Frame Crack Myth – MT-09 Gen3 + Gen4
First, I want to explain why I’m creating this post.
I’ve seen a lot of replies in various threads with comments like:
“Your frame must be cracked...” or “My frame cracked too... or "Frame Crack inc”
This topic seems to pop up often, and while many people have shared ideas or solutions, I’d like to use this post as a central place to gather all available information — including possible causes and how to prevent it.
The goal here is not to spread fear, but to bring clarity by sharing facts and experiences from the MT-09 community.
The title mentions Gen4, but there’s no picture or information showing that this actually happens on a Gen4. However, the frames of the Gen3 and Gen4 are almost identical — the only major difference being that the Gen4 has reinforced engine mounts (Is what i founded).
The frame cracking issue – what’s really going on?
There are generally two main situations where frame cracks are reported:
A: Crash or accident
Sometimes you see photos of frames that are clearly damaged/broken off. In most of these cases, the damage is the result of a crash or serious fall.
Should a frame crack from a fall? Not always — it depends on the situation, impact angle, speed, etc. But in these cases, the damage is usually understandable and expected.
Like this:
By the way, I hope the rider is okay!
And just to be clear — this kind of damage does NOT happen from doing a wheelie!
B: Incorrectly mounted frame sliders
This might be the most common issue being shared online. You’ll often see the same type of crack appear in photos — and these seem to relate to poorly installed or incompatible frame sliders(Single point and multi point).
Like this:
This is because of how the frame is designed, and another member of this community has explained it very well in this post:
Short:
The engine bolt torque (Nm) is incorrect when installing the sliders, and the installation order is also wrong.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MT09/comments/1lon2em/my_review_of_frames_cracking/
Now that the frame cracking issue has been explained, what are the solutions?:
A: Crash or accident:
There is no solution for a crash or accident. I hope the guys who shared pictures of ripped-off heads are okay. Again, this won’t happen from just doing a wheelie!
B: Incorrectly mounted frame sliders:
This is an other story and there is a solution for it!
- First of all, check the maintenance book and find this picture:
You can see the NM on the bolts and thats verry importent!
- Second is the slider itself. Don’t buy cheap ones with poor-quality bolts! Low-quality bolts can bend. (Or buy cheap sliders but buy A quality bolts for it! (one point or multi point sliders)
Third is the installation guide for a slider:
- First, support the engine with a car jack and a piece of wood (or something similar) so the engine can't move downward.
- Second, start with the left side (the side with the quickshifter) and tighten the bolts to the correct torque (Nm) as shown in the picture above.
- Third, do the right side and tighten the bolts to the correct torque (Nm).
Also, be aware of the Yamaha warranty! (This is from Yamaha EU!)
The terms state the following:
“Damage resulting from the use of non-genuine Yamaha parts and non-genuine Yamaha accessories, or from the use of fuel, lubricants, and fluids with specifications other than those stated in the Yamaha owner's and maintenance manual.”
So, aftermarket sliders that cause frame damage are not covered under warranty!
Use them at your own risk! ( I dont use them)
So make sure you have full coverage insurance!
Also, be aware that Yamaha engineers applied some clever engineering to the frame. It's thin, it's light, and it was intentionally designed that way. Since Yamaha doesn't offer OEM frame sliders — only engine covers — it's likely that the frame was never intended to support frame sliders in the first place.
I'm new to the community, but I've done some research on this topic, and that's why I’m sharing this information — so you don't have to!
Posted Jul 2, 2025, 12:37 PM UTC