Yamaha XSR900 (2024 - ) review

This is the second generation XSR900, and while the basic style and ethos don’t stray far from that of the 2016 original there are some significant changes shifting the dial to the sportier side. And a rather delicious new retro race livery option, which looks lush against the matt black Deltabox frame and gold suspension bits! Based on the 2021 model year MT-09, this version of the XSR900 is 30mm lower at the front end than the previous one and reverts to a more conventional swingarm design with conventional inboard rather than the previous outboard mounts for improved rear end stiffness. Like the others in the family engine capacity has climbed to 889cc thanks to a slightly longer stroke, the internals also upgraded at the same time. The longer swingarm from the Tracer 9 meanwhile tames some of the MT-09 foundation’s lairier habits, which for those who’ve left their wheelie days behind them will be good news and puts some mechanical as well as emotional distance between the two. The GP, meanwhile, takes things further with its heart-on-sleeve retro looks, fairing and clip-ons but the XSR900 perhaps marks the sweetspot between the two, and a neat blend of old- and new-school looks and manners.

The XSR900 feels small and chuckable without feeling too diddy for larger riders to get comfy on, that longer wheelbase perhaps providing just a little more room to stretch out than an MT-09. Likewise, the riding position is low enough at the front end to feel properly sporty without loading your wrists too much or compromising the practicalities of visibility and comfort you associate with nakeds. We found it as fun for back-road scratching as it was inner-city commuting, this wide bandwidth of ability again sealing its place as a nice compromise between the aggression of the MT-09 and more sports bike like GP.

Nakeds are great fun and work in a wide range of riding scenarios but it won’t come as any great shock to learn the XSR900 has a ceiling when it comes to the kind of speeds or distances you may want to travel on it. Inevitably, there’s nowhere to hide from wind, rain or other elements so long motorway miles are going to get miserable pretty quickly. Nor is it especially pillion friendly, the rounded seat looking cool but not offering much to catch your passenger under hard acceleration or giving them much to perch on. Yamaha offers some factory luggage options but it’s not a bike for loading up with the gear for extended tours. But this is all fine – you get what you pay for and what it lacks in usefulness the XSR900 more than makes up for in style and grin factor.

Enough has been said about Yamaha’s CP3 engine already but, as your tester’s first Yamaha, its combination of power and charisma more than lived up to the hype. The slight increase in stroke and capacity over the previous XSR900 means peak torque is both increased and comes in 1,500rpm sooner at 7,000rpm, seemingly without any loss in enthusiasm for revs and top-end excitement. Power is also up a smidge to 119 horsepower, now at a round 10,000rpm. On A-road overtakes it’ll happily haul from half that without hesitation, or you can click the standard quickshifter down a cog and give it beans for a more exciting variation on the same. Whichever you choose the XSR takes off like a lit firework, the fierce bark of the CP3 triple rising in pitch to a thrilling howl with just enough fizz through the frame to make it feel exciting. Sure, a Triumph triple may be smoother. But the rawness of the Yamaha’s is just as attractive, for different reasons. And when you come to scrub off the speed the slender Brembo lever for the four-pot calipers and twin 298mm discs has a lovely shape to it and a firm bite, making it easy to modulate braking pressure with pinpoint accuracy.

The XSR900 isn’t the cheapest in its class – a Triumph Speed Triple R is nearly a grand less – but it packs a lot of kit in for the price, fully adjustable forks and linkage-driven shock included. There’s depth beneath the trick looking gold anodising and machined top caps on the forks as well, our short ride meaning no time to delve into the settings but, frankly, no need given how good the bike feels out of the box. While relatively short in travel as befits a sporty road bike there’s still impressive plushness to both front and rear ends, and a sense they’re working in unison. So, when you hit a bump or compression the bike moves as one, rather than porpoising through. If hardly adventure bike plush it still feels impressively composed on lumpy British B-roads, giving you confidence to push on safe in the knowledge you’re not about to be deflected by an unexpected mid-corner bump. At 193kg it’s pretty typical for bikes of its class but feels lighter, with a flickable sense of agility that has you seeking out corners to carve.

As well as being nearly £1,800 cheaper to buy than the GP you’d hope things like insurance should also be a bit cheaper given the inherent simplicity and lack of costly fairing or similar. True, an MT-09 is £600 less but it feels like you’re getting a more sophisticated machine for the money so this seems a fair premium. While it’s a bike that encourages an enthusiastic riding style the weight and power output should keep a lid on appetite for consumables as well.

Yamaha makes enough bikes with this CP3 engine that we’d know if there were any well-documented issues. While there were some reported problems with the first generation XSR900 these were subsequently sorted and the engine has been fully revised since then anyway.

Pretty standard stuff here, with two years of cover for the bike and breakdown cover included under Yamaha’s YOU programme. You can pay to extend this by another 12 months if you wish, though at £299 for a bike in this capacity class that feels a chunk to pay. After your first 600-mile service the intervals are then annual or every 6,000 miles. Which is quite a bit less than the 10,000 between checks on, say, a Triumph. But probably still fine for the kind of mileages a bike like this will be doing.

The standard quickshifter and fully adjustable suspension are indicative of the level of standard kit Yamaha includes, the XSR900 also backed up with a full electronics package powered by a six-axis IMU with cornering ABS and traction, anti-wheelie and more. You also get a range of throttle maps, all configurable into different combinations in the frankly slightly baffling display and choice of numerical descriptions than the more obvious ‘normal’, ‘sport’ or whatever. As an owner and with more time on your hands you’d probably get used to it but on the advice of the man from Yamaha we stuck with his recommended settings and got on with it, there being no complaints with the way the bike went! Options are limited to an ‘urban’ tank bag and soft ‘weekend’ panniers that broaden your horizons somewhat but don’t do anything for the looks. Given the nature of the bike we’d be more interested in the pillion cowling and, if we were feeling flush, Racer Pack with its proper Akrapovic can in place of the ugly stock underbelly exhaust system.

The XSR900 is a stunning looking bike, the mix of modern styling, retro flourishes and tasty details absolutely nailing the desirability factor from the off, especially in the retro colours seen here. You can have it in boring old black if you want but … why would you? And it rides just as good as it looks, with all the feistiness of the MT-09 and rawness of that brilliant triple but just a tad more maturity for moments when you don’t want to ride like a nutter. While it doesn’t quite have the ultimate desirability of the GP it has most of the character for a lot less money, and in a more usable package as well. Best CP3-engined Yamaha? We’ll tell you when we’ve ridden all the others, but it’s got to be in with a shout!