Firstly, a couple of photos:
Yamaha MT09-SP by Colin, on Flickr
Yamaha MT09-SP by Colin, on FlickrFirst impressions are everything and it felt really good. Smooth throttle despite what some reviews said, but a little bit snatchy in some cases. Nothing that would bother me. Riding position is better than the Trident. Slighlty taller bars and a wide seat were nice, and my feet slightly higher. Nice tank shape, my legs fit snuggly.
The quickshifter. Pretty smooth, maybe a bit smoother than the Street Triple R I tried. The gearbox when using the clutch is nice, much smoother than my Trident.
The sound. Oh my. Really good. Very good. Deeper and louder than the STR and noticeably so over my Trident.
Handling. Really impressed. I'd say on this short ride which was on similar roads and conditions to when I tried the STR, it's hard to find any differences. I will say though, the S22's felt really nice. Had a bit more confidence than my Road 5's.
Was a little worried about the dash being small. I am quite fussy when it comes to the dash/cockpit. It is small, but very clear and everything you need at a glance, revs/gear/speed, are nice and clear.
What didn't I like? The indicator. It's recessed into the grip handle. Turning right it's fine, but to indicate left you need to really search for it. Especially with winter gloves on. The clutch housing sticks out quite a bit, when you put your foot down. Not quite enough that I think it would annoy me, though.
So, other than that, a really positive ride. This bike is a lot of fun, I laughed quite a bit riding it. It is more playful than the STR. Maybe it's the engine, it does have more torque, and it sounds a little better. Can't imagine living with a louder after market exhaust on it.
Conclusion. It feels special enough, and after hopping onto my Trident after, it's a few notches up the ladder. It fits me really well, it's quick, handles really nicely and I love how it looks. Although I still have my reservations about the headlight unit. Anyway, I enjoyed it so much and at £10k I couldn't walk away, and put down a small deposit. They will hold it for me until mine is sold, probably around the end of March. My insurance ends then and I'd like a full 2 years NCD (unless I'm wrong here and it doesn't matter)
Final thought on the money side of things. Their trade-in offer was laughable. Anyone want to take a quess on what they offered me for a very very clean almost 2 year old Trident with a bunch of extras? Anyway, if I can sell it I will make a little profit even at the lowest market price out there.
