Yamaha mt-09/fz-09
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Well not a Scrambler owner (yet) but... Nah... in my mind there is a point where there is just too much power to weight ratio for the street. It's an exhilarating ride but the fueling is frighteningly on/off especially with that power/weight ratio. Scary in corners with that throttle. Plus it's too high for my inseam... lol.
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Have spent lots of time on a family member's Fz-09. Its a lot of bike. Fuel mapping is now updated through the dealer at no charge and bike runs really well. Has a ton of power. Wheelies in 1st-3rd and that triple sounds badass with an aftermarket can. The main issue with that bike is that is has way more motor than suspension in stock form. Andreani cartridges and an Ohlins shock will set you back about $1,500 but then you have an amazing do-everything bike. Basically a mini KTM 1290 Super Duke.
The Scrammy is more sedate, has more character (arguably) and its own style (also subjective). The Yamaha is a better value overall and if i had to have just one bike in the sub-$10K range, this would probably be it. Reliability and maintenance-wise, the Yamaha has been bukletproof for over 20k kms...no valves to service etc.
The Scrammy brings its whole other appeal to the table and can run with bikes like the FZ under normal riding conditions. Two toally different machines though from a different design ethos and different personalities.
Ride them both if you are on the fence and that should answer all your questions.
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I traded in my MT09 for the Scrambler...
Ya the MT's gear box was silky smooth out of the box, and with Kev's O2 controller, riding it was a dream... not choppy at all, and after getting the suspension dialled in, it loves corners.. Riding fast on the MT was effortless
** By the way, 1 thing I disliked about my MT was the size of the gearbox.. it was wide, even though the engine was compact
BUT, I just LOVE how the Scrambler looks! So that overrides everything
Ya the MT's gear box was silky smooth out of the box, and with Kev's O2 controller, riding it was a dream... not choppy at all, and after getting the suspension dialled in, it loves corners.. Riding fast on the MT was effortless
** By the way, 1 thing I disliked about my MT was the size of the gearbox.. it was wide, even though the engine was compact
BUT, I just LOVE how the Scrambler looks! So that overrides everything
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599 Posts
The FZ09 is a great bike - total home-run by Yamaha.
It IS a "budget" model though, and as such some corners were cut in the suspension department. The forks are okay, and most would not need to do anything to them - but the rear shock is a very cheap unit, and in typical Japanese fashion, sprung way too soft. It is, however, better than the crappy scrambler shock, but not by much. Most people could easily get away with just upgrading the shock.
The motor, on the other hand, is absolutely brilliant. Best modern triple on the market - better than Triumph's, IMO.
Super reliable, with low maintenance requirements & Yamaha build quality. At a shade over $8K, it's probably the best bargain in all of motorsports. A better value than the Scrambler - for sure - but lacking the Italian's "sex appeal".
It IS a "budget" model though, and as such some corners were cut in the suspension department. The forks are okay, and most would not need to do anything to them - but the rear shock is a very cheap unit, and in typical Japanese fashion, sprung way too soft. It is, however, better than the crappy scrambler shock, but not by much. Most people could easily get away with just upgrading the shock.
The motor, on the other hand, is absolutely brilliant. Best modern triple on the market - better than Triumph's, IMO.
Super reliable, with low maintenance requirements & Yamaha build quality. At a shade over $8K, it's probably the best bargain in all of motorsports. A better value than the Scrambler - for sure - but lacking the Italian's "sex appeal".
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35 Posts
Interesting, fellows. I was expecting a bit of abuse, to be honest. I was going to buy a Scrambler, the Full Throttle variant, but I think the FZ/MT-09 suits me more. There's more room on it, it will be more reliable (I don't trust Ducati to keep a close eye on the Thais), and I like the look of it almost as much as the Scrambler. Having said that, I find the Scrambler a bit dinky. I will be making my purchase in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand as I will be based in Chiang Rai for seven or eight months a year with the rest of the time being spent in Portugal where the Buell Ulysses (very underrated bike. If you want torque ...) will have to be sold. I'll still have my K-King there, though.
In a way, I feel I'm sort of bottling out. The Scrambler may well turn out to be a super reliable bike. It's just that out of my five Japanese bikes (in my whole life. I keep them a long time), none have given me any trouble at all. My four non-Japanese bikes have all given me trouble: MZ (I hear you laughing), BMW, KTM and Buell.
Good luck with the Scramblers, lads and ladettes. And ride safe.
In a way, I feel I'm sort of bottling out. The Scrambler may well turn out to be a super reliable bike. It's just that out of my five Japanese bikes (in my whole life. I keep them a long time), none have given me any trouble at all. My four non-Japanese bikes have all given me trouble: MZ (I hear you laughing), BMW, KTM and Buell.
Good luck with the Scramblers, lads and ladettes. And ride safe.
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248 Posts
Reliability should be decent on the Scrambler as that motor is well known to get high mileage with nothing but required maintenance but that is alao where the Yamaha is less fussy.
The other thing about riding a motorcycle in your part of the world (sounds like Thailand) is that it does get extremely hot outside. The liquid cooled Yamaha may be a better choice if it is going to be your only bike compared to the air cooled Scrambler which gets extremely hot in traffic (see "roasting nuts" thread). There is no perfect bike for everyone and the Scrambler is no exception. It does a lot of things well though as you are probably seeing from the reviews and from testimonials on this forum.
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599 Posts
A water cooled motor will ALWAYS be more reliable - and have longer longevity - than air cooled. It's just the nature of the beast.
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The fact that the 09 is water cooled is a factor. I really like the Scrambler, but it's 110 miles to the dealer from where I will be based (same for the Yamaha), and I don't want to have to take the bike back for a niggling problem. The main clinching point is the more tractable engine.
Had a MT-09 and it spent 7 weeks out of the 12 weeks I owned at the Dealers trying to get it to run properly. The fuelling was so bad in my opinion it was dangerous to ride. In the end I rejected under the Sale of goods act and I got my money back.
I gather lots of people are complaining about very bad fueling.
I gather lots of people are complaining about very bad fueling.
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599 Posts
The fueling issue has been addressed (long ago) and is available to all owners free of charge.
I can't imagine it hitting you harder than the Scrambler on a warm (not even hot day) in slow traffic. I got a mild burn on my left leg recently when I was forced to ride in shorts (in the night, after rain, cool air). And no, the leg didn't touch engine/frame. It really radiates insane amounts of heat when not going faster than around 50km/h.when the fan of MT hits you, it hits you hard... even when you are actually moving
that was another reason I switched to air cooled... but this is purely personal experience
Every watercooled engine I've ridding so far was way way better in terms of heat.
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205 Posts
Luckily, there was a readily available reflash for that...I think Yamaha released one available at dealers for free.
It boggles my mind that it could be so bad but wasn't realized until after it was released and tons of people complained.
Either way, sounds like OP has the right choice. Both are fun rides.
Yea that's something I'll never understand. How can big companies like Yamaha make such obvious mistakes?
Anyways, at least they fixed it and that's what matters in the end. It's good advise to wait 1-2 years after a product launch to see how things settle after the initial marketing storm and real owners raise their voices.
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Singapore is definitely hot, but I don't ride with shorts anyway >
Maybe my heat resistance levelled up somehow, but Scrambler was cooler for my daily commute
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