Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
Yamaha

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth

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The round LED rear light has been integrated flush with the carbon rear

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
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Clamped at the top, ending at the bottom: the handlebars force the rider to do a push-up

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth

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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

Thrown in the shell

The Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth is based on the XSR 900 and is limited to 695 pieces worldwide. Impressions after the first test drive with the Cafe Racer in Sardinia.

What does Yamaha have to do with Abarth? Well, Fiat has been sponsoring the Yamaha MotoGP team since 2007. And Abarth belongs to the Italian automaker. They transform the four-wheeled mobiles into emotional companions. Yamaha proceeds in a similar way with the Faster Sons models, in which butterflies like the one emerge from the caterpillar of current street speedsters XSR 900 become. And where there is so much “emozione” involved, cooperation is not far off. The result of this connection is the new Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth.

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Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth in the driving report
Thrown in the shell

A question mark remains with the chassis

In terms of technology, it is based on the retro XSR 900 bike with the brilliant crossplane three-cylinder. Wheelbase, chassis geometry, brakes – everything corresponds exactly to the original base. And yet the Yamaha XSR 900 proves to be a completely independent model, as the driving presentation in Sardinia shows. This is mainly due to one component: the handlebar. If the XSR 900 can be easily and easily guided through radii on the wide tubular handlebar, the Abarth version relies on sportive engagement. The wide bar is a thing of the past, now your hands reach for a kind of M-handlebar, the ends of which are located deep under the upper fork bridge. With its back bent, its head pressed behind the glass of the carbon pulpit, the Yamaha XSR 900 takes the first corners in its sights. And fails straight away. The imaginary line and the actual radius do not come together. It takes a few kilometers before the Abarth driver knows how to use the potential of his pedestal.

But then: The treble with its 115 hp at 10,000 rpm willingly rushes forward with every pluck on the throttle grip, feels at home everywhere, no matter which area in the broad speed range is currently active. Three different driving modes and the anti-hopping clutch underline his morality. The brakes play along without complaint during the brisk hustle and bustle. The Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth decelerates precisely and finely dosed. Only with the chassis remains a question mark. Here, Yamaha has obviously completely taken over the tuning of the XSR 900. However, with the driver, there is significantly less weight on the front, but more kilos on the rear. With the Abarth offshoot, the coordination is not good, with practically no rebound damping, it wobbles through the curves. So stop and above all turn the small screw on the rear further. After this adjustment, the nervous rocking occurs to a much lesser extent.

Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth costs 12,595 euros

The short stop was not only good for the landing gear, the pilot also had the opportunity to stretch his back. The seating position on the Yamaha XSR 900 is extreme in the long run. From the point of view of long-distance travel suitability, there is no flower pot to be won with it. In contrast, it collects significantly more points with its design. In addition to the carbon shell, the front mudguard and solo hump made of the same lightweight material are also pleasing to the eye. The Akrapovič exhaust system, made entirely of titanium, spreads even more sensual pleasure, buzzing full from the two small mufflers, spiced up by a snotty staccato when you take off the gas and downshift.

However, the fun is not cheap. The Yamaha XSR 900 Abarth, which is limited to 695 pieces worldwide, costs 12,595 euros. 140 units of the noble XSR version are to come to Germany. It is undoubtedly not the better XSR 900, but who wants to judge exclusivity on two wheels strictly rational?

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