Introduction
There probably isn’t a cooler-looking motorcycle you can get parked in your garage than the new XSR900GP from Yamaha unless you’ve got a ‘proper’ race bike or the disposable income of someone on New Zealand’s rich list. The red/white colour scheme of the bike we managed to wrestle off Yamaha NZ is a giveaway to anyone who followed racing in the eighties as to where they got the inspiration for this model from, with the iconic (I think we might use that word a lot in this article…) colour-scheme a nod to the days when cigarette manufacturers were throwing gazillions of dollars at motorsport, and Marlboro was the Red Bull of the time.
It’s been a while since BRM has made the trip to Yamaha HQ in South Auckland, so the invite to come and ‘do lunch’ before taking home one of only two 900GPs in the country certainly got the excitement going. And walking into Yamaha NZ’s rather cool technical workshop was the perfect location to slap eyes on the new machines, looking like a pair of race replicas set up in a pit garage.
The reality, though, is that the new GP isn’t a race replica but rather a celebration of Yamaha’s golden era of Grand Prix racing and the two-stroke 500cc machines that took names like Roberts and Rainey to victory. Yet there’s also elements of other iconic (there it is again…) Yamaha machines from the late 1980s and early 1990s like the FZR1000 EXUP and TZR250, both of which set the motorcycling world alight when they were released. Being a bit of an old git, I remember them both well, and I would quite easily have sold a member of the family to get my hands on one of these bikes at the time, such was the excitement surrounding the new models. It’s a shame, but I don’t think many new models generate that sort of excitement anymore, with bikes being made more sensible, comfortable and conforming to the rules compared to the bikes of yesteryear.
New Clothes
So, underneath the 900GP is the heart of Yamaha’s popular yet not exactly earth-shattering XSR900, which, until I rode it, felt like a bit of a peculiar choice. The 890cc CP3, three-cylinder engine supplies heaps of torque and makes the MT-09 and XSR900 heaps of fun on the road, but it isn’t exactly a monster like the four-cylinder MT-10 powerplant, which wants to rip your arms off. But sitting on the 900GP reveals a machine that, while looking sporty, has been designed to be usable and fun rather than a focused track weapon, making the 900cc triple the perfect choice.
While the 900GP is based around the XSR900, Yamaha has made a raft of changes to give it a sportier edge that fits the sharper styling. The chassis, which resembles the Deltabox that appeared on the FZR1000, has had a couple of subtle tweaks from the XSR donor, with a modified headstock bracket, a thicker subframe and an aluminium steering tube aiding the sportier credentials of the GP. And the suspension has been upgraded to fully adjustable KYBs front and rear, with a heavier spring at the front and a slightly softer spring at the rear on the almost hidden shock.
The riding position is completely different on the GP, with clip-on handlebars, high pegs and a set-up which sees much more of your weight forward over the front of the bike, possibly the reason the rear spring is softer than the more upright naked. The clip-on position isn’t too radical, and while there’s a reasonable amount of weight positioned on your wrists, the low, GP-style screen means there’s always a decent amount of airflow to keep the weight off if you’re doing a decent pace. Little touches like the tubes supporting the fairing and the beta pins used as fasteners make this a retro that’s more than just looks, with real thought given by the designers to make sure it’s instantly (cough) iconic.
Yet despite the retro looks, the 900GP is anything but old-fashioned, with the latest tech added to make the ride even more special. While the CP3 hasn’t been modified and still produces 117hp and a bucket-load of torque (93Nm), the Yamaha gets an all-new 5-inch TFT dash, which is styled to fit the rest of the bike thanks to the four themes you can choose. And there’s also a six-axis IMU to make sure all the electronics are lean-sensitive, making it a lot safer to ride than those bikes of yesteryear.
