Not for America - 2024 Yamaha XSR900 GP Preview

Is “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” still true? With the love of all things retro, years can pass between that mythical Sunday and the eventual sale on Monday. What if the winning car or bike isn’t even for sale in America, where the quote itself (attributed to 1960s-era Rhode Island Ford dealer Bob Tasco) came from?

Yamaha is testing this theory with the lovely looking Yamaha XSR900 GP. It channels the spirit of the legendary Yamaha YZR500 (OW61 through OWEO) that won six MotoGP titles between 1984–92. Using the same 890cc triple-cylinder crossplane crank (CP3) mill that’s powered the XSR900 since 2016 (read the 2016 Yamaha XSR900 First Ride Review), Yamaha is channeling the mystique of the liquid-cooled two-stroke 60-degree V-4 that dominated MotoGP in the later 1980s.

Editor’s note: We test rode the standard version during the 2022 Yamaha XSR900 Second Ride Review and 2022 Yamaha XSR900 First Ride Review articles and videos. Read and watch this content to get up to speed on this new motorcycle model.

Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, and Wayne Rainey had somewhere between 120–155 hp of wildly unpredictable power at their right wrist. But XSR900 GP owners get the benefit of 106 hp at 10,000 rpm (as measured by Cycle World) of very tractable four-stroke power, aided and abetted by rider aids like Yamaha’s Traction Control System (TCS), Slide Control System (SCS), Lift Control System (LIF), and stopped by Brake Control (BC). Motorcyclists not located in America will no doubt rack up countless kilometers in various non-US locales and landscapes.

While the engine and electronics are unchanged from the XSR900 you can legally purchase on American soil, the real story is the styling, fairings, and actual race bits here and there. Yamaha’s press release specifically mentions the XSR900 GP is its first production streetbike to use a beta pin. That’s a “b” shaped pin used to secure bodywork to race vehicles, allowing for quick removal. This beta pin holds the upper fairing in place, said to be inspired by the classic TZ250.

The idea is to create a cockpit that echoes spartan “Golden Era” machines. Fairings and cowling are held in place with period-inspired tubed structures and straight brackets supporting the dash. Said fairing and bodywork is claimed to increase both acceleration and top speed while side panel ducting disperses radiator heat better. Heat in Europe, that is.

The other story is the iconic Deltabox frame. Originally designed to take advantage of the slimmer two-stroke V-4 engine on the 1982 YZR500 OW61, it blossomed in the 1983 OW70 version rode by “King” Kenny Roberts. A familiar trademark on Yamaha FZRs of the 1980s and 1990s, the XSR900 GP gets a chassis and swingarm finished in silver to highlight the Deltabox-style frame. Fun fact: Like the new XSR900 GP, the OW61 never came to America either, as the 1982 Grand Prix season featured no US races.

A color-matched seat cover is fitted over the passenger seat, making for a classically appealing “bum stop.” The boxy tailpiece features a yellow number board surrounded by red-and-white livery reminiscent of period tobacco sponsorship. A compact lens module in the front cowling replaces the standard XSR900′s round LED headlight. Altogether, the livery is reminiscent of Rainey’s 1990–91 years. If you squint really hard after a few drinks, the underslung exhaust could pass for exotic expansion chambers. Maybe.

Is “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” still true? The XSR900 GP is apparently a product of Yamaha Europe design, so it’s up to them to find out. Like many Europe-only models throughout the years, winning ways don’t get a chance on American sales floors. It’s a safe marketing strategy, if not a winning one on Sundays.

Currently available for purchase in Europe. And currently not available for purchase by anyone physically located in the United States of America, with US currency.