Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/907813
2018 YAMAHA XSR700 FIRST RIDE P62 good thing indeed. The XSR doesn't feel any different when you're riding it, save for the flatter seat and slightly higher tank/cover shape. The mo- tor still retains that amazing bottom-end punch off corners and doesn't transmit too much vibration back to the rider. In- terestingly, one of the defining features of an MT-07 is its (very) rubber-mounted handlebar. It's so rubber mounted you can move it an inch fore and aft, which seriously dumbs down the vibration felt by the rider. The XSR's bar is also rubber mounted, but nothing to the degree of the MT, so Yamaha has almost contradicted their own argument there. The little twin will produce its best power between 4-8000 rpm, but it'll still pull with decent vigor right up to the 10 grand redline. Its fueling is superb for the most part, although there's a bit of a hesitation from a closed throttle in hairpin/ bottom gear corners. It's a small tradeoff as the rest of the engine package is extremely good. The ride is a little more taut than the MT thanks to the slightly heavier spring setup, which ironically allows you to push a bit harder when you hit the canyons than the MT. You can really boss an XSR around and the Yam will happily play along, and it's surprising how much grip the retro-themed Pirelli Phantom rubber will give you when it's time for some fun. The overall ride is still pretty soft, mind you, which makes long days in the saddle a cinch with the XSR. The flat and wide seat is a comfort improvement over the racier version you'll find on the MT-07, as well as looking much nicer with the leather embossment of the XSR logo at the rear as it sits just behind the '70s-esque round brake light. You're paying a little more for the premium of an XSR700 over the MT-07 but you get a far more stylish machine for the money. While the MT can look a little plastic, the XSR has a genuinely classy feel to the design—even if underneath it's basically the same bike. It would be a touch lazy for an XSR buyer not to leave some form of customization mark on their machine, considering how Yamaha has designed the bike to make this aspect of owner- ship as easy as possible (hey, if you need a bit of inspiration, click here). Yamaha built this bike in the style of one of their most iconic designs in the XS-2 of the early 1970s. It was a machine that put Yamaha on the map as a seri- ous alternative when it came to personal mobility, and while the XSR700 may not have quite that legacy when its long gone, it's still a nice little nod to the com- pany's past while giving a today's rider all the fruit we've come to know, love and expect. CN 2018 YAMAHA XSR700 ($8499) ENGINE: .........Liquid-cooled DOHC inline twin-cylinder, eight valves DISPLACEMENT: .............................689cc BORE X STROKE: ............... 80 x 68.6mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................... 11.5:1 CLUTCH: ...........................Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION: .......................... 6-speed CHASSIS: ..............................Tubular steel FRONT SUSPENSION: .....41mm inverted fork REAR SUSPENSION: ............Single shock absorber, preload adjustable FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ................... 5.1 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ...................... 5.1 in FRONT BRAKE: ........Four-piston calipers, ABS as standard REAR BRAKE: ............Twin-piston caliper, ABS as standard FRONT TIRE: .............. 120/70ZR17 Pirelli Phantom Sportcomp REAR TIRE: ................. 180/55ZR17 Pirelli Phantom Sportcomp RAKE: ....................................................25° WHEELBASE: .................................55.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ...............................32.9 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ........................... 3.7 gal. WEIGHT: ............ 410 lbs. (wet, claimed). COLOR: ............... Matte Gray/Aluminum; Raspberry Metallic S P E C I F I C A T I O N S