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• MT-07 in a customizer outfit
• Yamaha XSR 700 is built in France
• XSR 700 around 1100 euros as MT-07
• Wider handlebars, higher seat
• Technical data Yamaha XSR 700
• Classic and cult

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Yamaha classifies the XSR as “neo-retro”.

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The customizer Shinya Kimura with its rustic interpretation of a cafe racer.

Yamaha

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The crisp “Super Seven” from Jens vom Brauck can be recreated.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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Licht-Blick: The model was the designer’s antique bicycle lamp.

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Heck-Meck: screwed-on bracket for simple and reversible conversion work.

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All-round view: speedometer design such as tail lights, information compressed but manageable.

Yamaha

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Bracket iron: Fender screwed, therefore quickly exchangeable for customizing.

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Yamaha XSR 700.

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…what seems in need of explanation – visually the relationship is not necessarily revealed.

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Under the “Faster Sons” label, it is intended to continue the tradition of the ancestors such as the XS 650 and SR 500…

Yamaha

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The Japanese are no longer what they used to be. In the meantime we experience them as cosmopolitan and open-minded motorcycle freaks who sometimes think outside the box.

Driving report Yamaha XSR 700

MT-07 in a customizer outfit

The popular MT-07 comes as a "Neo-retro"-Bike Yamaha XSR 700 in a trendy customizer outfit. Visually a new serve, technically practically unchanged – thank God.

Japaner are no longer what they used to be. Before the turn of the millennium, they were considered closed, not particularly sociable, somehow opaque – at least from the point of view of us Europeans. Today, however, they are cosmopolitan and open-minded, are real motorcycle freaks and funny conversation partners who do not think differently from us. And they also work differently than they used to, sometimes thinking outside the box.

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Driving report Yamaha XSR 700
MT-07 in a customizer outfit

XSR 700 is a good example of this. It was developed by the Japanese, but in the middle of Europe. In the lead was GK Design, which has been designing all Yamahas for 60 years and has long had a European branch. Mainly drew the Yamaha XSR 700 Jun Tamura, who created icons like the YZF-R7 or the MT-01. Can the XSR achieve a similar cult status? Let’s wait and see. The aim is at least being pursued, as the XSR, as a component of the Yamaha “Faster Sons” philosophy, is intended to transfer the genetic makeup of legends such as the XS 650 and SR 500 into modern times. Visually, this is not necessarily clear, an attempt was made to bring it closer to journalists during the presentation in a one and a half hour lecture.

Yamaha XSR 700 is built in France

It is interesting that the MT-07 continues to be built in Japan, but the Yamaha XSR 700 is being completed in France by Yamaha subsidiary MBK with many European supplier parts. Even the XSR frame is made in France. But we come to the more important part of the presentation of a new model, the driving impression. This time, for once, it was not a trip into the unknown, as every journalist knew what to expect on the extremely entertaining tour in eastern Sardinia. Because, as I said, the XSR is technically largely identical to the MT-07. Nevertheless, the 200-kilometer lap on the island, which was surprisingly green in late autumn, provided some interesting insights.

Let’s start with the engine of the Yamaha XSR 700, the periphery of which had to be adapted to the upcoming Euro 4 regulations. There were small changes to the stainless steel exhaust system, in the intake tract – the previous intake flap in the airbox was omitted – and to the mapping of the set-up, but these remain imperceptible to the driver. The sound has hardly suffered from the more restrictive regulations, the in-line twin with the 270-degree crankshaft still produces the typical impact of a 90-degree V2. Japanese-unobtrusive certainly, unpleasant but by no means.

XSR 700 around 1100 euros as MT-07

And he has also adopted the V2 character. A motor with a unique range: it thunders off with a deep bass foundation, but also likes to warble in the highest soprano staccato. Between these extremes, it is always finely predictable and direct, never hectic on the gas. Certainly not just one of the best engines currently in its class, despite the manageable maximum output of an unchanged 75 Euro 4 hp. The chassis is largely identical to the base model. The Franzosen-Rohrwerk has the same geometry as its Japanese counterpart, except that the rear has a screwed-on loop so that radical customizers don’t have to resort to flex. An idea that was copied from BMW, as project manager Tatsuo Yamamoto admits: “We saw that with the R nineT, we thought it was good. So we took up this idea. “

Hmmm, in the past a Japanese would have put it across in more clauses. The German designer Jens vom Brauck already used this idea for his puristic “Super Seven”. As long as he is on, the screw bracket contributes a not inconsiderable part of the XSR extra weight of around four kilograms. The rest is hidden in heavier, certainly also more noble metal parts. The silver tank cover, alternatively also painted in green, is by no means purely a show, but made of aluminum parts screwed together, which are also made in Europe. Underneath is the steel tank with a capacity of 14 liters, just like the MT-07. Other nice details like the front fender hung on an aluminum bracket delight the buyer, but also make the Yamaha XSR 700 a lot more expensive compared to the price breaker MT-07. The importer charges around 1100 euros extra compared to the MT-07, that’s a word in this price category.

Wider handlebars, higher seat

Visually, such delicious details certainly offer an attractive equivalent, but functionally they do not bring any real added value. For example, an MT-07 chassis could be upgraded for 1000 euros in pocket money. Like the basic MT, the Yamaha XSR 700 comes with an extremely weak suspension as standard. That brings comfort, but also a lot of movement at the expense of stability. Driving dynamics lack damping, hardness and progression. As long as you’re not in such a hurry, that doesn’t really bother you at all, at least in solo mode.

Small differences arise from the seating position. The significantly wider XSR handlebar is cranked further back, the finely stitched, brown / black seat was 10 mm higher. Therefore, the pilot sits a little more touristy, which some find more relaxed. The MT ergonomics, on the other hand, are a bit sportier and more active because the driver can put more pressure on the front wheel. No huge differences and certainly a question of individual taste. Noticeable is the lobed rubber suspension of the handlebar antlers, since Yamaha could have used harder material. There is no such thing in the extensive factory accessories, but there are plenty of more or less useful parts to further spice up the Yamaha XSR 700. And if you are planning serious changes, you are welcome to use the flex – pardon me, the wrench.

Technical data Yamaha XSR 700

Classic and cult

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Pictures: Driving report Yamaha XSR 700

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Many of the popular customizers are heading in this direction. Yamaha involved some of these in the XSR project at an early stage, such as the California-based customizer Shinya Kimura from Chabott Racing, who used hand-crafted aluminum parts to create a cafe racer with a rustic outfit. The German designer Jens vom Brauck already buttoned the Yamaha XSR 700 and built a puristic naked bike from it, the “Super Seven”. In contrast to other conversions in the Yamaha “Yardbuilt” series, in this case it should not be limited to a single item: The parts should be sold through the Hamburg-based mail order company Kedo. In terms of price, the conversion costs are quite limited, especially since the customer can gradually spice up his XSR.

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