There are three pre-set riding modes – Sport, Street and Rain – that automatically adjust the throttle map and rider aids, while using the Yamaha Ride Control section on the TFT dash allows you to modify two custom settings quickly and easily. A clever touch is that a picture of the bike appears on the dash with diagrams showing just what you’re adjusting and which way you’re adjusting it, so you never need to be wondering if 1 equals more intervention or if you’re about to launch yourself into the sky.
Finally, the 900GP gets new switchgear, which has made the adjustment of modes and settings easier with the retirement of the old roll switch, replaced with a joystick that’s much easier to use. Modes are swapped on the fly using a single button on the right switchblock, while the cruise control is accessed easily on the left. There’s also a new indicator switch which is a little different in that it’s a rocker that you press on the side you want to turn and then press that side again to cancel. You can also give it a quick press, which will cause the indicator to flash three times.
Auckland and Beyond
Leaving Yamaha for the initial introduction of the 900GP and it immediately became obvious as I followed the XSR900-mounted lead rider that I was wishing I was on the naked bike. Yep, while the 900GP looks sporty, I was discovering the riding position also feels pretty sporty despite the raised clip-ons. It’s still quite a ‘wristy’ ride, although I was thankful for the bar-end mirrors, which stayed perfectly vibe-free and offered an excellent view of what was going on behind.
Twisting through the backroads of Auckland probably wasn’t what the Yamaha engineers had imagined the 900GP was going to be used for. But as it was, the bike performed faultlessly, with the smooth fueling, compliant brakes thanks to the updated Brembo master-cylinder, and sharp handling turning my frown into a grin, especially as I noticed more and more other road users double-taking and quite literally staring at me and the XSR900GP. Yep, this is certainly a head-turner, especially in the red/white colour-scheme and the yellow blocks which resemble race number boards. The small LED headlight at the bottom of the front yellow panel just goes to show how much the Yamaha engineers invested in making the 900GP look so, well, iconic(!), as they could have quite easily just cut a round hole and used the light of the naked XSR. But, thankfully, they didn’t. And the styling of the GP is probably the best interpretation of modern retro that we’ve ever seen.
With lunch done, it was back through the miserable Auckland traffic (which demonstrated you can lane-split even with bar-end mirrors), and I was quickly loading the red/white 900GP into the back of the BRM Sprinter to make sure I got the better of the two colourways. While the black undoubtedly looks cool, there was only one version that I wanted to drool over in the shed over the next couple of weeks…
The Yamaha crew pointed out a few accessories that had been fitted to the 900GP I was quickly strapping down, with the white bottom fairing something that the first 40 owners will get in with the retail price. The bike is actually supplied without the bottom fairing, but Yamaha NZ felt it looked a bit, well, unfinished. So they did the numbers, took a bit of a hit and chucked it in for free. And I’m pleased they did, as it really finishes the looks off. A full Akrapovic exhaust system was also added to this machine, which certainly wasn’t included in the price (it’s around $4.5K!), and while it saves a bit of weight because it was the distributor fitting it, they needed it to remain road-legal and unoffensive. Therefore, it still had the collector box, catalytic converter and a whole heap of sound deadening, something you or I would certainly not want. As it is, the 900GP sounds epic, especially when you let the revs rise on the triple, with the tuned airbox offering a roar that would be great to bottle and sell. And it certainly encourages you to hang onto the revs to get the full experience.
Yamaha XSR900 GP: The Magic Mix
With a sunny winter’s day greeting me as I opened the shed door and the Yamaha burbling through that stubby exhaust can, I was getting the feeling that I was about to ride something pretty special, despite the fact it’s really ‘only’ an XSR900. That’s doing the XSR900 a bit of injustice as it and the MT-09 are a heap of fun and, in the right hands, quite crazy bikes which offer plenty of smiles per mile. Yet the retro look and ‘that’ colour scheme just makes the 900GP seem so much more special, and even my neighbour who sees plenty of bikes come and go with little interest stopped for a chat and a look. Yep, that’s what you’re paying for and also something you need to get used to if you’re going to own a XSR900GP.
