VOLUME 59 ISSUE 27 JULY 6, 2022 P91
O
ver the last year, Ya-
maha has methodically
relaunched its excel-
lent 890cc CP3 triple-powered
lineup. First, the company
tackled its game-changing sport
standard, the MT-09, smoothing
off some famously rough edges
and making the machine an all-
around better playmate.
Next, the Tracer 9 GT,
already a terrific value-oriented
tourer, had the same big helping
of refinement thrown its way.
But Yamaha saved the best
for last in its big update of the
XSR900.
Let's dispense with the big
stuff: Measured by part count, the
XSR900 is 90 percent new. While
the change in styling is conspicu-
ous, marking a shift in inspiration
from '70s machines to the road
racers of the 1980s, the mechani-
cal changes are no less subtle.
Readers will notice the lightweight
die-cast aluminum frame intro-
duced by the MT-09. Sharp eyes
might catch clever spin-forged
wheels and a new adjustable KYB
fork. What you won't see is the ef-
fort at weight reduction inside the
engine, or the work done to meet
Euro 5 emissions standards.
CLASSIC,
NOT RETRO
YAMAHA CHANNELS ONE OF ITS MOST
FAMOUS LIVERIES FOR THE NEW XSR900, AND
THE CHANGES ARE MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
BY CHRIS CANTLE I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM CAMPBELL
