The Most Anticipated Yamaha Motorcycle In The US In 2027
More often than not, Japanese bikemakers operate quite differently from European brands. While the latter tries to sell its entire lineup worldwide, the former has always believed in producing different bikes for different markets. Yamaha has been particularly guilty of doing that in the past, and it often means we miss out on some brilliant Team Blue bikes sold across the pond.
Things seem to be changing, however. The YZF-R1-maker is slowly expanding its US lineup by offering some of its internationally renowned bikes in the US. The Tenere 700 World Raid and WR125R are prime examples of that, both of which had never been sold in America before. Now, another one of these forbidden fruits seems to be gracing our shores soon, and it’s a proper head-turner.
There Are Several Yamaha Bikes Sold Overseas That Could Impress Americans
Look at Yamaha’s global lineup, and you’ll be surprised at how limited the US lineup is. Our market either gets just the base variants of popular bikes or simply misses out on certain heavy-hitters. The first example comes as the Tracer 7. This is Yamaha’s affordable midweight touring bike, rivaling the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 and the new Suzuki SV-7GX.
It has an impressive set of features for the segment, including two variants with saddlebags as standard. This is topped with the proven and popular CP2 parallel-twin engine, which we know is capable of highway jaunts. You can also add Yamaha’s automatic transmission here, meaning this would be America’s only automatic bike in the space. Speaking of automatics, Yamaha also sells the MT-09 Y-AMT, Tracer 9 Y-AMT, and MT-07 Y-AMT in Europe. Neither of these is available to us.
While neither of these seems to be coming here for now, Yamaha is ready to bring something special to the 2027 US lineup instead. It technically makes more sense, too, since this is built on the popular MT-09 platform. An ultra-sexy retro aesthetic, inspired by old-school Yamaha TZR and YZRs, further ups the anticipation. Without further ado, here’s the most anticipated Yamaha in 2027.
The XSR900 GP Will Finally Be Part Of Yamaha’s US Motorcycle Lineup In 2027
We’re talking about the much-awaited XSR900 GP. Ever since its inception a couple of years ago, we’ve been begging Yamaha to bring this sexy retro bike to America. And the brand has finally listened, as confirmed by recent type-approval filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The motorcycle will be part of Yamaha’s 2027 motorcycle lineup, expanding its CP3 lineup to a total of five.
We can also confirm that the bike will be available in the new Legend Yellow colorway. This takes inspiration from Yamaha’s retro racing colors from the 80s and 90s, featuring the popular block pattern on the bodywork. The fairings themselves are inspired by the TZR and YZR bikes from the past, with plenty of special touches like a square front cowl, beta pin fasteners (first for a Yamaha production bike), a chunky tail cowl, and a rectangular LED headlight.
An XSR900-Derived Mechanical Package Is Present Under The Retro Design
What about the mechanical package, you ask? Well, as the name suggests, the GP is largely based on the XSR900, which is, in turn, based on the MT-09. So there’s a lot of likable and proven components, particularly the engine and chassis. At the same time, there are some ergonomic changes to match the sporty cafe racer intentions. Here’s a lowdown.
Race-Style Clip-On Handlebars Bring Sportiness To The Riding Experience
The XSR900 is a roadster, featuring a tubular handlebar and a relaxed riding triangle for street duties. That’s changed on the GP to fit the fully faired race-inspired experience. The cockpit now has race-style clip-on handlebars, accompanied by a thicker seat that raises the seat height by an inch over the XSR900. All that ties up with repositioned footpegs, which are adjustable in two settings. Riding position aside, the clip-ons have an old-school aesthetic like retro bikes and the pegs are die-cast to keep weight low.
The Cockpit Is Thoroughly Modern
While the clip-ons might look retro, the cockpit is as modern as it gets. This is straight from the XSR900, so you have a TFT greeting you. The display serves as the gateway to the plethora of rider aids, all of which are thanks to the six-axis IMU and ride-by-wire. The list comprises:
- Cornering ABS
- Traction control
- Wheelie control
- Power modes
- Slide control
- Four ride modes (Sport, Street, Rain, Custom)
- Yamaha’s third-gen two-way quickshifter
- Cruise control
CP3 890cc Engine With 117 HP
Coming to the powerhouse, Yamaha’s charming 890cc, triple-cylinder powerhouse sits as the centerpiece here. It is good for 117 horsepower and 68.5 pound-feet–just like all of its other applications in the Tracer 9, MT-09, and YZF-R9. That output puts it at an advantage against its cafe racer rivals like the Triumph Speed Twin 1200 RS and Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe. The extra bodywork does make the package 14 pounds heavier than the XSR, so there will be a bit of drop in overall performance here. A six-speed transmission sends all that power to the wheel, meanwhile.
Yamaha’s Celebrated Deltabox Chassis Rounds Things Off
Housing the engine is Yamaha’s popular Deltabox perimeter frame. This turned 40 years old a few years ago, showing just how consistently Team Blue has used the setup. Paired with the frame is a set of KYB upside-down forks and a KYB monoshock, both of which are fully adjustable. The suspension comes attached to 17-inch spin forged wheels, wearing two 298 mm front discs and a 245 mm rear disc. Like the XSR, the calipers here are unbranded.
The XSR900 GP Will Have An Aggressive MSRP In America
Now that you know what’s on offer, it’s only fair we talk pricing. While the MSRP is under wraps, the European pricing gives us an idea on what to expect. There, the GP costs around 16 percent more than the XSR. Using that as a reference, the retro cafe racer could sell for around $12,300 in the American market. At that price, it would undercut its rivals like the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS and Kawasaki Z900RS by a fair chunk. At the same time, this would be just around $1000 more than the considerably inferior Suzuki GSX-8TT.
Source: Yamaha
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments