Everywhere you look these days, retro is in. As a marketing tactic it has paid off handsomely for some manufacturers as old-school style is modernised into an array of consumables around the world that everyone wants. In the pursuit of creating a great look, or form, sacrifices are often made in terms of function. But not for Yamaha. The old adage has always been that form follows function, and this is something Yamaha has adhered to with its retro-styled XSR900.

The XSR is grouped in Yamaha’s model line-up alongside the Bolt C-Spec, XJR1300 and SR400 – and it is easy to see why. Like those machines, the XSR carries a whole lot of old-world charm with design cues from past Yamahas made modern. The XSR’s inspiration and general proportions come from the old XS1, though depending which way you look at it there’s a bit of RZ, TZ and RD about it too. That’s not an accident, either. Yamaha has clearly intended for this bike to be something you can customise a variety of ways.

“We did not want to make a retro style copy of the past,” says XSR product planning manager Naomi Koike. “The XSRs have a strong character of their own. The ‘R’ in the XSR name implies to the modern technologies that we used and the sporty capabilities of these bikes with modern engine and chassis set-up. We made no compromise for performance or riding fun!”

More than any other new motorcycle, the XSR is ready for you to put your own individual touch to. The guys at Yamaha Australia have already set to work on the XSR900, and the smaller 700, customising one like a DT-1 and RZ350! And with the MT-07 and MT-09 sitting beneath the legendary off-roader and stroker look, you have a stonking engine and excellent chassis. It may appear that this sort of work is easy for them, but Yamaha designed it that way.

Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

“The headlight, flashers, tail lamp, side covers and so on are all designed individually and on their own,” says Oliver Grille from Yamaha’s product planning department. “On normal modern bikes, their shapes would flow into the shape of the parts around it which means you couldn’t change one without changing the other. But with the XSR, each part is designed and fitted independent so you have more freedom to create your own expression.”

Yep, this bike is built for you to make it your own. I used to modify old dungers in the shed at home when I was a kid and the thrill of taking an angle grinder to the subframe or drilling holes through engine fins to make it look like a 70s endurance racer is something I long to do now. It was challenging then, but Yamaha has made it easy for everyone on the XSR. Look at the position of the rear footpeg hangers, for instance. Grind them off and you still have a perfect looking subframe because the weld point is hidden out of view. This is just one instance, but detail touches like abound on the XSR and will make it a sheer pleasure to tinker away on in the shed.

No matter how easy it makes things to customise, on the road is where this package does its best work. The chassis on the XSR900 is better suited to the road than the MT-09. The only difference between the two is a firmer fork spring and revised valving in both the forks and shock. As a result, the ride quality of the XSR is less flighty and aggressive than the MT-09 and a much easier machine to ride on the road.

While it is less flighty and aggressive in the handling dynamic than the MT-09, by no means is it as mellow as the likes of the XJR. The handling is definetly at the sharper end of the scale as far as nakedbikes go, and the XSR can definitely call itself company for the MT-09 and its mates. Having ridden the Tracer, MT-09 and the XSR, the retro roadster is easily the most enjoyable of the trio for everyday riding. The Tracer has comfort on long hauls and MT-09 excitement on tap, but the balance of the XSR is right in between both and ideally suited for long, fun days in the saddle.

The ride position has a slightly sporty hint to it with a bit of lean into the bars, but it is by no means demanding on the body. Aside from being one of the best-looking standard seats I have seen, it is super comfortable and, best of all for me, a bit taller in the seat height than most other nakedbikes. At 830mm it is as high as roadbikes come these days. I’m six-foot (183cm) and I’d call it retro in this respect because it makes me feel like I am a lot shorter again!.

Source: Supplied.

There’s no going past the stonking engine in the XSR900 though. The 847cc triple has bucketloads of effortlessly-delivered torque. There’s 88Nm delivered by 8500rpm and, depending on which mode you are in, is served as an aggressive power delivery and mild traction control, through to a docile power delivery and total control of rear wheel traction, or somewhere halfway in between. You can turn that traction off, too, if you are good enough. You’ll see everything you are doing on the superb-looking dash, that is something you won’t ever want to replace!

In the most aggressive of these three modes, the power delivery is rapid and wheelies are easy for numpties like me. The power comes on with the urgency you’d get from a sportsbike making it a heap of fun on any, and every, tight and twisty road. In the softest mode the XSR900 is a breeze to ride in the wet, and the super sticky Bridgestone S20s are well up to the task. Day to day riding is effortless, and easily licence losing on the XSR. Take-offs require little thought to make happen and that mountain of torque, I talked about earlier, you begin to climb from idle.

Although it is a great platform to customise from, Yamaha hasn’t forgotten the most important aspects of a motorcycle and that is performance. Sure, you can sand blast the aluminium tank covers, chop the subframe or stick a set of knobbies on if you want, but you still have a top notch nakedbike ready to deliver everything the modern rider needs underneath. There are no other retro-styled machines that can put their hand up to the same claim.

The XSR900 is a machine that I would buy in a heartbeat – and I don’t say that about many bikes I ride. It’s only because this is the kind of machine that suits what I want in a motorcycle – something that performs well and won’t be affected by any of the individual character I want to give it when I take it to the shed for some ‘me time’. Best of all, at $13k it can’t be beaten on price for everything delivers.

Specifications

Capacity: 847cc
Power: 85kW @ 10,000rpm
Torque: 88Nm @ 8500rpm
Wet weight: 195kg
Seat height: 830mm
Fuel capacity: 18L
Colours: Rock Slate, Garage Metal
Price: $12,999
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited km
Detailed specs: www.yamaha-motor-com.au