The Yamaha XSR900 GP is Yamaha’s attempt at a pure nostalgia bike, throwing back to the GP racing of the 1980s.
Of course, the iconic paint scheme of racing in that era was that of Marlboro. Although Mclaren - with drivers such as Emmerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna - was perhaps the most famous example of the Marlboro livery, Yamaha found success dressed in red and white, too. Most famously and most obviously, this came with Wayne Rainey, who won the 1990, 1991, and 1992 500cc World Championship titles on Yamaha’s Marlboro-painted YZR500 before a crash at Misano in 1993 left him paralysed. Other than Rainey, Eddie Lawson also took three titles in Marlboro Yamaha colours, winning the 500 title in 1984, 1986, and 1988 (before winning with Honda in 1989). Loris Capirossi is perhaps most remembered for his exploits in the Marlboro colours when they were applied to a Ducati between 2003 and 2007, but he won his first 500cc GP in 1995 in Marlboro Yamaha colours.
The point is, the red-and-white of Marlboro is iconic, and it forms the first impression of the new Yamaha XSR900 GP, which features the red-and-white paint in its famous pattern, but of course sans the cigarette brand’s logos.
The standard XSR900 finds that Yamaha’s 1980s Grand Prix bikes are its ancestors. It was in the 500cc World Championship that Yamaha developed what is now well-known as the Deltabox frame, which debuted on the 1982 Yamaha YZR500 0W61.
The new GP variant takes further inspiration from 1980s Grand Prix machines with its new, square front cowl which is also used to create a new, square shape for the headlight. As well as looking lovely, Yamaha says the improves aerodynamics. It's attached in an 80s style, with the frame connected to the fairing via a tubed structure, while the dashboard is supported by straight brackets.
Further in this direction, Yamaha has used a nut structure, which it says is “identical” to that used on the original TZ250 production racer, to support the upper fairing. That nut structure is fastened via a beta pin, which is a first for a road-going Yamaha production bike.
Other features on the new XSR900 GP include clip-on bars, a third-generation quickshifter, a more forward riding position, chassis tuning via an aluminium steering stem shaft to compensate for that riding position; Spinforged wheels, Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23 tyres, fully adjustable KYB front suspension, KYB rear shock with remote tuning; and a radial front master cylinder from Brembo.
Yamaha Ride Control (YRC) can be used to tune the bike’s characteristics, including engine power and intervention from the electronics. This uses the preset ‘Sport, ‘Street’ and ‘Rain’ modes, which can be selected and managed via the five-inch TFT display, as two custom modes tunable by the rider. Navigating that display is aimed to be more simple thanks to a new switchgear, while the electronic aids benefit from Yamaha’s six-axis IMU.
A new Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) function detects “sudden braking,” Yamaha says, and engages the hazard lights to warn those behind that the rider is braking heavily.
UK pricing and availability information have not yet been announced for the XSR900 GP, but it will be available in the Marlboro-style ‘Legend Red’ and ‘Power Grey’ colours.
