2022 Yamaha XSR900 - Yamaha’s Best-Performing Sport Heritage Model Yet?

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A full day aboard the 2022 XSR900 demonstrates how good Yamaha has become at finding the sweet spot where style and performance come together. Key to the XSR900’s charm is a new engine, chassis, and electronics package, all wrapped up in a 1980s GP-inspired design.

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Riding the 2022 Yamaha XSR900 from Ventura, California, to the outskirts of the Ojai Valley is a lesson in well-executed compromise. A streetbike this well-suited to laid-back beach towns doesn’t usually make the best dance partner on snaky mountain roads. And yet the XSR900 feels just as comfortable at the apex of sweeping third-gear corners as it does relaxing alongside sandy surfboards. That is the beauty of blending classic styling with modern technology, a trick Yamaha is getting better at all the time.

Yamaha has had years to perfect the recipe. The MT-09-based XSR900 was introduced in 2016, and while critics noted the imbalanced chassis and aggressive power delivery, there was no denying the platform’s potential. A yearslong development cycle to determine the right balance of style, performance, and character resulted in an all-new MT-09 in 2021 and, now, in an all-new XSR900.

Editor’s note: We reviewed the ‘21 MT-09 during the Yamaha Builds a Better Triumph - 2021 MT-09 Review and 2021 Yamaha MT-09 MC Commute Review articles and videos. Read the 2022 Yamaha XSR900 First Look Preview to learn about its technical improvements...

Full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/yamaha-xsr900-first-ride-review-2022/

