[2009R6/2018MT09]

Hey y'all, I just purchased a used 2018 MT09 with 9k on the odo. Bike looks to be taken care of very well. I'm not sure if the previous owner ever adjusted the suspension settings but wow....first bump I hit I felt like I was riding a pogo stick down the street. Sooo soft...and I'm a light 150lb rider! Any advice/links to a how-to for adjusting these front forks and rear spring (preload etc) for someone a light as me? (150lbs) Or would it be better to head into a local shop and have the experts help me on this? I don't want to mess anything up.

Also, I noticed that the coolant temp at times will dip down to 167 degrees while cruising! Even after it has been warmed. Seems too cold to me, wouldn't the bike be stuck in closed loop at this temp? For reference, it does get up to 223 (fans come on etc) and the coolant goes between 176 and 223 as it should when warmed but I'm noticing that on colder rides she sits allll the way down at 167!! A tad cold it seems. No idea what coolant/if it's OEM is in there.

 

[Loosenut]

Local shop and expert don't always coincide. There is not a suspension setting that you can't reverse, so simply pay attention to what you do, write it down.

On the forks and shock you will have spring pre-load, compression and rebound. 1st thing is to set the spring preload for your weight. It helps to have a friend to make the measurements after adjusting. Next up for me is finding a balance between front and rear so that the bike handles properly when hitting bumps. BY balance, I mean if the front and rear wheel hit the same bump and should react similar with the distance the wheel moves up and the the rebound at which forces it back down. After that, it's simply a matter of adjusting the compression to your liking and setting the rebound.

 

[ChesterBurnet]

You might 1 of the rare people for which the stock springs are too light. It's generally assumed that stock suspension is sprung for a 185 rider. 35 lbs under or over is a lot and will never work well.

 

[LouG]

My bike has run at 71C since I bought it. That's cooler than any vehicle I've had, but if that's what Yamaha wants, who am I to argue?

 

[MT09 2014 Sweden]

Mine runs like that to. When I got the ecu flashed they lowered the fan to kick in at 90°C. Don't know about the 2nd gen but the first really needs a tune to fix the jerky throttle aswell.

Regarding the suspension I suggest you play with the settings. I still ride stock suspension and for me it depends on several things: winter/Summer; fork oil; seat; handle bars; riding style etc. But to keep it from bouncing to much I need to max out rebound and maybe turn it back a quarter turn.

I think the standard fork springs suit riders 65 to 80kg, so should be fine. The forks behaves different depending on oil viscosity but try with minimum pre load and bring a tool to adjust as you ride. I set the rear two from max pre load and rebound a quarter turn back from max.

 

[2009R6/2018MT09]

Just blasted around town and on the highway now.....I let it get up to 200F + and rode stop and go for quick some time for things to heat up - then when I'm on the straights or the highway she was running way back down at 154-156F! Given the air temp is cold here but man.....154-156F seems way too cold. As long as this is normal though then ok....I just don't want any damage to the engine if indeed this is too cold to be running at (and for extended periods e.g. a long highway rides on a cold day etc). I mean....what temp does the thermo even open at? Never seen a thermo below 165 with most of em opening at 185 so if the bike is running in the 150's non-stop it just seems odd.

 

[Keef]

So, when it is in stop and go traffic, not much airflow through the rad the fan comes on to increase airflow and keep it cool.When you are on the open road with good airflow through the rad it cools down and maintains its temp?
Its working fine. The mt09s have a very functional cooling system. It wont get too cold, Nothing to worry about.
For suspension, set the rider sag first.

 

[MT09 2014 Sweden]

Just blasted around town and on the highway now.....I let it get up to 200F + and rode stop and go for quick some time for things to heat up - then when I'm on the straights or the highway she was running way back down at 154-156F! Given the air temp is cold here but man.....154-156F seems way too cold. As long as this is normal though then ok....I just don't want any damage to the engine if indeed this is too cold to be running at (and for extended periods e.g. a long highway rides on a cold day etc). I mean....what temp does the thermo even open at? Never seen a thermo below 165 with most of em opening at 185 so if the bike is running in the 150's non-stop it just seems odd.

I don't understand why this would damage the engine? As long as the lubricants get in to working range it fine. If you ride a lot in city traffic with limited air flow its more damaging to the engine to run to hot than running at 70ish °C at the highway.

 

[willbs]

check this out

 

[2009R6/2018MT09]

I don't understand why this would damage the engine? As long as the lubricants get in to working range it fine. If you ride a lot in city traffic with limited air flow its more damaging to the engine to run to hot than running at 70ish °C at the highway.

Oh definitely Oil is #1. I was just saying...I'm used to higher operating temps on any engine after it's fully heated. Maybe the CP3 likes to run on the colder side and it's engineering? 150s is low though.

