Upgrading to a fast bike ... and a bit worried!

[Marclev]

So, I've had an XJ6-Diversion for around a year and a half and (somewhat on impulse, but I've been bored of it for a long while) just traded it in against a 2014 MT-09.

I love the idea of a lighter, more agile bike with more torque, and very excited about picking it up later this week (already planning the obligatory road trip, providing the weather plays along ) but at the same time I'm somewhat worried about killing myself.

Simple question is, what kind of bad habits might I be getting away with on a boring old 600cc sports tourer that will land me in very dangerous territory on a light naked 850cc tripple with quite a lot higher power to weight ratio? I'm already giving myself lectures along the lines of "go easy on the throttle as you're getting used to it", but just wondering if there's anything I should be watching out for that wouldn't have come up when I did my DAS on an "entry level big bike" last year.

tl;dr: Bought new bike, afraid of death if I do something wrong.

[arry]

You'll be fine.

More oomph will seem more oomphy but the brakes will inspire a bit more confidence. You've been sensible enough so far and only Adam Aarons thinks bikes are deadly.

In short, you'll be fine. Don't stress it.

[Alpineandy]

[M.C]

It's not that big a jump, you'll be fine.

[owl]

don't be a div and you'll be fine
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Observation is the greatest source of wisdom.

[grr666]

Inb4 'that's not a fast bike'
Welcome to the club, just use throttle mode B for a while so you don't wind it on so much so quickly.
Should help keep the front wheel down a bit. A throttle mode is a bit of an on off switch. I came to mine from a lowly
ER6f so a similar jump in performance for me as well.The wind resistance against your body will keep you the right side
of a ton most of the time anyway. Get an Akrapovic and shoot fire while you ride. You know it makes sense.
Don't forget to steer the thing. It needs a fairly firm hand if thrown at a series of bends, certainly mine does but yours
may have been set up better already. Getting my suspension set up early next year.
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[Diggs]

Take it on a track day. Riding it on the road won't seem daunting afterwards.....
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[stinkwheel]

You're much less likely to die of boredom waiting for something interesting to happen when you open the throttle.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[recman]

I went from around 12bhp to around 95bhp. Such fun.
Don't go crazy and you'll be fine.

[BTTD]

Pinning the throttle open in first and second is something you can do without concern on a less powerful bike. At some point you'll do it on the new one and after the oh fuck moment you'll giggle like a lunatic.
Or is that just me?

After a few months you'll occasionally wonder what a Hayabusa is like.

[winz]

What he said ^^

The rush the first time of pinning it will make you go a little giddy, but after that you just respect it. Felt the same going from a Hornet (95bhp) to the Blackbird (164bhp).
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Current Bikes: BMW K1200S
Previous: Honda CBR929RR, Honda CBR1100XX, Honda CB600F

[ZX-7R]

I went from a 125 to an RG500 and i'm still here.
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Current Bike - 2000 ZX-7R

[M.C]

[Wonko The Sane]

[Landy10]

[Jayy]

You're probably going to die.

[lingeringstin...]

It's my opinion that anything over about 350cc is basically too heavy to be stupidly dangerous unless you're just riding like an idiot. You will be much more likely to bugger up and land on your arse riding a 125 dirt bike like a lunatic. Little bikes generally have no power, feeble brakes and often not great handling. Skinny tyres and no weight means a gust of sideways wind on the open road can send you all over the place, and trying to keep up with motorway traffic on 12hp or something is frightning among the lorries and Range Rovers.

It's my experience that bigger bikes are more equal on the road in traffic. Cars don't see or respect tiddly bikes so a big bike gets more road respect from car drivers. But if you DO bugger up on for instance a VFR750 then you're more likely to come off worse than you would on a CG125 just because you'd usually be pushing a CG125 to it's limits of power and handling pretty much everywhere you go whereas a VFR750 has well enough of both to cope with normal road conditions... but coming off a CG at 30mph is not like coming off a VFR at 100.

I started on 3hp when I was like 9 years old and eventually worked up to around 100hp as a working motorcycle courier, but these days I do everything on about 20hp for the very reason that it is such an adventure. However, not everybody likes that kind of adventure. My big work bikes were alright for the job and could eat up motorway miles boringly but now that I'm not a courier anymore I don't NEED 100hp to get from A to B as fast as possible and I also really like the cheap running cost of what I ride now.

I figure your safer flinging down the track on an alcohol fuel drag bike that does over 200mph than you would be on a 125 trials bike jumping ditches and scrambling for position among a bunch of other 125's.

I think bigger bikes are just inherently more stable and more equal in traffic, and little bikes are just kind of worse in every way (but personally I enjoy it) so I guess it's all really how you ride.

[Rogerborg]

[chickenstrip]

I went from a CB100N to a Kawasaki 750 Turbo. But I'm an idiot

I had one very scary moment on the Turbo, a big tank slapper that fortunately for me sorted itself out without hurling me into a lamp post or something. But after that, I don't remember having any particularly memorable problems, having taken so large a step up.

Sometimes it's not just about what's on tap as how it delivers it, and the chassis, brakes etc you're given to cope with it. Going from the Turbo to an earlier Kwak 750, the notorious H2 triple, and a highly tuned example at that, was more frightening, and a fright that I never really came to terms with. Riding that bike really felt like you were playing Russian Roulette every time you went out on it.

An MT09 has some significant advantages over both those bikes however. Better chassis, brakes, suspension, tyres, less weight than my old Turbo had, throttle mode controls...generally speaking, the MT should be much easier to ride safely. Just respect the throttle, at least until you're used to it.
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[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Makes about the same amount of torque as my first big bike.
Smooth with the throttle exiting corners.
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[Duffman]

Go easy to start. B mode isn't a bad idea (it resets to Standard mode eveytime engine off).

I went from DAS training on a er-6n to MT-09 so very limited riding experience. Hated the snatchy throttle response immediately (couldn't test drive as noob).

Phoned Yamaha and got the patch applied that's on the tracer, much much better. A year down the line and really enjoying it now.
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MT-09 2015 ABS

[craigT19]

I went from a nsr125 with 20 odd bhp to a zx6r with 100 odd bhp and it was fine.


Although i did fall off it..... ALOT i was a young idiot riding like a penis dont be like me and your be fine

Day after i passed my test i took said zx6r to santa pod with Ste, kev, G, korn, zimma, Bendy etc etc chasing those loons round the m25 and up the m1 i genuinely think alittle poo came out, but after a couple of hours on the drag strip i got used to it and it was fine from then on in.

As said above treat the bike with the respect it deserves and look after it and the bike will look after you.
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Bikes owned :- 2001 nsr125, 1999 zx6r, 2006 yzf-r1, 2009 xmax 250, 2012 yzf-r1, 2015 MT-07
Current bike : - 2016 MT-10
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[recman]

[stevo as b4]

I've never ridden an MT09, but I'd expect it to be smooth stable and pleasant, unless really abusing it?

I'd be far more worried and scared to fuck over riding say a road legal KX500 on the main jet.

[ThatDippyTwat]