2026 Yamaha MT-09 SP

The Bike That Broke My Review Process

I spent an entire day trying to find something wrong with this motorcycle. A camera car run, a full first ride, a stretch of North Georgia highway. I failed.

And that annoys me, because I don't like reviews like this. I like giving you balanced takes, positives and negatives, and the 2026 MT-09 SP simply refused to supply the negatives. I'd already ridden the standard MT-09 at the press launch, so I knew the bones were good. What I didn't know was whether the SP treatment, the Ohlins, the upgraded electronics, the Brembos, actually earns its keep.

It does. Here's the thing: this might be the best sport-focused naked motorcycle you can buy right now, at any price. And the price is $12,700.

Performance highlights

Start with the engine, because Yamaha's 890cc CP3 triple is the whole personality of this bike. 119 horsepower, 68 lb-ft of torque, 428 pounds ready to ride. On paper that's a middleweight. From the saddle it feels like nothing, in the best possible way. An MT-07 gives you punchy fun in the city and then runs out of ideas when you rev it. The triple doesn't. It hits down low and just keeps pulling, which means the fun lasts an entire gear longer than you expect.

Throttle behavior depends entirely on which mode you're in, and that's a compliment. Street mode serves up all that power in a way so controllable it's almost polite. Flip it to full power and the old aggressive MT-09 comes right back out. My 40 to 80 pull would have been quicker if I'd used less throttle, because Yamaha's lift control held the front wheel in the air for most of it. I have never trusted a bike's electronics the way I trust that system. I am not good at wheelies. This bike is.

Brakes are Brembo Monoblocks up front with a Brembo lever, and they're strong and precise with real feel. The rear caliper isn't Brembo. You will not care.

The suspension is where your SP money goes: KYB up front, Ohlins out back, fully adjustable. It runs firm, more super sport than commuter, so rough pavement sends you the full report. Leaned over on a back road, though, it locks in like something with clip-ons.

Rider experience and tech

The electronics package makes no sense at this price. The six-axis IMU comes straight off the R1, so you get power modes, engine braking control, slide control, that lift control I keep going on about, and cruise control that engages in third gear above 25 mph. The bidirectional quickshifter is quick and precise. The new dash is genuinely good too. Yamaha spent years in the wilderness on screens and has finally come out the other side. Rev it and the display flares like a Halo energy sword, which is exactly as silly and exactly as great as it sounds.

The ergonomics are sporty but liveable. The seat narrows at the front, so at 5'10" with a 32-inch inseam I had my feet flat on the ground. Lowish bars, slightly sporty legs, easy to slide around on. The catch is that the seat itself is hard. Two hours in, I felt it. If you're putting real miles on this bike, buy Yamaha's comfort seat and the problem disappears. Honestly, the seat is the only comfort complaint I have. The rest of the package is easy to spend a day on. No vibration in the bars at highway speed, a faint buzz in the pegs in fourth that vanishes in sixth. My only real nitpicks on the controls: I don't love the turn signal rocker, and the levers could use more grip texture.

The Chase Score and final thoughts

With a Chase Score of 85/100, the 2026 MT-09 SP lands in the Great tier and takes the top spot on the leaderboard, the highest score we've ever given. This is the bike for the sport-focused naked rider who wants super sport hardware without super sport ergonomics, wrapped in the best electronics in the business. Skip it if you want a plush all-day commuter, or if the soundtrack matters to you, because the triple is effective rather than beautiful, and it's the one thing on this bike I'd genuinely miss my CP4 for.