2022 Yamaha MT-09 officially in Malaysia, RM54,998

After being teased during the launch of the 2022 Yamaha TMax 560, the 2022 Yamaha MT-09 is now officially launched in Malaysia, and priced at RM54,998 recommended retail excluding road tax, insurance and registration. Stocks of the 2022 MT-09 will arrive in authorised Hong Leong Yamaha Motor dealer showrooms beginning November 11.

The RM54,998 is a substantial hike over the 2018 Yamaha MT-09 price of RM47,388, an increase of pricing of RM7,610. The increase in pricing can be attributed to supply chain issues currently affecting worldwide vehicle production as well as the vagaries of the currency exchange.

For the 2022 MT-09, a completely new die-cast aluminium frame is 2.3 kg lighter than before, reducing overall bike weight to 189 kg from 193 kg, fully fuelled. More weight savings were made in the sub-frame (1.5 kg lighter), the engine (1.7 kg lighter) and the exhaust system (1.4 kg lighter).

The familiar Crossplane 3 inline-triple is installed in the MT-09, nomad Euro 5 compliant and bumped up in displacement to 889 cc from the previous 847 cc. Yamaha claims the 2022 MT-09 produces 117.3 hp at 10,000 rpm and 93 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm, an increase from the outgoing MT-09’s 115 hp and 87.5 Nm.

For the driveline on the MT-09 things remain the same, with power going through a six-speed gearbox and assist and slipper clutch with chain final drive. The exhaust system is an underbelly unit, cleaning up the looks of the MT-09 compared to the previous shorty side exit unit.

Inside the cockpit, a 3.5-inch, full-colour TFT-LCD screen, including variable colour bar graph tachometer and all other necessary information, replaces previous generation’s monochrome LCD unit. A single projector LED is used as a headlight, a changeover from the twin LED units, complemented by LED DRLs.

The 2022 MT-09 comes with a major upgrade in the suspension, now fitted with adjustable upside-down forks, 41 mm in diameter, while the adjustable monoshock has revised settings along with a revised linkage to improve suspension performance. Wheels are forged alloy, reducing weight by 700 grams overall and lowering rear wheel moment of inertia by 11%, allowing the wheel to spin up faster.

Braking sees a similar upgrade, with a radial master cylinder activating twin radial-mount brake callipers clamping 298 mm brake discs in front. The 2022 MT-09 stands slightly taller than the previous unit, with seat height set at 825 mm.

For Malaysia, there are two colour choices for the 2022 Yamaha MT-09 – Icon Blue and Storm Fluo. Purchase of the first 300 units of the MT-09 will come with a personalised Big Bike key pouch by Royal Selangor while every MT-09 will receive a safety disc lock, free of charge.