With the usual first stint of the BRM test route seeing a section of motorway cruising, the fact the Yamaha has cruise control fitted makes the sporty riding position much more bearable while also saving any attention from the boys in blue. But it wasn’t long before I was peeling off the three-lane highway and hitting the backroads, with the 900GP feeling like it was ready to attack the road like Mr Rainey or Roberts would a racetrack.
The growl from the CP3 powerplant is addictive, especially the midrange where the Yamaha motor loves to live. While, looking at the bike you’d expect it to be peaky and racy, the character of the motor couldn’t be any further from the truth, with the torque coming in from as low as 3,000rpm and driving hard all the way through the rev range. With the tacho pride of place on the screen layout I had selected, the motor drives hard through the rev range, especially when flicking from Street to Sport, which sees the Yamaha reduce the intrusion of the rider aids while increasing the response from any given input of the throttle. Rather than being snatchy, it’s the instant drive from the triple at almost any given revs that makes Sport only worth selecting when you’re truly feeling sporty. Otherwise, Street gives more than enough performance for some serious fun.
With NZ’s backroad typically covered in holes, lumps and undulations, the softer rear spring meant the 900GP was surprisingly comfortable, and I never got to the point where I was standing on the pegs jockey-style. Instead, the KYBs did an excellent job of soaking up the worst. The steering is significantly sharper than I remembered from the naked version, with the added weight of the riding position up front also making the GP less wheelie-prone. The MT-09 and XSR900 can be hooligan machines if you fancy, whereas coming out of an intersection and holding onto the throttle stop through the gears doesn’t see the 900GP clawing for the sky. Yes, there’s wheelie control (which you can adjust how much you want it to intervene), but it never felt like this was cutting power or controlling lift, instead my (not inconsiderable…) weight going through the handlebars seemed to be doing the job of keeping the front-end under control.
Holding the throttle on and flicking through the gears is also now easier with Yamaha’s third-generation quickshifter, which is sublime in its action both up or down the gearbox with the new version allowing some positive throttle even while changing down. And with the way the motor loves to drive hard in the midrange, I found myself making the most of the excellent shifter as I flicked up and down the ‘box through each series of turns, keeping the revs in the meat of the power so that I could drive out with maximum torque.
The sexy ‘spin forged’ wheels are fitted with (also sexy) Bridgestone S23 rubber and offered plenty of grip despite my test taking place in the middle of winter when you’re never too sure what sort of grip you’re going to encounter around the other side of a corner. Yet, the 900GP simply encouraged me to attack corners despite the changeable conditions, with the fast and flickable handling combined with a comprehensive list of electronic aids making this a package that is anything but retro in its performance. And I couldn’t help thinking that this new version would eat for breakfast any of the Yamaha road bikes it’s fashioned on.
Yamaha XSR900 GP: Deliciously Desirable
Stopping for a coffee mid-test, the Yamaha once again drew a crowd of onlookers. I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a bike in this price range that has garnered such attention at every turn. Yes, the colour screams ‘road racer’, yet I think even the black one would turn plenty of heads. What Yamaha has done is produce what has to be one of the most stylish, sexy, and (here we go again) instantly iconic bikes that we’ve seen for decades. And the fact it’s so easy, involving and fun to ride only makes the package even more impressive.
Admittedly, I didn’t ride the 900GP at night, but I reckon the headlight could well be a bit lacking. And if you’re not used to riding a machine with weight on your wrists, then it will take a while to get used to the riding position. But believe me when I say it will be worth it. Even just looking at the 900GP parked in the shed gave me goosebumps, and there’s not many $20k-ish Japanese machines that I can say do that.
The job the Yamaha engineers have done in combining traditional, dare I say – iconic – styling into a totally modern package has to make this the retro motorbike that all others will now be judged. And while it doesn’t feature a peaky, arm-wrenching, four-cylinder powerplant, the useable nature of the 900cc triple makes it the perfect partner for a bike that you’re riding to have fun on, not set lap records.
Pics: Two Creative Photography
