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Test: Yamaha XSR 900 (Baujahr 2017)

Wanted: Lovers of the fine arts

06.06.2019

The XSR is the sister of the very successful Yamaha MT-09, decorated with retro elements. Where are the differences? We are testing a used machine from 2017 with 9500 kilometers on the clock to find out exactly that.

The basis is the sporty MT-09

Simply declaring a motorcycle a retromobile is not that easy for Yamaha. Anyone can, so Yamaha prefers to refer to the "heritage" in the XSR 900, i.e. the heritage or cultural heritage worth protecting.

If you wonder whose heritage is to be protected, we suspect that of the successful MT-09,which has been mixing up the market since 2013. If you haven't had the pleasure: The MT-09 pretends to be a normal Naked Bike, but it isn't. It is a sometimes brutal speeding device, which has more and more power under the tank than the official 115 hp and 87.5 Nm torque. Around it is a great motorcycle, which has only slight weaknesses in the chassis.

Now retro, looks chic (and costs around a thousand more than the MT-09 at 9,995 euros). The bench in a brown-aubergine tone harmonizes perfectly with the brushed aluminium elements on the tank. The attention to detail cannot be denied Yamaha, for example the round headlight is not only passable to the rest, only its holder is a beautiful detail.

The cockpit ... Well...

However, two non-standard extras from the accessories trade show that the previous owner had tried to erase two fundamental defects of most Naked Bikes: Rarely is there room for luggage, and windprotection does not exist at all. The retrofitted windshield does its thing quite well. The windscreen is okay for normal large drivers. Above all, however, it does not bother the line. Dismantling during the week and tinkering with it again for the tour at the weekend is the motto.

The luggage rack system, which has also been retrofitted, is not quite as sparkling. In short, the constantly visible holders quite disturb the clean design. It's hard to blame the Yamaha: every Naked Bike has this problem.

Most retro bikes try to score points through their cockpit. Now you might think they want to get close to the earlier optics with the analog round instruments, but that would be far too easy for Yamaha engineers. So they put the cockpits of the MT-09 and the also related adventure bike Tracer 900 GT aside and started again. The result is at least round, that much is good. However, it is almost the only thing that can be said positively, because the digital circular instrument is not only poorly readable, but also overloaded.

But let's go.

Only by name after retro

What immediately stands out is the slightly higher seating position with 830 millimeters compared to the MT-09. You shouldn't have too short legs. The handlebars are slightly wider. The seating position is also different: due to the longer tank, the driver does not sit as front-wheel-oriented as with the original model.

When driving, the Yamaha XSR 900 is all sorts of things, but one thing is not: retro. It is, on the other hand, the modern interpretation of a sports motorcycle. Among the retro bikes we have tested so far, it is the most sporty. With the handlebars and the seat position, the inclined biker has the 195 kilogram quite light mobile under control at all times. The chassis is designed to be a little tighter than the MT. This is somewhat surprising, because lovers of retro bikes would be imagined as comfort-oriented.

Be that as it may, if they are, the XSR is the wrong choice. In all its DNA, it is a rocket that is always and everywhere ready to fight. As with the MT, the engine always appears stronger than the official 115 hp. And the bike also comes out from below. Yamaha attests to the three-cylinder engine just 87.5 Newton meters, felt well over 100.

In our 0-100 km/h measurements, the XSR shows itself as a ground rocket and likes to climb on the rear wheel in the first and second gear. If you don't like it, you should deal with the different driving modes. In fact, these are not just gimmicks, but bring differences to the moped and the street. We're in the sportiest setting, but it's quieter.

The sound suits the sporty character. The typical three-cylinder sound is not as turbine-like as a four-cylinder and, of course, not as bolled as a V2. But it poisons and fumes around nicely until it is sealed off at a maximum of 11,250 revolutions.

Conclusion - is it worth buying?

And finally, the all-important question: Buy or not? The logical answer must be: no. For more than 1,000 euros more, she can only do one thing better than the MT-09:it treats the passenger like a human being. If you want to place it princely, grab the Tracer 900 GT,but there are a whopping 12,400 euros on the price sign. For the XSR, the only question is whether someone falls in love with the optics - and wants to free them from the merchant's captivity.

The biggest problem of the Yamaha XSR 900 is the kinship in the form of the MT-09. Because this is not retro, but also looks really great.

The test bike was provided to us by Motorrad-Ruser.

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