Nice review. My experience backs up what you said. I tested the MT-09, XSR900 and the Z900. I bought the Kawi. The Yams were both too jumpy and flighty, for me, while the Z9 felt so secure, planted and predictable. That isn't to say that the Yamahas are not great bikes, they are. Just personal preference. I'm 6'2 so went for the optional tall seat which is much plusher than the standard seat and improves the leg room.
Cazzy R I agree with you both. I love my Z, very nimble, the handling is great and runs very smooth. I can see why people would prefer the Yammy especially for the price point. I like having something out on the street that isn't commonly seen. The seat is super uncomfortable I agree and that's my biggest gripe. Cheers.
For perspective, what's your inseam (an actual inseam, not trouser length)? I am only 193cm, but struggle to find bikes with enough space between pegs and tank knee cut-outs to fit my 34-35" inseam.
When I was in the market for a naked bike, I also compared both the FZ-09 (MT-09) and the Z900. I ended up getting the Z900 as it provided me with what I felt was the best value for the money. The Yamaha's throttle and rider aids felt too artificial to me and I honestly found the suspension to be borderline unsettling.
Same here, drove the MT 09 SP, lovly bike, but I went for the 2017 Z 900 performance. Two of my friends, drive a MT 10 and a MT 09 sp. All bikes are suprb.. The sadle is not so great on the Z 900, so I fixed that. Same thing on my friends Yamaha’s, comfort sadle is a must. Looking forward to driving Norwat up and down this year.
Yep, a slip-on. Stock catalyzers are so restrictive these days, including a servo-driven exhaust valve, you practically don't need any additional silencer. Hence the reason silencers in the aftermarket are so stubby. Buy an Arrow or Akrapovic header, join it with your slip-on of choice but make sure the silencer is long enough because it will be to loud without the cat.
love it have put 1900km on it in 8 months, but is first road bike though very smooth till about 5000 rpm then the fun kicks in. was told to buy one from the boys from work and not a lems bike as have opens and glad i did. thay r fun to ride but have nothing to compair with my ktm 250exc still would smash it from the lights.
i don't think the mic was acting up. not being able to hear the engine, or in other words, hearing your voice perfectly clear, is ideal for a video of a guy on a motorcycle, in my humble opinion. if you want audio of the engine at speed, have someone ride by you standing to the side. also, imo, the intro music is WAY too loud, compared to the level of the rest of the video. loud enough that i think some people might just stop watching because of it.
Haha uncomfortable, this puts things into perspective! I ride a Triumph Daytona 675 and rode my buddies Z900 today and it felt like I was on a sofa it was so comfortable, yet was still a blast to ride XD I definitely think I;m switching over to a naked bike soon!
I own a 19 z900 and my only riding buddy has a 16 fz09. Being that I have ridden BOTH ALOT I have to say the yamaha is a better wheelie bike and pure comfort but the z900 is better in other things like the pure enjoyment and stability of the machine. For example i can ring the z900 out and crush the city streets through traffic but on the yamaha I have to be much more cautious because the front wheel coming up prohibits me from doing any sort of full throttle traffic carving
Mt09 is lighter, more flickable, more torque, more electronics, faster, and that dash is horrid. There is no competition. Moot issue, sale numbers don’t lie. The ppl already know.
Haha maybe Ill look into getting my exporters license. I had a long holiday in Germany, Spain and Italy which ended just last week and I was shocked at the prices for a new MC. They all cost 2-3k more in Euro! that's insane, why are they so expensive over there?
Lol should've payed more attention to the accent, I thought this was UK. Dam govt taxes, guess I should count my lucky stars ours arnt that bad for most things. For a new z900 in the states MSRP is $8500, just converted it that's about 10,700 AUD, That means 3.5k in taxes!! You could've had a z125 on top! Quality vid btw, good job.
Really wish the Japanese would improve the aesthetic of these naked-liter machines in the segment. Sure they have the most performance for the least money, but the direction they've gone in the last decade in appearance? Other than the Z900RS, everything else is pretty ugly. MT-09, Z900, GSX-S1000, MT-10 all ugly. Great engines, transmissions, prices, but so ugly. S1000R, Tuono V4, 1290 Super Duke R, Monster 1200R all look pretty awesome but are not affordable.
I'd prefer the MT-09 over it, at least in stock form. I'd have to change the front to a 7" round, do something different on the tail, and make other cosmetic changes. I feel like the Z900RS is a way better "resto-mod" modern interpretation than the XSR900 ever was. Yamaha just took the MT-09 and slapped some parts on it and called it "cafe." I don't know if it's just my body or what, but my knees do NOT fit those scallops in the XSR tank at all. I'm 34" inseam. Seems like the scallops were designed upside-down or something.
nice bike and powerful but a lot of problems / clutch /rear absorber screw holder /automatic gear transmission down / engine light / hard to start and easy knock down
@@keloniomannamoinolk7153 i join in "Z900 Club Thailand facebook page" i know that as well in every single post of problem and z900 made in thailand.i have alot of idea.
Nice bike but the fact it has a 4 cylinder engine and no electronics, plus the ugliest instrument cluster I've ever seen just kills it for me. I just purchased the 2017 MT09 and it's stunning and goes like stink.
David you're talking out of your arse mate. There are situation there no amount of God like throttle control will save you. In wet conditions where the road is greasy and slippery traction control is the difference between staying on or binning it. Abs also will help you stop way quicker than braking without it. Don't care how awesome your skills are. Electronics can save your life. Not to include them on a bike these days is just poor. Also those electronics can be disabled. TC via a button. The MT09 offers a better engine and all those safety features. A way more rounded bike for pretty much same money.
Yeah I'm sure a bike like this with 125 HP and 950cc inline four engine, is "boring as batshit" as you say. Lol Just laughable, you would say such a stupid thing.
