Yamaha R9 (2025) - Technical Review

Ever since the three-cylinder Yamaha MT-09 entered production back in 2014 there have been rumours of a faired R9 sports bike based on the same platform. Now it’s finally here and surprises by gaining its own purpose-made chassis wrapped around a retuned MT-09 motor.

While the prospect of an R9 was little more than wishful thinking initially, back in 2021 we got the first solid evidence of the machine in the form of trademarks filed to protect the ‘R9’ and ‘YZF-R9’ titles. It’s been more than three years between those clues and the bike’s launch, and it’s clear Yamaha’s engineers have been hard at work on the project the whole time. The result is a sports bike that essentially slips into the position that was left empty by the demise of the R6 as a street-legal machine, but with a larger and torquier engine that will give the grunt of a machine in a higher category.

Pros & Cons

2025 Yamaha R9 - Price

A lack of direct rivals means it’s hard to judge the value proposition that Yamaha’s £12,250 price tag gives the R9. It’s only a fraction more expensive than the similarly-powered MT-09 SP and undercuts the track-only, £13k R6 Race, and by those yardsticks seems like a strong proposition. It’s also a little less expensive than the £12,509 XSR900 GP, which tested the waters for a faired MT-09 derivative with its half-faired, retry style. But throw Honda’s reborn CBR600RR into the mix, along with Kawasaki’s ZX-6R – the two last holdouts of the traditional four-cylinder 600cc category and each priced at around £10,500 – and the picture becomes less clear.

While the R9’s 117.3hp peak, the same as the MT-09, doesn’t stand out in a world of 200hp-plus superbikes, the relatively slow sales of those neck-snapping machines suggests that power isn’t everything. And remember, the R9’s power, torque and weight put it a nose ahead of the original 1992 Honda Fireblade in terms of pace, while combining it with modern suspension, tyres and electronics that machine could never have dreamt of.

Initially the bike will be offered in two colour schemes, Yamaha’s classic ‘Icon Blue’ and a simple ‘Tech Black,’ and it’s expected to reach UK showrooms towards the end of March. In the meantime, it will get a public unveiling at EICMA in Milan in early November and be present on Yamaha’s stand at Motorcycle Live at the NEC from 16th-24th of November if you want to see it in the metal.

2025 Yamaha R9 - Engine & Performance

The R9’s power comes from the same ‘CP3’ triple that powers the latest MT-09 and spin-offs with just a handful of tweaks to suit its new home.

The essentials of the engine are unaltered. The  890cc capacity, 78mm bore and 62.1mm stroke remain, as does the 11.5:1 compression ratio, and the figures for peak power – 117.3hp (119PS/87.5kW) at 10,000rpm – and peak torque are also carried across. That helps when it comes to ensuring the R9 meets all the right emissions rules, of course, and reduces the development cost, but Yamaha has tweaked the motor with R9-specific ignition and fuel mapping, along with a different final drive ratio to suit its aerodynamic, faired shape.

The transmission is, unsurprisingly, borrowed from the MT-09 as well, and features Yamaha’s ‘third generation’ ‘QSS’ quickshifter, which allows clutchless up and down-shifts, with two settings available. Setting 1 is simpler, allowing upshifts during acceleration and downshifts during deceleration, while Setting 2 lets you downshift when accelerating or upshift when decelerating as well to cover a wider spectrum of use cases.

The electronics are as you’d expect of a high-end sports bike in 2025, including ‘Sport,’ ‘Street,’ and ‘Rain’ riding modes as well as two custom settings and four track modes, each controlling the setup of the power delivery, traction control, slide control, brake control, back slip regulator, engine braking and front wheel lift control. There’s launch control as well, and the settings can all be adjusted via the MyRide smartphone app even when you’re away from the bike.

2025 Yamaha R9 - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

This is something of a surprise. While we’ve been expecting the R9 for years now, the assumption has been that it would follow the same recipe as the smaller R7 and R3 models by simply wrapping the chassis of the equivalent MT naked bike in a fairing, adding some low bars and rearsets plus dedicated sports suspension, and calling it a day. That’s not the case, though, as the R9 actually features its own dedicated, cast aluminium Deltabox frame.

