Yamaha XSR 900 test: the MT-09 puts 3-legs in the retro

After the XSR700 imagined in collaboration with Japanese designer Shinya Kimura on the basis of MT-07, Yamaha is expanding its Faster Sons range with a more muscular motorcycle: the XSR900, designed from the MT-09 roadster and its turbulent 3-cylinder… Test !

Efficient and sporty

Approaching the reliefs of Fuerteventura, we have to admit that this XSR900 corrects some shortcomings of the standard MT-09, starting with its original suspension flexibility: the preload of the fork springs has been firmed up, as has their hydraulics. The XSR900 appears more rigorous in a series of tight turns, with better maintained mass transfers.

Admittedly, its front axle does not equal the precision and the sharpness of a sports bike and it still tends to shed on a very frank throttle opening, like. Due to the rearward position of the XSR900, the phenomenon is even amplified: it is more difficult to carry your weight forward to counter the unwanted pitch initiation….

With regard to the concept of the motorcycle, this forward "player" is not necessarily a real fault, giving it a potentially attractive extra soul. In addition, the bike appears efficient enough to withstand the unrestrained driving of a seasoned rider, especially as the robust aluminum frame provides the machine with good rigidity..

In terms of damping, the small shocks are for their part well absorbed, better than the sudden stresses undergone when passing a pothole or a speed hump which still bounce back sharply. Standard paved with tires, the XSR900 has a guard up to its dynamic potential.

Truly enjoyable, the CP3 block is a treat to exploit on the winding and sometimes fast roads of this Spanish island. Always available, the three-cylinder Yamaha is efficient over a very wide range of use but is truly ready for all the jokes past 5000 rpm, when its character is much more angry..

You can then whip it copiously or drive it at a good pace without pulling the gears: it never balks at the task and responds to each rotation of the handle! Stuck in the towers, it even reaches without forcing 225 km / h chrono on unrestricted German autobahn or on the circuit: it blows hard, the "CP3" of 847 cc! His playful temperament – not to say push-to-crime! – brings that zest of chilli pepper which is a little lacking in its British counterpart of 1050 cc from the …

Given the little protection offered by this motorcycle devoid of windshield and the tendency to lighten the front axle at full load, it is however better to stick to more conventional gaits … Especially since fuel consumption fluctuates not bad depending on the driving style, from 5.4 l / 100 km for the less nervous to nearly 6.8 l / 100 km for the excited of the grip according to the on-board computer !

The truth is usually somewhere in between those two extremes, averaging around 5.8 L / 100km in our speedy test. The XSR900 therefore offers a range of around 240 km, reserve included: an average figure for its genre, neither good nor bad..

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