Photography: Adam Campbell
Video: Casey Davis
Edit: Bert Beltran

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Sports
Transcript
00:00 Hey everyone and welcome back to the 1980s.
00:03 Okay, that's a little bit of an exaggeration,
00:05 but we are here with the 2022 Yamaha XSR900,
00:10 which is designed loosely off of the 1980 Yamaha GP bikes.
00:15 This is the latest in Yamaha's sport heritage lineup
00:21 and something that they pretty accurately describe
00:24 as the highest performing sport heritage bike
00:27 that they have created yet.
00:29 There is a lot to talk about in terms of styling,
00:32 hard parts, and how it all works out on the road.
00:35 So let's jump right into it.
00:37 The engine is all new.
00:39 It is still a three cylinder engine,
00:41 but displacement has been bumped from 847 CCs to 890 CCs.
00:46 There is a longer stroke.
00:50 You're gonna get a little bit more torque out of this engine,
00:54 but I'll be honest, what Yamaha has done,
00:56 a lot of those changes are to meet
00:58 the modern Euro emissions.
01:00 And we'll get to that in just a little bit.
01:02 Some key changes to this,
01:03 you have a little bit more inertia on the crankshaft.
01:07 Again, you have that longer stroke.
01:09 The transmission is different for this year,
01:11 a little bit taller gearing ratio in the first two gears.
01:15 The cylinder head design is different as well.
01:18 It's always been a very good engine.
01:21 Yamaha's goal for this year was to create a power plant
01:25 that again, met current emission standards,
01:28 without losing any performance.
01:30 They've done a good job of that.
01:32 It's a very interesting engine in that
01:34 it's very snappy and responsive,
01:36 which helps in the character area.
01:39 I mean, this is a very fun motorcycle around town,
01:41 but yet with that heavier crankshaft,
01:44 it's very smooth all the way through the rev range.
01:47 This is an all new chassis for 2022 on the XSR900.
01:51 It does share a frame with the MT-09,
01:55 but there are a couple differences.
01:57 The subframe is one of those.
01:59 Swing arm is also unique to this model.
02:02 It is roughly, I believe, 59 millimeters longer.
02:05 One of the big things that Yamaha was trying to accomplish
02:08 with the chassis as a whole is increased rigidity.
02:12 And I'm happy to say that they have succeeded in that.
02:14 This is a much more confidence inspiring
02:17 and planted motorcycle
02:19 than what the previous generation models were.
02:22 Once you get the bike on its side,
02:24 it's planted and very confidence inspiring, very stable.
02:28 I will say it is not perfect.
02:30 One of the things that has always been
02:32 a little bit of a weak point for this motorcycle,
02:35 I will say, is the suspension.
02:37 It just seems like Yamaha has tried to manage budget
02:41 a little bit with suspension.
02:42 That's always kind of played a little bit of a role.
02:44 This motorcycle does have stiffer settings
02:47 all the way around.
02:48 Spring rates are stiffer
02:49 and it does work better as a base package.
02:52 Initially, there was a lot of movement
02:53 from the rear of the motorcycle.
02:55 We did make some changes to the suspension.
02:58 Out back, we increased the preload
03:01 and we added a little bit of rebound damping.
03:03 That actually helped a lot.
03:04 It helped stabilize the motorcycle
03:06 and really brought it around.
03:08 I would still recommend this motorcycle.
03:10 In the past, I really struggled
03:12 with recommending this motorcycle to people
03:14 because it was just a handful to ride.
03:16 The thing would move around a lot when you'd hit a bump
03:19 and it was very unstable.
03:20 All of the changes that Yamaha has made
03:22 to the chassis and suspension on this bike
03:25 have really helped mellow that out.
03:28 One of the interesting things
03:29 that I think about this motorcycle,
03:31 you look at this kind of heritage styling,
03:33 this kind of classic styling on this machine,
03:36 you think, oh, it's just a nice bike
03:37 for cruising around town.
03:38 It's got the character, personality to it.
03:40 But Yamaha is careful to mention
03:43 that they really wanted to up
03:45 the sporting capability of this bike.
03:48 So with that, you're gonna have a new ergonomics package.
03:51 I would say more aggressive.
03:52 It is adjustable, which is very cool.
03:54 You can adjust the handlebar clamps
03:56 and you've actually got two different positions
03:59 for the foot pegs.
04:00 We are running in the lower, more forward position right now.
04:04 You can bring it up and back.
04:06 I'm gonna give you even a little bit more
04:08 sporty riding position.
04:10 A couple of things I do wanna mention
04:12 in regards to that is the electronics package.
04:14 This is a very thorough electronics package.
04:18 It's probably more than what you need for this bike,
04:21 honestly.
04:22 You have traction control.
04:23 Within that traction control,
04:25 you have slide control, lift control.
04:26 You have brake control on this motorcycle
04:29 with two different settings,
04:31 which affect lean angle sensitivity of the brake system.
04:35 Yamaha has done a very good job of developing this package.
04:39 Again, Yamaha has used the 1980s GP bikes
04:43 as their inspiration for this bike,
04:45 and I think they have done just an absolutely incredible job.
04:49 A couple of things you will notice on this
04:51 compared to previous XSRs,
04:53 which were inspired by some of the early '70s motorcycles
04:56 that Yamaha had, is this longer take,
04:59 this longer tail section and seat area.
05:03 You've got this gap, this purposeful gap
05:05 in between the seat and tank.
05:07 This really tall back portion of the rider's seat.
05:11 Go back and look at some pictures of the '80s GP bikes,
05:14 and you'll see exactly what they were trying
05:16 to accomplish here.
05:17 It's got a three and a half inch TFT display,
05:20 which is, I will admit it could be bigger,
05:24 but they've done a good job
05:25 of organizing the information on there.
05:27 Very easy to navigate.
05:29 A couple minutes on the bike and boom,
05:31 you'll be able to figure it out.
05:33 We've got to talk about all of the new features
05:35 of this motorcycle, and here's the best part.
05:38 It is only $500 more than the outgoing XSR900.
05:42 So a lot more technology.
05:44 Again, this really capable chassis, all new engine,
05:48 this expansive electronic suite,
05:50 and it comes in at $9,999,
05:54 which I think that's a really great price
05:56 for what you're getting here.
05:58 For more information on this motorcycle
06:01 and our full written review,
06:03 be sure to log in and check out MotorcyclistsOnline.com.
06:08 Thank you again for tuning in to our YouTube videos.
06:10 Be sure to like and subscribe
06:12 to the Motorcyclist Magazine channel on YouTube,
06:15 and we will see you back on the road soon.
06:18 (motorcycle engine roaring)
06:22 (wind whooshing)
06:25 (wind whooshing)
06:28 (wind whooshing)
06:31 (wind whooshing)
06:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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