Yamaha MT-09 vs Triumph Street Triple 765 RS: Middleweight Naked War

The middleweight naked class is where most riders actually live, and no two bikes define its extremes better than these. The Yamaha MT-09 is the people's champion — loud, torquey, keenly priced and gloriously unhinged. The Triumph Street Triple 765 RS is the connoisseur's choice — sharper, more expensive and dripping with the kind of hardware you normally find on machines costing far more. Both use a three-cylinder engine, both weigh a shade under 200 kg, and both will humble far pricier metal on a good road.

Yet they feel like they were designed by people who would never agree on lunch, let alone motorcycles. One is a hooligan in a leather jacket; the other is a scalpel in a tailored suit. That is exactly why this fight is so instructive — it forces you to decide what kind of rider you really are before a single kilometre is covered.

Engine character

Yamaha's 890cc CP3 triple is a masterclass in low-end thump. With 117 hp and a fat 93 Nm arriving early, it surges out of corners like a much bigger bike, all guttural bark and effortless roll-on. It feels naughty at every throttle opening, positively daring you to loft the front. Triumph's 765cc unit, derived directly from the Moto2 spec engine, chases a different high: 128 hp at a lofty 12,000 rpm, a screaming top end and a crispness that rewards riders who love to rev right to the redline.

In the real world the Yamaha feels faster in the mid-range and lazier to ride, happy to lug from any gear on a lazy Sunday. The Triumph asks you to work the gearbox and wring it out, then repays you with a sweeter, more musical delivery and a top-end shriek that borders on addictive. The MT-09 is the more relaxing daily engine; the Street Triple is the more thrilling one when the road opens up.

Chassis and handling

Here the price gap shows itself. The Street Triple RS arrives with fully adjustable Showa forks, an Öhlins STX40 rear shock, Brembo Stylema calipers and sticky Pirelli rubber — a genuine track-ready specification straight from the crate. It steers with delicious precision and holds a line as if bolted to a rail. The MT-09 uses more modest KYB suspension that, while much improved on recent models, can feel busy and under-damped when you truly attack a bumpy back road at pace.

That said, the Yamaha is lighter on its feet at commuting speeds and forgives sloppy inputs happily, which makes it a wonderful learning tool and a relaxed companion in town. The Triumph rewards accuracy and punishes laziness. Choose the MT-09 for daily flexibility and the Street Triple RS for the days you want to ride like your hair is on fire and every corner is a personal challenge.

Electronics and comfort

Both now offer a colour TFT, ride modes, cornering-aware traction control, cornering ABS and an up-and-down quickshifter. The Triumph's electronics feel a touch more polished and its dedicated Track mode is genuinely useful for circuit days. The Yamaha counters with cruise control on higher trims and a more relaxed, upright riding position that suits longer distances and shorter riders alike. The RS is racier, its bars lower and its intent clearer, which is thrilling for an hour and quietly tiring after four.

Price and value

This is the MT-09's trump card. It typically undercuts the Street Triple RS by a meaningful margin — often the price of a full set of premium tyres and a track day or two. For riders on a budget who still want serious performance, that gap is impossible to ignore, and it explains why the MT-09 sells in such huge numbers worldwide. The Triumph justifies its premium with hardware, finish and a more grown-up feel, but only you can decide whether that polish is worth the extra outlay.

Ownership and running costs

Beyond the showroom sticker, both bikes are refreshingly cheap to run by modern standards. The Yamaha's triple is famously frugal and its service intervals undemanding, while spare parts and dealer coverage are vast wherever motorcycles are sold. The Triumph is only marginally thirstier, but its premium components — that Öhlins shock in particular — cost more to maintain and replace when the time eventually comes. Insurance tends to favour the Yamaha too, a meaningful factor for younger riders eyeing their first proper naked bike.

Both wear their versatility well. The MT-09 accepts luggage, a comfort seat and a small screen with ease, making it a credible light-touring tool as well as a back-road weapon. The Street Triple is the more single-minded device, happiest carving a favourite road on a dry Sunday, though it will commute without complaint. Resale is strong for both, but the Triumph's premium positioning and smaller production numbers tend to protect used values slightly better over the long term.

In the metal, the two also project very different images. The MT-09 is aggressive, angular and unmistakably modern, a bike that looks fast even parked outside a cafe. The Street Triple is cleaner and more classically handsome, its twin round headlights a nod to the model's long lineage. Neither is short of presence, but they appeal to quite different tastes, and that emotional pull matters as much as any spec sheet when the money is finally on the table.

The MT-09 gives you ninety percent of the thrill for seventy-five percent of the money. The Street Triple delivers that final, addictive ten percent.— Elena Rossi, Reviews Editor

• Buy the MT-09 if you want maximum grin per unit of currency and love a torquey, mischievous street bike.
• Buy the Street Triple 765 RS if you crave premium suspension, Brembo brakes and a track-honed chassis.
• Test ride both back to back — the difference in engine character alone will make the decision for you.

The verdict splits cleanly. The Yamaha MT-09 is for the pragmatic thrill-seeker who wants the biggest smile for the smallest spend and does not mind a slightly rough edge to the ride. The Triumph Street Triple 765 RS is for the discerning rider who feels every degree of chassis composure and will happily pay for the finest hardware in the class. Both are brilliant; only one fits your wallet and your riding style, and now you know exactly which is which.