The Indian automobile industry is slowly making its way towards the superbike culture. With more and more brands expanding their portfolio to accommodate heavier and more powerful bikes, our market is headed towards a heavy influx of 500cc+ motorcycles. As always, Yamaha is also willing to catch hold of the rather small superbike market in India. While we eagerly wait for the launch of the YZF-R7 in Feb 2022, Yamaha has also got its YZF-R9 name registered in India. Could this trademark mean that biggest of the YZF series is headed to India? Let’s find out.
YZF R9: What to expect
Though there has been no reveal of the bike, as far as styling goes, Yamaha has never disappointed us when it comes to design. Especially when it comes to the YZF range, from the R1 to the newer R7 the styling cues are some of the best and most dynamic that we’ve seen in the market, and it won’t be wrong to expect a similar aesthetic from the R9.
Talking about performance, rumor has it that as the YZF-R7 was based on the MT-07 platform the YZF-R9 could be a full-cowling iteration of the more naked body MT-09. If so, the R9 will have the same grunt and power as the MT-09 but with enhanced driving dynamics due to the more aerodynamic cowl. If offered with the same powertrain, the bike would offer an 890cc, three-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine; that will put out 119PS of power and 93Nm of torque. The engine might just be tuned a little to squeeze out some more power, to better suit the R9’s track-oriented appeal. Coming to safety, the bike would offer dual-channel ABS, with Twin-Brake discs up front and single discs at the back. We might also see an adjustable suspension system on this bike as was seen on the top-spec model of the MT-09.
While there have been no official announcements by Yamaha, but the registration process does hint towards a reveal in the near future. Moreover, it is highly likely that this bike makes its way to the Indian Market as the trademark process for this bike has already been done in our country.