After much speculation, Yamaha has announced that the highly anticipated YZF-R9 will make its global debut on October 9. Rumours about the bike have circulated for months, with trademark filings and patent applications surfacing earlier this year. Now, Yamaha has begun releasing teasers on its social media handles in a build-up to its global debut.
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The teasers offer quick glimpses of a sportbike with a strong emphasis on the number 9, making it clear that the YZF-R9 is on the horizon. Moreover, a countdown starts at 10 but glitches and halts at the number 9, hinting more towards the R9 model.
The brief visuals also show Yamaha’s Racing Blue colour scheme in a blurred background. From the silhouette, it seems likely that the R9 will inherit the aggressive styling seen in other models from Yamaha's sportbike lineup, including the YZF-R1 and YZF-R6. One clear image in the teaser reveals a central single projector LED headlight with daytime running lights (DRLs), reflecting Yamaha's current design trends for its sportbikes. The teaser concludes with shots of the bike performing a burnout.
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The upcoming Yamaha YZF-R9 will be built on the same platform as its naked counterpart, the MT-09. This means it will be equipped with the liquid-cooled, 890 cc, CP3 engine. In the naked bike, this engine delivers 117 bhp at 10,000 rpm and 93 Nm at 7,000 rpm.
The decision to transform the litre-class R1 into a track-only model in Europe has paved the way for the introduction of the R9. The R9 will also replace the four-cylinder R6 in the World Supersport Championship. With the litre-class YZF-R1 now exclusively for the track, the Yamaha YZF-R9 will become the brand’s flagship road-legal sportbike.
It appears that modern sport bikes are leaning towards everyday practicality, much like the Suzuki GSX-8R. The R9 is expected to follow this trend, prioritising practical everyday use over track-focused performance.
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