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Everything You Need To Know About the Yamaha YZF-R9

This is what you need to know about Yamaha’s YZF-R9.

March 17, 2025

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This is everything you need to know about the 2025 Yamaha YZF-R9 ($12,499).Adam Waheed

Yamaha’s 2025 YZF-R9 sportbike is turning heads with a blend of advanced technology, impressive power, and sleek design inside the middleweight-plus-sized sportbike category.

At the heart of the Yamaha R9 is an 890cc CP3 liquid-cooled inline-three engine, featuring a dual overhead camshaft and a 12-valve cylinder head, the engine integrates a cable-actuated slipper clutch and a six-speed transmission equipped with an electronic up-and-down quickshifter. Power is efficiently delivered to the road through a chain final drive connected to lightweight cast 17-inch aluminum wheels fitted with Bridgestone Battlax S22 tires. With a full 3.7-gallon tank, this YZF weighs 430 pounds.

The R9 rolls on a twin-spar aluminum frame, touted by Yamaha as the lightest frame it has ever engineered. The cast aluminum wheels, more rigid than those found on the MT-09.

Suspension duties on the R9 are expertly handled by KYB components. Upfront, an inverted 43mm KYB fork provides independent spring preload adjustments and separate damping adjustments for compression—both high and low speeds on the left—and rebound damping on the right, offering 4.7 inches of travel.

The rear suspension comprises a horizontally mounted KYB top-link shock with remote spring preload, compression, and rebound damping adjustments, delivering 4.6 inches of travel. This setup benefits from newly designed valving orifices that enhance bump absorption, said KYB.

Braking performance is courtesy of triple-disc hydraulic brakes. Upfront, jewelery-like Brembo Stylema calipers are paired with stainless steel brake lines and a Brembo master cylinder. A single-piston Nissin caliper at the rear is supported by an IMU-powered ABS system, which can be manually disabled.

The Yamaha R9 features adjustable engine power modes, traction control, slide control, wheelie control (Yamaha calls it “lift control”), and engine-brake control. Riders manage these functions through switchgear paired with a 5-inch color TFT display. Additionally, the R9 integrates with iOS- and Android-powered smartphones via Garmin’s StreetsCross app, enabling turn-by-turn navigation directly on the display.

Related: 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 Review

Wrapped in Yamaha’s sleekest bodywork ever designed for a streetbike, the R9 boasts full LED lighting. Priced at $12,499, this machine is built in Japan and comes with Yamaha’s one-year warranty.

2025 Yamaha YZF-R9 Technical Specifications and Price

MSRP:	$12,499
Engine:	890cc, DOHC, liquid-cooled, inline 3-cylinder; 12 valves
Bore x Stroke:	78.0 x 62.1mm
Compression Ratio:	11.5:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Fuel System:	Fuel injection w/ YCC-T ride-by-wire
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate slipper/assist; cable actuation
Engine Management/Ignition:	Transistor-controlled ignition
Frame:	Aluminum, gravity-cast Deltabox
Front Suspension:	KYB 43mm Separate-Damping Front Fork (SDF), fully adjustable; 4.7 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	KYB monoshock, fully adjustable; 4.6 in. travel
Front Brake:	4-piston Brembo Stylema calipers, dual 320mm discs w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	1-piston caliper, 220mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cast aluminum; 17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 5.5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Bridgestone Battlax S22; 120/70-17 / 180/55-17
Rake/Trail:	22.6°/3.7 in.
Wheelbase:	55.9 in.
Ground Clearance:	5.5 in.
Seat Height:	32.7 in.
Fuel Capacity:	3.7 gal.
Claimed Curb Weight:	430 lb.
Contact:	yamahamotorsports.com