Yamaha claims to have adjusted the torsional, lateral and longitudinal rigidity specifically for the R9, using carefully-chosen thicknesses for the aluminium as well as strategically-positioned holes in the chassis. Coming in at only 9.7kg, it’s said to be the lightest frame yet for a Yamaha supersports model, helping the R9 hit its wet weight of only 195kg. That’s just 2kg more than an MT-09 despite the addition of the bodywork and beefier suspension.

Speaking of which, it would have been easy to use the same forks as the MT-09 SP, but while the KYB brand is unchanged, the R9’s are fatter – 43mm vs 41mm – and take their inspiration from the R1. Adjustable for compression and rebound, one on each fork tube, they’re paired to a fully-adjustable KYB rear shock instead of the MT-09SP’s Ohlins.

The wheelbase, at 1420mm, is just a fraction shorter than the 1430mm of the MT-09, and substantially less than the 1500mm of the XSR900, which has a different swingarm.

The brakes are Brembo’s ubiquitous Stylema monobloc calipers, gripping 320mm discs and operated via a matching Brembo master cylinder. The six-axis IMU allows for cornering ABS, and the antilock on the rear wheel can also be switched off for track use.

2025 Yamaha R9 - Comfort & Economy

There are myriad factors behind the decline in superbike popularity over the last few years but one undeniable one is that the latest generation of machines has tended to put the focus so firmly on track riding that road use has been largely forgotten – resulting in bikes that are torturous over long distances. Yamaha’s clearly very aware of that problem and is being careful to position the R9 as a compromise between that race-style extreme and a more reasonable road-oriented setup.

The bars are clip-ons, mounted under the top yoke, but they’re positioned far enough back to prevent too much of a forward-hunched bias, while the 830mm seat is within reach to most potential buyers and the pegs are positioned low enough to let you stretch your legs a little. The result is a riding position that falls between that of the street-oriented R7 and the track-only R6 Race.

Fuel economy figures have yet to be released, but with the MT-09-based engine and slinkier aerodynamics, the R9 should at least match the MT-09’s 56.4mpg, if not beat it. There’s a 14-litre tank, as on the MT-09, so the outright range should also be similar.

2025 Yamaha R9 - Equipment

On board you’re faced with a 5in colour TFT dash – pretty much the industry standard these days – with smartphone connectivity and a newly designed set of bar switchgear to help navigate it.

With a six-axis inertial measurement unit connected to ride-by-wire throttles and the antilock brakes as well as the engine’s ignition, there’s all the latest rider aids but also a couple of luxuries including standard-fit cruise control, operable above 40kmh, and a speed limiter that you can set to make sure you don’t get carried away.

The dash’s smartphone connectivity allows the use of the Yamaha MyRide app to modify the riding mode settings, and via the Garmin StreetCross app you gain full navigation. The dash also gives the usual info on calls, texts and even weather updates. For more in-depth control, the subscription-based Y-TRAC app lets you access datalogging from the bike including lap and sector times, as well as data relating to lean angle, revs, gear position, throttle position and speed, which can all be cross referenced to GPS data from either the rider’s phone or an on-bike Garmin GLO2 GPS unit. If you’re so inclined, you can even use the Y-TRAC app to let your pit crew (you have a pit crew, don’t you?) send messages to the dash while you’re on track.

2025 Yamaha R9 - Rivals

Three-cylinder sports bikes aren’t thick on the ground since the demise of the Triumph Daytona 675, and the remaining examples of the breed are either in a higher cost class altogether, like the MV Agusta F3, or in a lower performance bracket like the Triumph Daytona 660. That might change with the introduction of upcoming Chinese triples like the CFMoto 675SR and the Zontes 703RR, but until they’re available the R9’s main rivals are the old guard of 600cc-class four-cylinders or maybe Aprilia’s RS660 twin.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R | Price: £10,599

Read more

Power/Torque

112bhp / 50.9lb-ft

Weight

198kg

Honda CBR600RR | Price: £10,529

Read more

Power/Torque

119.4bhp / 46.5lb-ft

Weight

193kg

Aprilia RS660 | Price: £10,450

Read more

Power/Torque

100bhp / 46.5lb-ft

Weight

183kg

2025 Yamaha R9 - Verdict

We’ll let you know when we’ve ridden it

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2025 Yamaha R9 - Technical Specification

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