Yamaha has registered the YZF-R9 name in India. While the R9 hasn’t been revealed, it has also been trademarked for use in Europe and Australia, suggesting that the unveil is quite close.
Expected to be based on the MT-09
Official reveal expected soon
Could be launched in India
Ever since the MT-07-based YZF-R7 was launched internationally, there has been talk of Yamaha doing something similar with its higher-capacity MT-09. Multiple trademark applications suggest that it could be incoming.
If Yamaha does use the MT-09 platform, one can expect the motorcycle to make around 119hp and 93Nm of torque from the 890cc, three-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. Given that the R9 would be slightly more track-oriented, one can expect similar mechanicals as those on the top-spec MT-09 SP variant. The SP comes fitted with fully adjustable suspension. We could also see the MT-09’s electronics, like the six-axis IMU and slide control feature, make it to the YZF-R9.
As far as styling goes, one can expect Yamaha to stick to its new design language for its ‘R’ models. We’ve seen this on both the YZF-R7 and YZF-R15 revealed this year. However, all of this can only be confirmed when Yamaha reveals more information.
While the YZF-R9 trademark in India does hint that it could arrive on our shores when it goes on sale, there’s also a possibility of the company just registering it without any intentions of bringing it here, like how Honda has done with the Grom in the past.
Also see:
Yamaha files trademark for R2 nametag
No Yamaha big bike launches in India this year