The Yamaha XSR900 Is More Than Meets The Eye

Yamaha is almost single-handedly driving the motorcycle industry into the future. They may not include the highest tech on their bikes (R1 not included) but, when it comes to identifying trends, they're in the driver's seat. They were the first to buck the literbike trend of power over control. First to bring us a sporty naked bike for the common man. And now they’re doing it once again, with the return of the UJM.

The “universal Japanese motorcycle,” or UJM, was a term used for the slew of bikes released in the 1970s from motorcycle manufacturers that had modern engines, brakes, and suspension and had upright ergonomics. We’re talking the Honda CB750, but what it represented when it was released – not what it means to hipsters now.

Brands diversified in the 1980s, and sportbikes became the new way for manufacturers to compete. Motorcycles continued to segregate into specific applications, each of which progressed into the highly developed classes we see in today’s sport, adventure, cruiser, and dirt bikes.

Somewhere along the way, UJMs became standards. Then they became retro. Triumph arrived at the hipster party way too early, re-launching the Bonneville back in 2001. The Ducati Sport Classic and Moto Guzzi V7 followed in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and then we saw the Honda CB 1100, Yamaha SR 400, and new Ducati Scrambler all post-2010.

Many of those bikes were designed with ties to the 70s UJM aesthetic made so popular by current styling trends, but each of them put styling way ahead of substance by using components as retro as their appearance. Okay, so the new Ducati Scrambler is actually sort of a performer. But it’s still just the old air-cooled Monster motor paired with inexpensive brakes and suspension. They just managed to keep the weight off, which keeps it nimble and fun.

The thing about the first Honda CB750, the bike that started the UJM trend, was that it was a bike that blew peoples' minds for its performance and modern features, not because it was stylish. It was powered by a SOHC inline-four motor derived from the Grand Prix bikes of the day. It used a disc brake up front instead of a drum. It had an electric starter and a five-speed gearbox. Compared to the other mass-produced bikes at the time, it was downright revolutionary.

Instantly, Honda became the benchmark for performance. The BSA Rocket 3 and Triumph Trident, its perceived rivals, were dethroned immediately by the Honda’s 67 horsepower powerplant as it made the goal of “doing the ton” seem trivial with its 120 mph top speed. Better more, it was both reliable and relatively inexpensive at $1,495 (about $10,000 today).

The new 2016 Yamaha XSR900 isn't a standard, retro, café, tracker, or classic. It's a universal Japanese motorcycle, and it's awesome.

It pairs a very contemporary, and incredible powerful 847cc three-cylinder motor with sport rubber, comfy ergonomics, and proper (while not high-spec) brakes and suspension. Even more, it’s fit with multiple fueling modes, traction control, a slipper clutch, and ABS. There is nothing retro or hipster about 115 horsepower, 65 pound-feet of torque, or the massive accidental power wheelies they create.

If those specs sound familiar, that's because the XSR900 borrows the motor from Yamaha's FZ-09 sport naked—just like that first Honda CB750—turned the motorcycle world on its head with its combination of power, performance, and price.

We all went bonkers for the motor when the FZ-09 was released, and the bike decimated a field of poorly performing competition both in power and in price. So much, that it took some time to get over our initial infatuation with the cheap wheelie machine and recognize how big a problem its poor fueling and pogo-stick suspension created. Because at some point we stopped doing wheelies and started trying to go around corners.

The good news is, Yamaha heard our complaints and has brought a far more refined package in the XSR900. Damping was increased for both rebound and compression, longer and dual rate springs replaced the shorter, single-rate ones, and the fork oil levels were increased.

The result is a ride that departs so far from too bouncy that it flirts with too harsh. We’ll call it taut. Or, more accurately, we’ll call it great for hitting apexes at full tilt while a bit uncomfortable on bruised and battered city streets.

Fueling, the other Achilles heel of the FZ-09, has also been addressed with what Yamaha call “ECU settings to match the character of the bike.” It will take a dyno to see where it’s actually different from the FZ-09, but I can say that the switch between on and off throttle is far less abrupt, and that sport mode is finally rideable (note that since its initial release, Yamaha has updated the ECU on the FZ-09 and significantly smoothed out the on/off throttle transition). Anyone doing any real performance riding will want to smooth the fueling further with a power commander, but the stock delivery is fine for most people.

Despite everyone’s insistence on calling the XSR900 a retro, it simply isn’t. It just isn't as geometric or angular looking as the other sporty nakeds. It uses many aesthetic cues that are popular in modern design, but everything about the exposed guts of the bike, instrument panel, exhaust note, and wheels are as current as anything else on the market. Even the tank is a bit too angular to really be retro, especially when lined up next to a Bonneville or Moto Guzzi.

So, we have a well-styled, amazing-performing upright bike with a whole host of modern electronics and at a completely reasonable price ($9,490 in silver and $9,990 in yellow). The only thing we’re missing is the analogy is it turning the industry on its head, which the preceding FZ-09 did—if only the XSR had come first.

Sean's Gear

Helmet: Biltwell Gringo
Goggles: Ride 100% Barstow
Jacket: Rev'It Tracer Overshirt
Gloves: Dainese Blackjack Glove
Pants: UglyBros Smith Pants
Boots: Dainese Cooper Boots
Backpack: Colfax Design Works Recon Pack