R9 as a first street bike with background in Dirtbiking
I’ve been dirtbiking since I was a lil thing and I’ve worked my way up to a 2015 KTM 350 Six Days, which has been my bike for the last 2 years or so. I’m 18 and moving to Nebraska soon, and I’ve got bit by the sport/street bike bug.
I’ve been doing some research, and with my comfort and skill on a dirtbike, I feel like I can handle a little bit bigger of a beginner bike. I originally wanted a KTM 990 RCR, but after looking into it more, I decided I didn’t wanna spend nearly as much time or money fixing it, especially with how aftermarket parts are for it.
I started looking at some alternatives, and the Yamaha YZF-R9 came up. The more I look into it, the more I’ve been changing my mind toward the R9.
prolly not gonna change my mind at this point, just wanna hear some other opinions from people who know more about street bikes than I do.
I dont doubt your skills to ride the bike, but I think your age makes it unsafe. Bike is powerful enough to tempt an 18 year old mind to do some really dumb shit. I rent mine out and a renter just got into a slide on the freeway at 3:30 am. And he has an s1k.
Hopefully by the time I can afford one, I'll mature a bit more and realize it's not worth my life to be risky.
Planning on two years of college, and getting settled afterwards, maybe about a year. I'll be closer to 22-23 before I can act on this plan. I've never been a crazy rider anyways, but I am not seeing myself push it that far more than once.
Yeah, I've been using AI to compare a butt ton of different models and how they would possibly fit me and how I want to use the bike, and the 990 RCR was definitely a more track focused bike, and the R7 was sounding pretty good, but I've got a thing for bigger numbers. Aside from the fact the R9 is a sexy lookin beast... Already dreaming about getting new fairings custom made.
Or just have your bike wrapped? I thought about custom fairings for my ninja, but kinda got the impression that since they’re not oem, they never fit right.
Also was looking at that. I'm not too picky on having to trim down the plastic, just as long as its not too small we're good. The website I linked has some reviews on there, and the pieces seem to fit with little to no trimming. Also pricing and location. I'd rather spend 800 on a plastics kit that I just have to bolt on and possibly trim, than buy a wrap, find someone local in bfe Nebraska to do it for more cash, or potentially mess up doing it myself.
Ok. I looked at NT fairings too, but they got mixed reviews. I’ll keep your link in mind. Btw. I put KTM superduke 1290 type r into the AI chart comparison amd it was redonkulously torquey. So funny. R9 made the most sense.
The main websites/companies I've been keeping an eye on is Spider Fairings and Monster Fairings. Spider Fairings seemed to have more bolt on kits that fit correctly, and Monster Fairings for the wider range of newer bikes they supply.
Those KTM's would take you to the moon. I was originally looking at a super duke, but I love the look of a bike with fairings. So I switched to the 990 rcr, and looking at comparisons, I didn't feel like white-knuckling it just to stay on the bike every time I took it out.
I would wait and get the bike first. The wings not only grow you but I don't even notice them in person anymore. I actually sorta like them, and was thinking like ou when I had it pre-ordered.
It's super easy to manage. The throttle only gets slightly touchy when you intentionally go into custom mode and switch the power level to 1. Sport mode on the bike is only at power level 2, so not even sport mode has the power level on the bikes ecu maxxed.
I don’t have a whole lot of experience amongst all the sports bikes. I owned a Gsx8r for a couple years and then went to my R9. I’ve ridden a couple various naked bikes and spent a bit of time on a gsxr600. I know I really enjoy a 4 cylinder screaming into double digit rpm’s but I enjoy the midrange torque of the cp3 far more. Triples aren’t for everyone but I’m absolutely in love with mine. Great blend of rpm’s/torque that makes for a really sporty bike but doesn’t compromise street ability.
Yup, that was another reason I'm so hooked on the R9, you don't necessarily need to be up in the 8k rpm to get going. I wouldn't be only going highway, mostly short rides commuting.
It has almost double the torque of a 600 super sport and you get something like 80% of that torque before 4k rpm’s. I ride mine off the highway 80% of the time give or take and it’s nice being able to be lazy with shifts at times. You can leave it in a higher gear and just twist the right wrist and pull yourself back up to speed no problem. It coming stock with CC is an absolute blessing too.
Especially with the area in Nebraska I'm moving to, its literally an interstate that runs through a 5 minute town, and just cruising the town without having to be 6k+ rpm, and then get on the throttle some on the highway.
1st and 2nd are gimped from factory, powerband starts at 3rd gear, due to DOT and the EPA regulations. You have to get the bike flashed in order for 1st and 2nd to be useable
Don’t be disappointed when you first get it and it sucks because 1st and 2nd gear is restricted (dead spot). Please judge the R9 after you get a 2WDW tune, full system exhaust and a DNA stage 2 air filter. Besides that I’m sure it will be hard for you to find anything wrong with the R9
Is that what it was? I was at a demo and took the r9 out and was massively disappointed power wise. Nothing on 1st and 2nd and we barely touched third. Chassis though felt great. Suspension was a bit soft.
