Yamaha currently sells 25 motorcycles in America, and that doesn’t include two scooters and a fair few ATVs in its portfolio. That’s 10 motorcycle models more than how many Harley-Davidson currently offers. With the XSR900 GP, make that 26 motorcycles for Yamaha in the USA. Looks like Yamaha isn’t messing about.
But it’s almost criminal when you realize that the XSR900 GP has been on sale in Europe for more than two years and it’s taken until now for Yamaha to get it Stateside. That’s because the bike was inspired by Yamaha’s GP models ridden by American legends like Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, and Wayne Rainey. Talk about ironic.
XSR900 GP’s entry into the US as a 2027 model was confirmed thanks to an executive order from the California Air Resources Board. And as Motorcycle.com mentions too, I think it’s only a matter of time until we see the certification from the Environmental Protection Agency.
For starters, the GP is a slightly tweaked version of the XSR900, a motorcycle I’m a big fan of. It comes powered by the ever-so-wonderful 4-stroke, liquid-cooled 890cc CP3 engine – the same motor that powers the aforementioned XSR900, MT-09, MT-09 SP, Tracer 9, and YZF-R9.
That motor produces 117.3 hp at 10,000 rpm and a peak torque of 68.5 lb-ft (93 Nm) at 7,000 rpm. The CP3 is a phenomenal engine, and that’s no secret. It is very smooth in the low end, while being more or less linear all the way to the top.
That motor sits on a deltabox frame with an extended swingarm that can be found on the Tracer and the regular XSR900 as well. That extended swingarm is about 2.3 inches (60 mm) longer than that of the MT-09, which helps in a more controlled, planted feel on the road. The major difference here is the handlebar, which sits 0.5 inches (14 mm) lower and 3.6 inches (93 mm) forward compared to the standard XSR900.
You’d have zero complaints in the components: KYB handles the suspension duties with fully adjustable 41-mm front forks with 5.1 inches (130 mm) of travel, while the rear gets a 5.15-inch (131-mm) shock that offers remote preload adjustment. What the GP gets over the regular XSR900 in this case is separate high- and low-speed compression adjustment on both ends.
Braking, too, gets an upgrade over the XSR with the addition of a Brembo radial front master cylinder on the twin 298-mm discs on four-piston calipers up front. The rear, meanwhile, gets the same 245-mm single disc.
You get three ride modes – Sport, Street and Rain, alongside two custom modes, all of which come with very distinct maps. As far as electronics go, you get an assist and slipper clutch, although there’s no need to use the clutch while shifting gears thanks to Yamaha’s Quick Shift system. There’s also cruise control, lean-sensitive traction control, slide control, and front wheel lift control in there.
Seat height comes in at 32.8 inches (835 mm), the wheelbase at 59 inches (1,500 mm), and a wet weight at 441 lb (200 kg). But all those numbers and specs aside, it's the styling that works in favor of the GP.
The Grand Prix-inspired half fairing is an absolute beauty. It isn’t retro in the way most modern classics are. It doesn't borrow cues from old roadsters or café racers. Instead, it looks like it rolled straight out of a 1980s Grand Prix paddock.
The curvy half fairing, boxy nose, rectangular LED headlight and sculpted seat cowl are unmistakable nods to Yamaha's legendary YZR500 race bikes, while the iconic speed-block liveries only add to that nod. Yamaha has deliberately left the tubular fairing stay and exposed mounting brackets quite visible, as another nod to the functional engineering of Yamaha's GP racers from four decades ago.
The slim tail section, integrated LED lighting, compact flyscreen and muscular fuel tank give it a purposeful stance, while the clip-on handlebars and revised riding position reinforce the illusion that you're astride a bona fide race replica. Even for a guy like me, who’s not the biggest sportsbike fan out there, I probably wouldn’t think twice before getting my hands on the XSR900 GP.
Now the only question is when it actually goes on sale in the USA. My money would be by the end of this year, considering it’s a 2027 model. Who’s excited?
Via: Motorcycle.com
