Alex

Looks really clear, how is it without the mirrors? I'd love to do something similar to get rid of them would make it so much easier for commuting.

Yeah make sure it's running first, change the oil and make sure you change the break fluid!

Welcome aboard Jack, both great bikes. No one else's opinions will be better than your riding them both and see what works best for you. For me I'd get the R1 for general road use, but the R6 will faster round the track for most average riders.

Looks lovely with the white walls, welcome aboard!

@drewpy thinking of corners, what I learnt which I was completely unaware of was how they calculate the recommended speed signs for corners. I assume it's similar in the UK, in Australia the signs show the maximum speed for the corner which gives you five seconds of visibility. I always thought it was based on a 1970's car with crappy brakes 🤣

Shit me, did you stay on the bike?

Oh interested in the rear view setup, more so for when that numpty drives into the back of you. Will you have it recording as well?

Recently having a baby and being a born again rider I thought I had better brush up on my road craft. Unlike the UK there is no advanced rider organisations like the IAM or BMF, or with the local police force like the BikeSafe workshops. So last Saturday I took the first stage of the Advanced course with Honda Australia Rider Training (HART) in St Ives, NSW. Assuming I'd be the only Yamaha rider, out of the six students on the course there was a wide range of bikes, MT09, MT09 Tracer, CBR600RR, BMW R1200 Adventure, Classic Harley and a Kymco 550 Maxi-Scooter. The HART training facility was purpose-built for police driver training in the early 1960s. Due to this it has some very technical sections. Honda purchased it in 1999 and spent $1.4m redeveloping the 40-acre site to be suitable for rider and driver training courses. As the course is conducted on a closed road course it was perfect for putting into practice the techniques learnt throughout the day. Unlike Advanced 2 and 3, the first stage course only uses half the track but it was great to get a lot of laps both directions around a smaller course as it meant we could practice through repetition the tight hairpins and negative camber corners. There are three stages to the training: ADVANCED I - HANDLING DYNAMICS Half day course for new, or returning, riders who want to enhance and refine their physical riding skills. ADVANCED II - ROAD CIRCUIT Focuses on building on the riding techniques learned during Advanced 1 training, focuses on four fundamental aspects of motorcycling: Posture, Throttle Control, Cornering, and Braking. ADVANCED III - TRACK MASTER The Advanced III – Track Master Course is the highest-level motorcycle training offered by HART in Australia. Coached by Troy Herfoss, Australian Superbike Champion. The two most important takeaways I learnt about my riding: I was riding with tense arms I had absolutely no idea I was riding like this.Loosing my arms and shoulders really made it easier to roll through the series of corners. I was cornering like I would on a track I was aiming my ride out of corners as I would on the track, taking up the road rather than finishing tight. After being shown many reasons why wide in, tight out is the best approach I need to rework my cornering. Video: One of the hairpins, wide in, tight out. And a few laps on-board with my riding around the track. So the key takeaways for the Advanced Rider Training were: Posture: the key to everything Ride on the arches on your feet, with your toes outward and slightly downward Knees gripping the fuel tank Sit forward on the bike Arms and hands should be relaxed Back and shoulders should be relaxed Head and eyes should be level to the horizon, pointing to your intended path. Keep scanning with your eyes. Quick stops I was told I should be able to out break my ABS The front break is the most powerful Set-up the brake, then squeeze progressively on the front brake level with four fingers Set-up the back brake to add stability to the bike Keep your head and eyes up to maintain balance and look for an escape route At the last moment, pull in the clutch and change down gears If the front tyre locks, release quickly and re-apply If the back tyre locks, ease off smoothly and re-apply Cornering Plan your corner early, get the speed and gear right before the corner Enter the corner wide for best vision Plan to exit the corner tight, giving yourself more options Turn your head towards the planned exit of the corner, scanning the surface with your eyes Counter-steering To initiate a left turn, push forward on the left handle bar To initiate a right turn, push forward on the right handle bar To straighten up, push forward on the outside bar Rev the engine on down changing (use when slowing and stopping) Roll the throttle off Clutch in Roll the throttle on quickly Push down on the gear lever Ease the clutch out slowly Start combining this technique in conjunction to using the front brake with all fingers If it feels wrong, you are doing it wrong. If it feels good you're probably doing it right. How does this compare to the UK training, how do you ride and what tips do you have to further safe riding?

Welcome aboard mate!