And of course running cooler not only causes less wear n tear on the engine, but the engine generally makes more power. I was just verifying, and it sounds like 150s-160s when cold cruising is the norm and ok.

Also, I know the ECU comes into play as far as temps go (closed loop/open loop A/F & throttle %) etc so thought maybe running too cool could affect that or the likes.

 

[MT09 2014 Sweden]

I guess they design engines in different ways depending on the requirements. I'm thinking the airbox design makes it hard for cool air to get into the engine. I did these mods and it feels like the bike runs better when it gets hot. I'm guessing it will be even more noticeable during Summer.

 

[RichBinAZ]

Sounds like how my bike ran from new. I actually complained to the NHTSA about how crap the suspension was.
I turned the damping screw on the rear to full and that nearly worked. Ended up with a stoltec unit that is actually too stiff. Needs less compression.
Had to change the oil in the front leg from the default 0W to 10W (too stiff) then 5W (close enough) 7.5W is better

 

[dandywarhol]

155F/68C does seem excessively cool. Over cool engines actiually wear more because the alloys aren't properly up to temperature.
A radiator pressurised systwm allows the coolant to boil at a higher temperature than 100C at sea level. Each psi of pressure raises the BP approx 1.5 C, so a 15psi (1 BAR) cap will allow the temperature to go as high as approx 122 decC (251F) which makes the 155 seem overly low IMO

 

[2009R6/2018MT09]

155F/68C does seem excessively cool. Over cool engines actiually wear more because the alloys aren't properly up to temperature.
A radiator pressurised systwm allows the coolant to boil at a higher temperature than 100C at sea level. Each psi of pressure raises the BP approx 1.5 C, so a 15psi (1 BAR) cap will allow the temperature to go as high as approx 122 decC (251F) which makes the 155 seem overly low IMO

Exactly my thoughts...so it's concerning after I fully heat the engine and do heat cycles...let it sit til the fans come on at 220+ then ride it down and stop and go and watch it go up and down and then cruise and it sits at 156 degrees.....it's like it's "over cooled" which I didn't think was possible due to the thermo/entire cooling systems mechanics which is why I don't get how it's running this cold.

 

[2009R6/2018MT09]

On 2nd thought....doesn't a thermostat control this? E.g. open/close it shouldn't allow the temp to go BACK DOWN to the 150's after it's at operating temps.

 

[dandywarhol]

On 2nd thought....doesn't a thermostat control this? E.g. open/close it shouldn't allow the temp to go BACK DOWN to the 150's after it's at operating temps.

It does but is in the return side of the system - common practice in automotive world (first seen in VW in the '80s). THe reason is to prevent air cavitation when the water suddenly flows from the head to the 'stat in a "convensional" system and possibly distorting the head/head gasket.
This way, the thermostat opening temperature has to be lower as the coolant has aleady been through the radiatior. It would be interesting to know what operating temperature is stamped on the 'stat.................

 

[LouG]

I don't understand why this would damage the engine? As long as the lubricants get in to working range it fine. If you ride a lot in city traffic with limited air flow its more damaging to the engine to run to hot than running at 70ish °C at the highway.

An engine running too cold suffers from contaminants building up in the oil and forming sludge which can block oil ways. It will also suffer from fuel contamination of the engine oil which will reduce its lubricating properties.
Then engine go bang.

 

[MT09 2014 Sweden]

An engine running too cold suffers from contaminants building up in the oil and forming sludge which can block oil ways. It will also suffer from fuel contamination of the engine oil which will reduce its lubricating properties.
Then engine go bang.

Ok, but shouldn't an engine designed by Yamaha operate in a Window that keep it out of danger - Hi or Low?

 

[2009R6/2018MT09]

Ok, but shouldn't an engine designed by Yamaha operate in a Window that keep it out of danger - Hi or Low?

This is my question actually......asking if running 154 degrees is normal for the CP3 or not....because 150s...shit even 160s is very cold for just about any engine. I mean for all I know, the previous owner slapped in a lower temp thermostat and filled thebsystem with only water. Which is why I'm asking others if this lower operating temp (while cruising) is what they experience. If it is....then sounds like the CP3 just likes running cooler.

 

[MT09 2014 Sweden]

This is my question actually......asking if running 154 degrees is normal for the CP3 or not....because 150s...shit even 160s is very cold for just about any engine. I mean for all I know, the previous owner slapped in a lower temp thermostat and filled thebsystem with only water. Which is why I'm asking others if this lower operating temp (while cruising) is what they experience. If it is....then sounds like the CP3 just likes running cooler.

Went for a ride today, ambient temperature around 0°C and engine at 71°C. Last night a trip to the city, got stuck in traffic and engine temp 90°C -fan kicks in. When traffic clears engine temp 70-75°C.