XSR900GP

[mangocrazy]

I popped into CMC in Clay Cross last week, and they have a demonstrator XSR900GP ready and waiting. But no XSR900 available either to buy or to have a demo ride on until next year. I think that tells the story.

[Supermofo]

Was just reading the test of the bike in MCN from a little while ago, specs aren't as impressive as I'd have guessed. They've weighed it as 205kg kerb, that's only 4kg less than my GSXS when Bike Mag weighed it wet at 209kg and that's with 3 litres more fuel. I thought the MT range was supposed to be light?
On the dyno it made 105bhp and 64lb.ft. vs 147bhp and 78lb.ft presumably on the same dyno as they all use the same and its making 70lb.ft at the same as the GPs 7k peak. And mines's the gurls naked on spec.
They mentioned it was 'brutal' in terms of comfort with rider position almost exactly that of an R6 but with not much space to move around either.
Uprated suspension and (marmite) looks aside doesn't sound great.

[KungFooBob]

I was looking at a black and grey one in a Calais dealers opposite my cheap hotel the other day.

Nice looking thing, but the optional lowers looked a piss poor fit and the stumpy little optional pipe looks proper 90's street fighter.

[Supermofo]

I was looking at a black and grey one in a Calais dealers opposite my cheap hotel the other day.

Nice looking thing, but the optional lowers looked a piss poor fit and the stumpy little optional pipe looks proper 90's street fighter.

£3.5k off this black/grey one as an ex demo with the racer kit. Only registered in June
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145969130827

[KungFooBob]

Yup, was just like that, think it was almost 13,000E

All the bikes seemed more expensive than in the UK.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I was looking at a black and grey one in a Calais dealers opposite my cheap hotel the other day.

Nice looking thing, but the optional lowers looked a piss poor fit and the stumpy little optional pipe looks proper 90's street fighter.

£3.5k off this black/grey one as an ex demo with the racer kit. Only registered in June
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145969130827

It looks shit, like the barstard offspring of a YZF750 and a YZF450

[Taipan]

First sportsbike to have piqued my interest since the 916! Still cant believe thats a production bike!

[Yorick]

First sportsbike to have piqued my interest since the 916! Still cant believe thats a production bike!

The back end is hideous.

[mangocrazy]

I really don't understand how 'Primer Grey' as a colour has suddenly become fashionable. OK, it's gloss finish, not matt, but it's still boring grey. And that end can looks really chavvy. And the seat and side panel arrangement is a mess. I'd be going for the standard XSR all day long if I was in the market for one.

[weeksy]

I really don't understand how 'Primer Grey' as a colour has suddenly become fashionable. OK, it's gloss finish, not matt, but it's still boring grey. And that end can looks really chavvy. And the seat and side panel arrangement is a mess. I'd be going for the standard XSR all day long if I was in the market for one.

Couldn't disagree more... I think it looks marvellous that

Admittedly i'd have the XSR as well, but only because of riding position. But that thing looks superb.

[MrLongbeard]

I think I threw up in my mouth a little

[mangocrazy]

Yup, was just like that, think it was almost 13,000E

All the bikes seemed more expensive than in the UK.

€13,000 is equivalent to £11,016 at the current(ish) exchange rate of €1.18 to the pound. So the same price as the reduced eBay one above.

[mangocrazy]

I really don't understand how 'Primer Grey' as a colour has suddenly become fashionable. OK, it's gloss finish, not matt, but it's still boring grey. And that end can looks really chavvy. And the seat and side panel arrangement is a mess. I'd be going for the standard XSR all day long if I was in the market for one.

Couldn't disagree more... I think it looks marvellous that

Admittedly i'd have the XSR as well, but only because of riding position. But that thing looks superb.

Each to their own. That back end just looks unfinished to me. But agree entirely about the riding position thing.

[Taipan]

First sportsbike to have piqued my interest since the 916! Still cant believe thats a production bike!

The back end is hideous.

Gort doesn't take insults well. Be careful...

[ChrisW]

First sportsbike to have piqued my interest since the 916! Still cant believe thats a production bike!

I like it from that angle (but still not the Akra). I don't the 'crippling riding position' criticism from the reviews - it looks fairly tame for a bike with clip-ons but then I've not even sat on one.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

First sportsbike to have piqued my interest since the 916! Still cant believe thats a production bike!

The back end is hideous.

The front isn't nice

[mangocrazy]

I still haven't come to terms with the GP's letterbox headlight. The base model XSR900 does so many things better than the GP.

[Dodgy69]

I still prefer the MT09 out of all the CP3 variants, only bettered by the SP.

[Potter]

Popped on to get some PMs and saw this.

I eventually took one out for the afternoon, it's mediocre and less comfortable than I hoped given the pseudo sportsbike-but-not-really styling, it's better than a full on sports bike in terms of comfort but I struggled to see where it excels in anything, it's not comfortable enough, fast enough, dynamic enough, or anything enough, to make up for it's foibles.

E.g. a Panigale is horrible to ride on the road, but it's got enough of something special about it to put all that out of your mind and own one anyway, but this XSR GP doesn't really have anything to make it stand out apart from it's staggering good looks in the flesh IF you're of the generation that was inspired by this style of bike.

I can't see them being a big hit, they should have made them as a limited edition with a tuned engine, top end suspension and sold them as a poster bike for people willing to spend £25-30k, which is peanuts these days for a high end automotive product. They could have made them as a homage to the 1989 Yamaha GP bike (for example) and made a limited number of only 1989 and marketed them as a collectors high end special edition. I might have bought one then, but as it is the actual product reminded me very much of the Ducati Hypermotard SP - i.e. a bit shit and fails to be more than the sum of it's parts.

As it is they are a bit of a naff glance back to yesteryear but with not that much going for them.
It's probably my biggest biking disappointment of the last decade.

[mangocrazy]

I think that most people have concluded that the base XSR is the better value and has the more relaxed riding position, while still having pretty much the same running gear and spec as the GP. The standard XSR in the white/red colour scheme still looks pretty tasty to me. I'll be surprised if you don't see quite a lot of GPs heavily discounted over this coming winter.