First Ride
Part FZ750, a hint of TZR250, a taste of YZR500… and entirely glorious
…there was sunshine from May to September, Yamaha’s FZR1000 took the top eight places in the Production TT, and Niall Mackenzie led the British GP on a Marlboro YZR500. Relive these heady sun-drenched days with the new Yamaha XSR900 GP – the perfect retro race-rep for British riders
This isn’t just a half-arsed attempt at whipping up nostalgia, oh no. Yamaha’s new XSR900 GP is entirely convincing, and its big, roomy cockpit is a time-travelling device that slices away 40 years. The knee recesses in the fuel tank are based on the YZR500 OW70 that Kenny Roberts rode in 1983. Super-cool bolton hand blisters on the fairing are influenced by the championshipwinning OW76 from 1984, and the lines of the body are based loosely on Wayne Rainey’s YZR from 1991. The half fairing is a tip of the hat to ancestors like the FZ750 and TRX850. And the R clips holding it on are remanufactured from the TZR250R.
There aren’t many bikes that get people stopping, staring and even waving as much as the XSR900 GP. It’s an absolute magnet for attention – and with bloody good reason. And the best bit? All this style, all these emotion-stirring details, are attached to a bike with a seriously impressive dynamic.
Ready to get it on
The riding experience is anything but old-fashioned. In fact, rolling through village after village in Portuguese sunshine, the GP is more focused than I was expecting (and than how it looks).
Although similar to the naked XSR900 it’s based on, the riding position is far sportier. In fact, it’s so sporty that the riding triangle (hands, bum, feet) is closer to an
R7 – which mimics the track-ready R6 – than a standard XSR900. Thankfully it’s not as uncompromising as a full-on sportsbike, and due to the spacious layout there’s no arching of your back. It perhaps suits a larger rider better, though; at 5ft 7in (on a good day) it’s a bit of a stretch.
Riding position concerns evaporate as the road opens up. The XSR900 GP comes alive: there’s higher-grade suspension than the standard XSR, with revised spring rates front and rear as well as greater adjustability, and with the plugged-in riding position the Yamaha is an agile bike that’s happy being buried into corners. And it has an incredible amount of stability. Its hefty wheelbase works wonders at keeping everything in check mid-corner, and the KYB suspension absorbs dodgy road surfaces while still offering ample support – even under hard use of the four-pot front brakes.
A new Brembo master cylinder improves feel for the front brake compared to many previous Yamahas – it not only gives a more natural feel under heavy braking but increases bite on the initial pull. And it’s welcome too, as the GP is ab
