In this week’s issue of Cycle News®, the Yamaha MT-09 SP came out on

top in the magazine’s Middleweight Naked-Bike Shootout. The MT-09

SP was pitted against the new inline, four-cylinder Kawasaki® Z900 SE

ABS, KTM®’s parallel-twin 990 Duke, and Triumph’s® inline three-cylinder

Street Triple® 765 RS, all of which represent the high-“er”-end of the

performance spectrum in this class for each of the manufacturers.

The mag touted that the MT-09 SP was “Well-rounded performance in all

aspects and the best value for money pushed the Yamaha to the top of

the tree.”

“Front-end feel on the Yamaha is exceptionally good under

brakes, allowing you to load that front Bridgestone up and rail

through long corners while having greater side-to-side agility

for slow switchbacks.”

“The Yamaha also has the best electronics package with everything

standard.”

“It also features the best user interface for navigating electronics.”

The Yamaha is light on its feet in corners, and the ergonomics and

relatively comfortable seat mean you can ride the MT for longer

than the other three bikes on test without getting too pained.”

To read the complete Cycle News® article, click here.