I thought the nose changed for the 2009 MY from the cheap plastic one in '08. The nose piece for '09 and '10 are the same and so are the side panels an hood.
You are probably right richracer, I had a '10 RMK and I knew it had the new front compared to my '07 I still ride. I assumed if the OP was concerned he may have seen a difference between the '09 and '10 models. The side panels are all the same.