XSR900GP

[MrLongbeard]

I still prefer the blue or the black... but i honestly don't see what others really dislike about the bottom one.

The seat, it's the only thing that makes me dry heave on that.
It's 80's-esque, how the pillion portion wraps around the subframe, it's chunky / disproportioned, just all wrong IMHO.

I mean lets be honest here, you can get a seat re-profiled and re-covered for what, £300 ? That surely can't be a complete deal breaker for people.

No, and as I spent £480 on a saddle only recently I'd be a hypocrite to suggest otherwise.
But it is enough of a carbuncle for me to not give the bike a second look.

[weeksy]

The seat, it's the only thing that makes me dry heave on that.
It's 80's-esque, how the pillion portion wraps around the subframe, it's chunky / disproportioned, just all wrong IMHO.

I mean lets be honest here, you can get a seat re-profiled and re-covered for what, £300 ? That surely can't be a complete deal breaker for people.

Doesn't look like it could take a pillion.

Has pillion pegs.. so technically must be half possible.

[Yorick]

I mean lets be honest here, you can get a seat re-profiled and re-covered for what, £300 ? That surely can't be a complete deal breaker for people.

Doesn't look like it could take a pillion.

Has pillion pegs.. so technically must be half possible.

Being doubly picky, doesn't look like anywhere for pillion grab rail.

[Bustaspoke]

I'm sure the motor's a peach & if it wasn't so visually challenging I would have been interested in buying one before I bought my Street Triple,in fact Wigan Yamaha were offering to do a Roberts paint scheme on one as part of the deal,but I couldn't get over how ugly it looked & nothing's changed on the restyled models..
Visually I find the original bike ugly,I think the 'GP' version is slightly less gopping as the fairing covers up more of the original.Maybe the styling dept are restricted by the position of the airbox etc,but I don't like the front end on the naked, blingy gold forks,front mudguard,headlight & headlight mounting brackets,not keen on any of it Then there's the back end, side panels,seat unit,number plate bracket all look crap.
On the frame I don't like the look of the spar that the front cylinder head mount is attatched to,at least on the faired GP version that spar is covered by the fairing.
I'd like to see someone put that motor in a trellis frame,maybe I should do a course on steel trellis frame design & build one

[mangocrazy]

Doesn't look like it could take a pillion.

Has pillion pegs.. so technically must be half possible.

Being doubly picky, doesn't look like anywhere for pillion grab rail.

There's a strap across the front part of the pillion seat to hang on to, which is a really shitty option, I agree. But I checked out the subframe on the base model and there are 2 unused lugs on both sides that a decent grabrail could fit to, or alternatively something like a Givi rack.

But it will all be aftermarket, adds to the cost and should really be provided as standard.

[mangocrazy]

I'd like to see someone put that motor in a trellis frame,maybe I should do a course on steel trellis frame design & build one

Yeah, we need the Yamaha equivalent of a Pierobon chassis for it...

[mangocrazy]

I think that what gets overlooked is that Yamaha deliberately made the bike as light as possible within the normal constraints, so it will inevitably look a bit minimalistic and unfinished in places. A kerb weight, fully fueled, of 193kg is seriously good for a 900cc triple making a gnat's pubic hair short of 120bhp.

[mangocrazy]

Just seen this option for that authentic Darth Vader look...


https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/gb/en/acces ... 3j0-a0-10/

[Bustaspoke]

I'd like to see someone put that motor in a trellis frame,maybe I should do a course on steel trellis frame design & build one

Yeah, we need the Yamaha equivalent of a Pierobon chassis for it...

Every day's a learning day,I wasn't aware of Pierobon chassis,until your comment

[Potter]

I'm a bit bemused by all the flak for the non-GP XSR900. So what we're saying is that putting a half-fairing on a bike and giving it an 80's Marlboro fag packet paint job turns a bike from gopping to desirable? ...