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Valentino Rossi turned his fortunes around today at the eyetime Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, claiming a strong 6th place after a superb comeback race. Maverick Viñales had a more challenging outing at the Red Bull Ring - Spielberg track, but made up ground in the second half of the race to finish in 12th position. Rossi started from 14th on the grid and was wary of the first lap, when the busy mid-pack of the rider field would be diving into the tight first corner, but he managed the situation well. He finished his first lap in 11th place, trying to be both on the attack and the defensive. At the start of lap 4 the provisional rider order settled, and the Italian was in tenth place chasing fellow Yamaha-rider Johann Zarco. Two laps later he got the job done, taking ninth. The battle for eighth with Aleix Espargeró took the nine-time World Champion a bit longer, but he prevailed with 19 laps to go. He then had to bridge a gap to Tito Rabat. Ten laps later he could make his move, successfully securing seventh place, but he had to do yet more work to close the over 2.5s gap to Álex Rins. It was a big ask, but the Doctor was up to the task and four laps before the end he got the job done. Rossi had to continue pushing 100% for the remainder of the race to keep Dani Pedrosa at bay. All the while he was closing in on Danilo Petrucci in fifth, but he came just short of being able to confront him, crossing the line in sixth place, 14.026s from first. Viñales was determined to avoid history repeating itself this afternoon, after Brno's first lap crash last weekend. He had a decent start from 11th on the grid but needed a few laps to get up to speed. He fell back to 16th place, yet gradually upped his pace. As Andrea Iannone went wide, the Spaniard gained a position. He followed it up with a red first sector on lap 11, the first of many, signalling the start of his charge. He soon moved up to 13th place and was on the tail of Álvaro Bautista. He followed his compatriot past Aleix Espargaró but wasn't able to keep up. The last quarter of the race was a lonely run for the number 25 rider. As his soft rear tyre began to deteriorate, the Spaniard focused on holding on to his twelfth position to score some important points for the championship. He took the chequered flag with a 22.939s margin to the race leader. Today's results see Rossi remain in second position in the championship standings with 59 points to first and 29 points ahead of teammate Viñales, who is now in fifth position. Yamaha holds third place in the Constructor Championship after the race in Spielberg, with a 53-point margin to first, while the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team are now in third position in the team standings with a 12-point gap to first. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action at the Silverstone Circuit for the GoPro British Grand Prix, held from August 24th - 26th. Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

{{if $formValue}} {$value} {{endif}} Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Valentino Rossi turned his fortunes around today at the eyetime Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, claiming a strong 6th place after a superb comeback race. Maverick Viñales had a more challenging outing at the Red Bull Ring - Spielberg track, but made up ground in the second half of the race to finish in 12th position. Rossi started from 14th on the grid and was wary of the first lap, when the busy mid-pack of the rider field would be diving into the tight first corner, but he managed the situation well. He finished his first lap in 11th place, trying to be both on the attack and the defensive. At the start of lap 4 the provisional rider order settled, and the Italian was in tenth place chasing fellow Yamaha-rider Johann Zarco. Two laps later he got the job done, taking ninth. The battle for eighth with Aleix Espargeró took the nine-time World Champion a bit longer, but he prevailed with 19 laps to go. He then had to bridge a gap to Tito Rabat. Ten laps later he could make his move, successfully securing seventh place, but he had to do yet more work to close the over 2.5s gap to Álex Rins. It was a big ask, but the Doctor was up to the task and four laps before the end he got the job done. Rossi had to continue pushing 100% for the remainder of the race to keep Dani Pedrosa at bay. All the while he was closing in on Danilo Petrucci in fifth, but he came just short of being able to confront him, crossing the line in sixth place, 14.026s from first. Viñales was determined to avoid history repeating itself this afternoon, after Brno's first lap crash last weekend. He had a decent start from 11th on the grid but needed a few laps to get up to speed. He fell back to 16th place, yet gradually upped his pace. As Andrea Iannone went wide, the Spaniard gained a position. He followed it up with a red first sector on lap 11, the first of many, signalling the start of his charge. He soon moved up to 13th place and was on the tail of Álvaro Bautista. He followed his compatriot past Aleix Espargaró but wasn't able to keep up. The last quarter of the race was a lonely run for the number 25 rider. As his soft rear tyre began to deteriorate, the Spaniard focused on holding on to his twelfth position to score some important points for the championship. He took the chequered flag with a 22.939s margin to the race leader. Today's results see Rossi remain in second position in the championship standings with 59 points to first and 29 points ahead of teammate Viñales, who is now in fifth position. Yamaha holds third place in the Constructor Championship after the race in Spielberg, with a 53-point margin to first, while the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team are now in third position in the team standings with a 12-point gap to first. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action at the Silverstone Circuit for the GoPro British Grand Prix, held from August 24th - 26th. Source: www.yamaha-racing.com View full news

Yeah I'd normally follow the manufacturer's guidelines, they know best and have spent millions on getting it right. However when you can hear the drive-train whining it doesn't make you feel that they are right on this one. I know they are different bikes and frames, but when you look at the MT07 and MT10 the MT09 really sticks out. MT07 Drive chain slack: 51.0–56.0 mm (2.01–2.20 in) NOTICE: Improper drive chain slack will overload the engine as well as other vital parts of the motorcycle and can lead to chain slippage or breakage. If the drive chain slack is more than 58.0 mm (2.28 in), the chain can damage the frame, swing-arm, and other parts. To prevent this from occurring, keep the drive chain slack within the specified limits, MT09 Drive chain slack: 5.0–15.0 mm (0.20–0.59 in) NOTICE: Improper drive chain slack will over-load the engine as well as other vital parts of the motorcycle and can lead to chain slippage or breakage. If the drive chain slack is more than 25.0 mm (0.98 in), the chain can damage the frame, swingarm, and other parts. To prevent this from occurring, keep the drive chain slack within the specified limits. MT10 Drive chain slack: 20.0–30.0 mm (0.79–1.18 in) NOTICE: Improper drive chain slack will overload the engine as well as other vital parts of the motorcycle and can lead to chain slip-page or breakage. To prevent this from occurring, keep the drive chain slack within the specified limits.

Yamaha are standing by their manual recommendation.

Well I've just got a reply from the Customer Experience Coordinator at Yamaha: I've sent them a follow up as the manual clearly states that chain slack for the MT09 has to be done with no weight and their slack in the manual is far too tight. I've asked them what will happen with warranty if the chain being too tight/too slack causing damage.

Welcome to the board Logan, I'd recommend getting some custom ones made if you can't source any