Yamaha has been updating a video on its official European YouTube page since October 14 on a custom project called YARD BUILT Yardbuilt. The vehicle is the new XSR900, which is in the process of being designed and built in episode 2, which was released on October 25. The sketches suggest that a full cowl XSR900 will be completed, but is this just a custom or does it hint at something else?
The new XSR900, a tribute to C. Saron's YZR500, is a full-cowl modern version of the YZR
The new XSR900, launched in 2022, is a neo-classic model based on the MT-09, which was fully remodeled the previous year. In its promotional video, the YZR500 with number 3, which competed in the WPG500 in 1986, appears. The new XSR900 has the same image and livery as this model, and Christian Sarron, a rider of the YZR500, himself appears in the video.
The new XSR900 is a non-cowl naked model, but the design sketch of the XSR900 modified, which will be produced as a yard-built model, is a full cowl. The coloring is light blue, similar to the YZR500's Gauloise color, while the shape of the face section is also in the style of the 1985 FZR750 (OW74), suggesting that the model is modeled after 1980s Yamaha racers, not just the YZR.
We'll see what the goal of this one is in a future video. The first one will be in the form of a video. A possible time frame would be the flow of the finished motorcycle to be unveiled at the Milano show, which opens on November 8. Since the Yard-Bilt is basically a one-off custom project, it is unlikely to become a production model as is, but the pattern of the full-cowl XSR900 Kai, which hints at future models, is imaginative.
Expect more news!
Design sketches are shown in the "Yamaha Yard Built for Good" video on YouTube by Yamaha Europe. Several cowl shapes are being considered. It is likely to be finished in blue, similar to the Gauloises' color.
Here is another design sketch.
It incorporates ideas such as the latest trend of installing winglets while keeping the OW74-style face shape.
YAMAHA 2022 XSR900. The fully remodeled XSR900 is based on the new MT-09.
It features a new 888cc engine, IMU-detecting TRACTION CONTROL, and slide control, as well as significant advances in electronic control.
The 1986 YZR500 by Christian Sarron was displayed on the back of the new XSR900 promotional materials.
The new XSR900 pays homage to this livery.
This trend reminds me of the 2016 XSR900 Abarth.
Based on the XSR900 that debuted in 2016, the XSR900 Abarth was unveiled at the Milan Show that same year, and there was an example of a limited release in Europe the following year in 2017. Since this XSR900 Kai full cowl custom is also timed for the year following the full model change, one would expect a reproduction of the Abarth specification, but what do you think?
YAMAHA XSR900 ABARTH. In 2017, an Abarth version in collaboration with motorcycle manufacturer Fiat was released in Europe on a limited basis. It had a novel café racer style with reversed pipe handlebars and a bikini cowl.