Yeah that’s all it is. It’s a different beast after you do those 3 things. And you can tune the rear suspension by hand and the front with basic tools. The stock suspension configuration works for me my body weight.
For the riding you say youre gonna do ("mostly short rides and commuting"), R9 kind of isnt worth it over something like an R7 or even MT-07 TBH
Yea it has more power but only at the top end you prob wont use much. Theyre about the same up to maybe 50-60 MPH speed wise. All the other upgrades kind of dont matter on the street
Plus Im guessing you havent looked at insurance premiums yet lol. I know you have convinced yourself you will be happiest on an R9 but I think its worth being more open to other options. You will get like 95% of the performance and satisfaction for substantially less cost.
blech. R7 is supremely underwhelming. It only just this year got any safety features, not sure whether it got the six-axis IMU. All the reviews I've seen were disappointed in it. There was a guy on here who had his for a month and had already outgrown it. The R9 is definitely the better bike hands down. And for what you'd pay for a new R7, I just don't see why anyone would opt for it.
Doesn't feel like a Dirtbike. Ergos are different it will feel off. But you don't have a crazy amount of Dirtbike experience so it won't feel that off to ya. Insurance is going to give you a fuck off price because it's a "Supersport" and you're 18. I'm not certain but I think the insurance is lower on the mt09 or Xsr900. Either of which will give you a more familiar ergo setup. Bonus to the xsr because you can order fairings and clip ons and make a sport bike. I have an mt and I grew up on Dirtbikes. I love this thing more than any bike I've owned in my 30+ years of riding. It feels dirtbikish and it just wants to wheelie.
Go for it I say if you’re competent on the road and judging other drivers, you’ll probably regret spending money on a bike that’ll get boring especially since you have experience already just take it slow as it is obviously very different to a dirt bike
Went from crf150f to mt09 to r9. You'll love the r9, it's a little weird to ride it at first but you'll get used to it quick. I love how lightweight and comfortable it feels.
So yeah bro I was you when I was 18, actually 17 I raced mx when I was younger and got my motorcycle license at 17 it was a 2009 r6, im 28 now and ill say this i had plenty of skill for the bike that wasn't the problem but i should be dead and can recall 2 times me acting like a fool should have resulted in me dying... I was lucky but alot aren't. Im 28 now and finally got another bike the r9 and im a much better rider now. Not really skill wise but maturity.
R9 was my first bike ever, no experience. Very easy and manageable to learn. I have about 3.500 miles atm with no close calls. That said, I agree with the guy who said your age makes me concerned. I'm 45, and ride exclusively alone. (My cousin rides but has been mia with a broken elbow for the past 3 months from a wreck on a dual sport). The age would be my only concern. That said, the bike has power, but its VERY manageable. I ride in exclusively Custom mode 1, with the power at 1, and TCS, and SCS turned up about midway.
You’ll be just fine. With the experience you have riding dirt bikes it will translate to 80% of your street bike essentials. Turns and street vs dirt are pretty much all you’ll need practice on. As for power, r9 is much faster than a dirt bike, but you could put it on low power mode while you’re adjusting and it shouldn’t be anything scary. Also with all the rider aids you can set those higher and be safer and turn them down as you learn.
I also started on dirt bikes and had no problems riding on the street once I swapped over! I love my R9 and think you will too
Yet another reason I was looking at newer bikes. The amount of tech these bikes have is insane, and would definitely help bridge the gap between dirt and asphalt handling and power.
Go R9, you will not regret it! Also priced much better than all of its competitors except the ZX6R which has almost none of the tech the r9 has.
Only thing i will say thats kinda a negative but not really, is that it’s not as comfy as people claim. It is an aggressive bike for sure and a pain on longer rides on the wrists. But for me its a positive too because i feel so cool in an aggressive stance instead of sitting straight up like a beginner sport bike lol
It's a good mixture of pricing, torque and speed. Also the reliability and the numerous aftermarket/replacement parts, that I'm sure will only grow as the model ages. Also, nothing wrong with getting some handlebar risers and maybe a new seat if I ever get tired of the stance.
I wouldnt just because they are expensive and hard to find and not that great. Like I loved the cp3 on the xsr900 and mt09 sp ive ridden. But I think if I had the money id get a 4 cylinder. Like a gsxr 750 or zx6r. Or the cf moto 750ssr coming out.
Personally id buy a ktm 390 or 690 smcr. If you have dirt bike experience get a supermoto
5
u/urbantechgoods 9d ago
I dont doubt your skills to ride the bike, but I think your age makes it unsafe. Bike is powerful enough to tempt an 18 year old mind to do some really dumb shit. I rent mine out and a renter just got into a slide on the freeway at 3:30 am. And he has an s1k.