By NastyNils·
Motorcycle comparison · Naked Bike
Yamaha MT-09 (RN87-SP) vs Ducati Monster (MY2023-SP)
Yamaha MT-09 vs Ducati Monster: no fairing, no excuses. Here's how to pick.
Tip the Yamaha MT-09 into a bend and it's got you sitting down inside the bike, held there from the first turn. The Ducati Monster doesn't need more than the lightest push on the bar to turn in. Its narrow waist feels like less bike underneath you.
So which one do you buy?
The MT-09 has the edge if…
Keeping running costs low
Inches ahead: MT-09
Running costs lean slightly toward the MT-09. A well-kept example of either matters more.
Daily commuting & city riding
Nose ahead: MT-09
For the Monday-to-Friday grind, the MT-09 pulls a nose in front. Your own commute could easily flip it.
The Monster has the edge if…
Sporty riding on twisty roads
Slight edge: Monster
The Monster nudges ahead once the pavement starts to wiggle. It's down to more feel through the bars. Don't expect a night-and-day difference.
What makes each one tick
MT-09
The MT-09's triple growls on an uneven beat, yet hardly any buzz reaches the bars. You'll be back on the gas early leaving a corner, and the chassis still wants to play with the manic edge filed down. On the Bay Area Ridge Roads at a spirited pace, a bump in a switchback doesn't run the shock out of damping. The fork stays on its line.
Nils rode the MT-09 in Austria in 2025 (NastyNils Testride).
Monster
A steering damper settles the Monster's front end without slowing the bar's response. Small throttle openings get a clean pull from the twin at low revs, then it hits hardest past the middle of the tach and revs out crisp. It'll chug through town, too. The Brembo lever bites hard, then modulates.
The Voice of Experience
What actually separates them
- The MT-09 has the lower seat: 32.5 in (825 mm) vs 33.1 in (840 mm).
- The Monster has the lower wet weight: 410 lb (186 kg) vs 428 lb (194 kg).
- The MT-09 makes more peak power: 119 hp (88 kW) vs 111 hp (82 kW).
Which one for the way you ride
Comfortable long-distance riding
Both fall short
Long days aren't what these two do best. Plan shorter legs and plenty of stops.
A confidence-building first motorcycle
Neither is a natural fit
For a brand-new rider, both are the wrong place to start. Learn the basics on a smaller bike first.
Who each one is built for
What's good, and what you'll live with
MT-09
Strengths
- Standout Triple For Back Roads
- Big Brakes, Light Lever
- Quickshifter You Forget About
- Settled From The First Corner
- Upright Comfort For All Day
Trade-offs
- Less Planted At High Speed
- Down On Grunt To Fours
- SP Suspension Rewards Hard Use
- Seat comfort remains firm on long journeys
Monster
What owners say
Strengths
- Tractable engine character with strong mid-range
- Light, intuitive handling
- Build quality and finish
- Clear and intuitive 4.3 in. TFT dashboard
- Outstanding front brake feel and power
Trade-offs
- Stiff sport-biased ride on broken pavement
- Missing comfort/touring features at the price point
- Engine heat in stop-and-go traffic
- Long-distance seat comfort
- Mirror vibration / poor rear visibility
Known problems to check before you buy
MT-09
No confirmed faults on file yet. That's not the same as fault-free.
Monster
- Engine heat at rider's thighs in low-speed traffic The liquid-cooled L-twin produces noticeable thigh heat in city traffic and at stoplights. Lean factory mapping for emission compliance compounds the effect. Owners and reviewers describe it as a near-universal characteristic of the platform rather than an isolated defect. Factory heat-shield accessories partially address it.
- Jerky DQS downshifts at partial throttle The bidirectional DQS shifts cleanly on upshifts but downshifts feel jerky and dwell long if the throttle is not fully rolled off, especially in 5th and 6th gear. Workarounds include rolling fully off-throttle for clutchless downshifts, lowering the gear-shift peg, and learning the system's specific timing. Some isolated cases have traced to actual hardware failure of the QS sensor, but the dominant pattern is calibration character, not failure.
- OEM mirror vibration, limited rear visibility Stock mirror stems transmit engine vibration into the mirror housing, blurring the rearward image at certain rpm bands. Field width is also limited by the stem geometry. Bar-end mirror replacements are a near-universal aftermarket fix; a non-recall service-campaign reinforcement of the mirror stems has been referenced anecdotally on owner forums but is not confirmed via a Ducati primary document.
- Stock SP Öhlins setup is firm; sport-biased base settings The Öhlins NIX30 fork and STX 36 shock are fully adjustable, but the SP ships with a firm sport-biased base setup that is consistently described as harsh on broken pavement. Owners — especially lighter riders — report that fork/shock spring rate or preload changes are sometimes needed in addition to clicker adjustment. The Standard/Plus has the parallel issue of insufficient adjustability rather than firm tuning; on the SP, the adjustment range is there, but stock settings need work.
What they share
- Cooling
- Liquid-cooled
- Torque
- 69 lb-ft (93 Nm)
- Fuel capacity
- 3.7 US gal (14 L)
- Gearbox
- 6-speed
- Final drive
- Chain
- Fork
- Upside-down (USD)
- Front tire
- 120/70-17
- Rear tire
- 180/55-17
Where the spec sheets split
| MT-09 | Monster | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat height | 32.5 in (825 mm) | 33.1 in (840 mm) |
| Wet weight | 428 lb (194 kg) | 410 lb (186 kg) |
| MT-09 | Monster | |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 890 cc | 937 cc |
| Engine | Inline-three | 90° V-twin |
| Power | 119 hp (88 kW) | 111 hp (82 kW) |
| Peak power at | 10,000 rpm | 9,250 rpm |
| Peak torque at | 7,000 rpm | 6,500 rpm |
| MT-09 | Monster | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy | 47 mpg (US) / 5 L/100 km | 45 mpg (US) / 5.2 L/100 km |
| MT-09 | Monster | |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 56.3 in (1430 mm) | 57.9 in (1470 mm) |
What comes fitted, what costs extra
| MT-09 | Monster | |
|---|---|---|
| Smartphone Connectivity | Standard | Option |
| USB Charging Port | Standard | Not offered |
Head to head, area by area
Both bikes on the same scale, one area at a time.
