When Yamaha’s R7 came out, our good moto community got more than a little excited.
Here was a lean, mean competitor with a grungy heart and a swooping torque curve, ready to kick the pants off of of any twisty in town – and while Yammie hit the target for narrow, light, reliable models (and more sustainable maintenance), the release of the YZF-R6’s smaller-cc replacement had many yearning for something beefier, bigger…
Something like the Yamaha MT-09.
“Bridging the gap between the parallel-twin, A2 restrictable R7 and the full-fat 998cc R1 superbike, the R9 would likely offer a more usable package on the road than the old rev-hungry four-cylinder R6 – taking advantage of the MT’s meaty midrange and low-end punch,” agrees Dan Sutherland on MCN.
Media accompanying this opinion shows a rendering of what that R9 might look like – and while the winglets are a bit much, there’s evidence to back up the whispers coming out of Japan proper.
Yamaha filed applications for the name ‘R9’ in all hemispheres last year, with follow-up this year; add to this the fact that the MT-09 is now the only naked bike in Yamaha’s range not to sport a sporty fraternal twin, and the puzzle becomes all the juicier.
“If our contacts are correct,” finishes Sutherland, “an official release in 2024 would coincide with the R1’s 25th anniversary, so it stands to reason that a livery of this kind would be on the cards for the new Yamaha.”
What do you guys think?
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