500KM Yamaha MT-09 Review

[bramds]

RedQualia, they actually do sell the latest Norton in Thailand, at 1.4 million baht.

 

And there are new Triumph dealers in Bangna, Lopburi and Pitsanulok.

[canthai55]

Words of Wisdom RQ. Would love a Multistrada - but Duc service in LOS appalling. Agree with BMW too - never was a fan. Overpriced and Fugly. But IMO only. Others will have their own opinion. To Each their Own.

[papa al]

Yamaha good.

Ducati, 50/50.

[soihok]

Just for info.

I am 27000km into my MT-09 experience since buying from new late 2014.

I only use the bike for "spirited" commuting in rain or shine. Most recent modification was to increase the rear sprocket size by one tooth when installing a new chain.

Good results with the pick up better and drive in sixth improved. I don't exceed 110km/he due to speed limits (still in Singpore), so it seemed an obvious way forward.

No issues at all with the bike, it's still a great experience. Just replaced the Michelin Pilot Power 3 tyres with Pilot Road 4, mainly chosen due to the frequent riding in rain trying to dodge the cagers on 4 wheels.

On a separate point.

Back home in Korat at the moment for a week of annual leave and must say that I have noted a tremendous increase in the number of "big bikes" on the roads since I was back almost a year ago. This is great to see and encouraging that the dealer networks will increase to suit.

I lived in Kuala Lumpur for two years 2012 to 2014 and the thirst for bikes in Malaysia was/is far greater than that in Thailand (went to the MotoGP races last year there, it was a sell out with more than 100k in attendance compared with less than half that for F1, which has now been dropped from the 2017 calendar).

Seems as if things have changed over the last few years in the right direction for biking in Thailand.

Now, who is up for an MT-10?

 

 

 

[RedQualia]

16 hours ago, bramds said:

RedQualia, they actually do sell the latest Norton in Thailand, at 1.4 million baht.

 

And there are new Triumph dealers in Bangna, Lopburi and Pitsanulok.

 

A bit of a digression, but I once rode a Norton 750 Commando from California to North Carolina and back -- coast to coast, maybe, but really, I did kind of a figure eight across the states, visiting Denver and Nashville and New Orleans and Chicago and etc. I think it was 12,000 miles in all. An internet search says that was about 19,300KM. Did it solo, as all my Harley riding friends thought I was nucking futs. Maybe I was, but their loss, me thinks. I had a great time, and that's certainly a big contributing factor to my preference for riding solo rather than in groups. Not much Norton service out there in the wilds of the states, and I distinctly recall feeling that if the bike broke down for any reason, I'd just have to push it as far off the road as possible and hitchhike from there on. Not too many problems, really, A footpeg vibrated off a bit before Denver. I made do with cruiser pegs for the rest of the trip. Had to replace the clutch hub at some point... Limped in to Greensville, NC, for that one. The replacement lasted back to California, but had to replace it again there. Indeed, I ended up replacing the whole engine at that time. I dunno that I had to do so, but I managed to trade a Velocette basket case for a new 750 racing engine, so that's what I did. I could be a bit sad about that, but seemed unlikely that I'd ever find all the parts to put the Velocette back together again, so what the hey?

 

I've owned lots and lots of Norton Commandos over the years... Generally preferring the 750s over the 850s. More power from the 750s, it seems.

 

I did do a search, and found that yes, Legendary Motorcycles in Bangkok apparently sells Nortons. Seems tempting, but also unlikely that I will pay 1.4 million Baht for such here in LOS. Also not sure if the 1.4 million Baht item is the 961cc Norton, or the newer V4. Regardless and gosh... I do miss Nortons.

 

And I wonder a bit at my insistence on being able to find parts and service here in every province in Thailand. Maybe that just comes from being old or something... You think?

 

 

 

 

[RedQualia]

You may not be able to see it all in the previous photo, but there was a fair amount of gold plating on that last Norton I owned. How nuts is that...

[thaiguzzi]

TLS front brake - nice. Ca'nt quite make it out, but the motor looks like it has a single carb conversion - even nicer. Pain in the arse, twin Amals on a street bike sometimes.

We used to regularly fit Norton Peashooter silencers on T140 Triumphs, good performance and a great sound.

From a BIG Norton fan, singles and twins...

[thaiguzzi]

On 05/01/2017 at 7:43 AM, bramds said:

RedQualia, they actually do sell the latest Norton in Thailand, at 1.4 million baht.

 

And there are new Triumph dealers in Bangna, Lopburi and Pitsanulok.

Oh to be wealthy and have 1.4 mil in spare change...

(Norton fan).

[canthai55]

Loved my Norton. Almost as fast as my H1 ... Almost. But handled way better.

[RedQualia]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Loved my Norton. Almost as fast as my H1 ... Almost. But handled way better.

 

I loved my Nortons, too. All of them. The one in the pic above was my last, and was a revived basket case. Had to order a lot of parts from Nova Scotia, Canada. It was an OK bike, but never as good as the previous Nortons. Gotta say that I didn't much care for going super fast on any of the Nortons... Seemed like up around 105-110MPH, I could see God and hear Mr. Scott complaining that things were going to fly apart. The Ducati in the background of the pic just started to come alive at 90MPH, and was comfortable at speeds of 140-150MPH. Thus far, I've only ridden an MT-09 to speeds of 130-135MPH (215-220KPH). I can say I felt quite comfortable at that speed, and imagine it will feel OK at faster speeds, if/when I ever get around to trying. Some complain it feels light, but seems extremely stable to me. In a straight line, anyway.

 

I broke a mirror on my wife's Sym motorbike a couple of months ago. She ordered a new one. Still hadn't come in a month ago. Oddly, the shop in Chiang Mai had no Syms or Keeways in stock when we visited. Only Stallions. No word from them for a while, so she tried calling a bit ago. All numbers disconnected now, it seems. Can't say for sure, but looks kinda like no more Sym/Keeway support in Chiang Mai anywhere, and maybe not even in Thailand by now. Will have to research further.

 

That would be my fear regarding the purchase of a Royal Enfield, as previously mentioned. One RE shop in Thailand. Who knows how long it will remain open? The same applies to the one Norton dealer in Bangkok. I think Legendary Motors, or whatever it's called, must sell more than just Nortons. Even so, how long will their doors remain open? How good is a bike you can't get serviced or repaired? It seems entirely possible to spend 1.4 million Baht on a Norton, and end up having to keep as a living room decoration. Much as having a Norton sounds nice, would actually pass when it came down to it.

 

I was very happy with the Kawasaki Ninja's reliability and service availability throughout Thailand. I am fairly optimistic that service and repair for the MT-09 will not be a problem in Thailand at all, either. I may not be that fond of the Yamaha dealers I've dealt with, but I don't think they're going to go away. Honda is likely to keep its doors open as well. Other brands? Thailand ain't the states, nor the EU, or even Oz. You pays your money and yous takes your chances...

 

 

[canthai55]

True. I should have quantified - when I had my H1 and my Norton drag racing was my thing. This is what I was referring to as fast. On the handling part - the H1 had a hinge under the seat somewhere. Scary to ride that thing quickly around corners. Panic stop from 70 mph and the front brake lever came back to the grip when you were still going 30-40. Learned then why they do not put buttons on motorcycle seats - you would bite them off.