it takes more effort to overwhelm the front tyre and trigger an ABS response from the IMU-supported electronics, and if you are a heavy braker you’ll appreciate the ability to turn off rear ABS as well adjust engine braking, features unique to the SP.

These of course open the opportunity for skids, or messing around backing it in (if that’s your bag), but taking the rear wheel’s behaviour out of the equation also means the anti-lock response is further reduced: it’s capable of really nailing the front tyre and even lifting the rear a touch when the rear ABS is off, something you can’t say of the standard MT-09. Or any other recent Yamaha for that matter. Maybe this is the start of the firm finally dealing with underwhelming brakes across the range…

The inline-triple configuration was monopolised by Triumph for a long time: now, Yamaha’s CP3 lump (now several generations and a capacity increase in) is one of the best. Just shy of 120bhp is hardly headline grabbing stuff but with a wide, flat torque curve providing thrust via well-chosen gear ratios, it never feels feeble. Quite the opposite – it’s grunty from the bottom, and eager to light up the far reaches of the tacho on the TFT dash.

As with most modern machines you have a choice of throttle maps, but the middling map (the default for the overall ‘Street’ ride mode) is the best choice – full power, without the spiky throttle response that comes with selecting ‘Sport’.

That combination of friendly but responsive throttle and easy torque makes for one of the finest wheelie machines you can buy – even more so than the regular MT-09 (whose hooligan streak is barely concealed), as the firmer shock and reduced propensity for wobbles means it’s easier to hoik a fat one and not come down into the mother and father of all tank slappers…

Tomfoolery aside, it’s a solid mix of usable and enjoyable – there’s enough on tap for stress-free overtakes without a gearbox tap-dance, while it builds speed in a way that doesn’t feel too out of hand on the road, whereas an open-class supernaked (Yamaha’s own MT-10 for example) require that bit more self restraint – or things will get rapid, rapidly…

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Euro 5+ hasn’t had any notable negative impact – no bad manners, no obvious power penalty, and the new ‘acoustic grilles’ in the top of the airbox shroud channel intake noise from the revised airbox straight up towards you, so you get to hear the three-pot’s heavy breathing, but the Eurocrat’s dB-meter isn’t sent into a frenzy, either.

The R1M-alike paint (with matching brushed-alloy swingarm and blue-anodised ‘spin-forged’ wheels) lends the MT-09 SP a higher-class feel than the everyman’s model, as do the premium suspension and brake parts. The rest of the components are shared, barring a few finishes, but the latest generation is put together and detailed a little more nicely than previous generations: cleaner design, fewer plasticky shrouds with ugly-but-necessary parts better hidden away than before.

The exhaust still stands out as a bit fugly, with odd concealed outlets on its lower side. A short side-exit silencer wouldn’t harm – even if only for appearances sakes on the back of a mid-section doing all the silencing/emission-scrubbing duties, as many stock end-cans are now.

Historically the CP3 is tough, and there’s no drastic changes or hike in power to stress it, so the latest generation shouldn’t prove any different. There’s a new dash and switchgear that are as yet unproven, but again Yamaha doesn’t have any notable issues with shoddy electrical components. The new switch blocks and display both look and feel high quality.

The MT-09 SP undercuts all of its rivals on price: the Triumph Street Triple 765 RS, Ducati Monster SP and KTM’s Duke 990 all come in at a higher RRP, and at £1700 more than the standard MT-09, the difference isn’t drastic considering the componentry and higher-level finish. Tot up a shock, fork cartridges and uprated calipers for a standard bike, and you’ll see what we mean…

We’ve yet to test the MT-09 SP against rivals, but from experience we can make an educated guess as to how the 2024 model will fit in the class. The Triumph’s supersport origins will likely make it the better track tool: racier tyres, geometry and more power will see to that, although it’s a more serious machine that perhaps lacks a little of the MT-09 SP’s perky fun-factor.

The KTM is a strong contender too, but at £12,999 before you start ticking the boxes for software enhancements needed to bring parity with the Yamaha, you’re looking at more still (although the Austrian brand offered the goodies for no extra cost just months after launch: such promotions and combo deals are frequent).

The Ducati’s L-twin engine makes it the slimmest and most agile machine in class, and the full Öhlins suspension is arguably the highest-spec setup, sharing the same Stylema calipers as the Triumph and Yamaha. But it’s the most expensive – by over £2000. Is it £2000 more enjoyable? No. Is it £2000 more desirable? Your call…

There’s very little left that Yamaha could add to make the MT-09 SP more tempting. It has cruise control – not radar-assisted, but it works well enough, and not everyone wants sensors interfering even more.

The two-way quickshifter has enhanced functionality for 2024, now allowing downshifts when accelerating which sounds contrary to the point of a quickshifter, but is useful if you open the throttle for an overtake and decide you need more urge from a lower gear. Similarly, it allows upwards shifts off the throttle if you want to cog it up to bring the rpms down.

Connectivity is enhanced, with full map Garmin Navigation available if you pair a smartphone and use a free app. There’s a Yamaha app which logs riding stats and allows you to meddle with electronic settings from your phone too, view service history and more. Hardly essential, but some love to nerd out on these things, and it’s better than offered by many rivals.