Yamaha’s Wheelie Machine Is Getting A Shock Treatment

Quick Highlights: 

• The Yamaha MT-09 plug-in hybrid concept has been unveiled

• Shares the same design language as the regular MT-09 but in a beefier avatar 

• Could launch in the international markets in a couple of years

The Yamaha MT-09 is arguably one of the most aggressive street naked motorcycles in the sub-1000cc segment. The bike is always eager to hoist its front wheel straight up, making the MT-09 the perfect motorcycle to make you giggle endlessly. But in this modern day and age, the emission norms are just getting more stringent, and your dream of owning a fire-breathing monster may just remain a dream. To tackle this issue, Yamaha has unveiled the MT-09 plug-in hybrid concept. While the bike is still far away from its final production avatar, Yamaha gave us a glimpse of what the future may look like. 

The Yamaha MT-09 PHEV

The Hybrid MT-09 shares a similar design language to the regular Yamaha MT-09 but gets a chunkier mid-section. This is due to the new electric motor, which is located right above the engine. The fuel tank also gets a grill that acts as a cooling vent for the motor. The headlight is also a bit different and is more angular and sleeker. 

When the hybrid MT-09 comes to a halt, the bike switches to EV mode and is powered by the electric motor. When you start rolling the throttle, the bike will start moving while still being in the electric mode. Once the bike reaches a certain speed, the engine starts and the vehicle switches to the hybrid mode. The system will also provide a boost in the form of additional power from its electric motor when in hybrid mode (in a way, just like the Yamaha Fascino). From the video released by Yamaha, the change from electric mode to hybrid mode is quite seamless and is automatic.  

You also get a small LCD console, which is mounted on the handlebar, that shows you the remaining charge in the Hybrid system. The battery can be topped-up by a charging port, which is located on the tail section of the motorcycle. 

A Story We’ve Heard Before

The MT-09 Hybrid is not the first time Yamaha has ventured out in the Hybrid sector. In fact, the MT-09 follows the X-Max SPHEV concept scooter that was unveiled in February this year.. 

While Yamaha has not unveiled the official specs of the MT-09 Hybrid, expect the bike to make more power and torque than the regular non-hybrid version. The bike is also expected to weigh considerably more than the regular version due to the addition of the new electric motor and the battery pack. 

ZigSays

So, is the tech on a bike like this really needed? While it may not make much sense for India, this will act as the ideal middleground between petrol-powered big bikes and high-end, high-performance pure electric motorcycles. The latter is often way too expensive for what they offer, so a hybrid 890cc triple might just make a bit more sense for those who want to go green while not compromising on the analogue fun factor. 

Purists may scoff at the prospect of hybridising such an enthusiast-friendly motorcycle, but we’d rather take this than see the entire model get eviscerated forever (remember what happened to the Dodge Charger?). We also hope that the bump in power and torque at least balances out the additional weight to keep the power-to-weight ratio in check. All said and done, expect the production model to be optimised considerably to retain the fun factor the MT-09 is always revered for. 

As for India, the regular petrol-powered MT-09 is planned to be launched soon, probably later this year.