Basically yes, a few changes can make all the difference.
What the eye sees can be everything, we're drawn to what attracts us - if you'd have met Mrs Mango and absolutely everything was the same except she was sporting a beard, would she still be Mrs Mango?

I could spend all day picking it apart, the black frame makes it look cheap, the seat unit is hideous, the headlight looks silly, etc.
I suppose you could say it's fickle but visual changes can be huge, even just colours, if I turned up to somewhere in red trousers rather than jeans then I'd get a very different reception.

Most specials ride worse than a factory bike, but they're more pleasing to the owners visual demands.

So yes, even subtle visuals can be polarising.

[DefTrap]

I had some red trousers, people obviously found it infuriating and were unable to -not- say anything. I was quite sad when they had to be retired. If I was to do it again now, mid 50s, folk would assume I was having a breakdown.

[KungFooBob]

I had some red trousers, people obviously found it infuriating and were unable to -not- say anything. I was quite sad when they had to be retired. If I was to do it again now, mid 50s, folk would assume I was having a breakdown.

Are you featured here?

https://lookatmyfuckingredtrousers.blogspot.com/

[Mr. Dazzle]

I had some red trousers, people obviously found it infuriating and were unable to -not- say anything. I was quite sad when they had to be retired. If I was to do it again now, mid 50s, folk would assume I was having a breakdown.

You're probably old enough to rock a large check* pattern instead now

*Cheque? I mean...it's "Chequered" but I never know if it's check or cheque

[mangocrazy]

I'm a bit bemused by all the flak for the non-GP XSR900. So what we're saying is that putting a half-fairing on a bike and giving it an 80's Marlboro fag packet paint job turns a bike from gopping to desirable? ...

I could spend all day picking it apart, the black frame makes it look cheap, the seat unit is hideous, the headlight looks silly, etc.

I actually prefer the black frame and think the silver/ali frame makes it look cheap, and while I don't think the seat is hideous, it could be a lot more pleasing. The whole back end is a bit of a disjointed mess on both models. And a round headlight is definitely of the 80's retro vibe, whereas the letterbox headlight on the GP to me is the one that looks silly.

But each to their own, it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things yadda, yadda...

[Potter]

There is a video on Youtube from one of the well known testers and it's him that suggested the black frame makes it look cheap, I couldn't put my finger on it but after watching that I think that's the main thing with these black beam frames, it makes it invisible and so it doesn't look premium, especially if you come from a generation when Yamahas Deltabox, Spondon and HRCs beam frames were the centre piece in any premium bike.

I bought a copy of Bike magazine today and it has half a page on it in there, I think they sum it up well by saying the entire top half could be mistaken for Rainey's 1989 OWA8 YZR500, but the bottom half is less exotic looking (i.e. shit).

A decent full fairing, a little bit better seat unit and some Ohlins could have made that into something super tasty.
I don't think it's worth spending £16k and then throwing Ohlins at it and having a seat made, you'd be well over £20k there and I think you'd feel a twat with a £20k+ XSR no matter how nice it looked.

[Potter]

Maybe fast forward two years, pick up a used example for <£10k and then pick up some used Ohlins somewhere and make something nice.

[DefTrap]

Are you featured here?

https://lookatmyfuckingredtrousers.blogspot.com/

Even I'm not sad enough to wear washed out chinos (of any colour) with a Farage blazer.

[ChrisW]

I do like these paint-jobs - if you're going to do retro graphics, go all in!

Much prefer them the the official Yamaha Marlboro Light one.

[Bustaspoke]

The paintscheme on the bike on the left reminds me of my old JDM 1985 FZ750,& the nose cone of the one on the right reminds me of a Ducati
I think they'd be better with fairing mounted mirrors & a proper headlight to be seen with.
If I was younger I'd be seriously interested.

[Potter]

Nice paint jobs, the FZ one looks great but I like the both and like you I prefer them to the factory ones.
But with no one in the shots for scale they look like 50cc gag bikes