Yamaha planning to launch MT-09 in India

Performance streetbike sales have been growing at a steady rate in India. With manufacturers like Kawasaki, Triumph, DSK-Benelli and Ducati being already present and garnering good numbers other manufacturers are also planning to enter this segment. ZigWheels has learnt that Yamaha is gearing up to launch the MT-09 in the Indian two-wheeler market. Yamaha will be showcasing the MT-09 at the 2016 Auto Expo and gauging the feedback received by the bike before taking a final call on the launch of the bike. The nearest rivals for the Yamaha MT-09 are the Triumph Street Triple (locally assembled) and the Kawasaki Z800 (CBU from Thailand) which have been priced very competitively in the Indian market. In the international market, the Yamaha 850cc motorcycle manages to undercut its opponents but for that to happen in the Indian market it will have to locally assemble the bike. Yamaha already has a CKD unit for the R3 and it will be interesting to see whether the MT-09 gets locally assembled or imported as a CBU unit.

The Yamaha MT-09 is a street oriented performance bike and adopts styling similar to the MT-07 with a petite headlamp and a chiselled fuel tank with minimum use of body panels. Special attention has been given to make the riding posture comfortable and upright with a wide handle bar and mildly rear-set footpegs. The motorcycle employs a die cast aluminium diamond type frame and swingarm to keep weight low while providing apt amount of stiffness. The Yamaha MT-09 is powered by an 850cc, triple-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor producing 115PS at 10,000rpm and 87.5Nm at 8,500rpm. The powerplant is mated to a 6-speed transmission. It also sports a traction control system with two different riding modes while ABS is optional. The bike employs a USD front forks and monoshock unit at the back while braking is done by disc brakes. Expect the Yamaha MT-09 to be launched in India by late 2016 with a pricing of around Rs 8 to 10 lakh ex-showroom.