YAMAHA XSR900 (2016 - 2021) Review

Can be a little harsh but nothing suspension tweaks can't fix.

Strongest point of the bike.

Don't get many features but I'm happy with that.

Seat hard, max 1.5 hours in the saddle, glad of a fuel stop.

Power always there whatever the gear.

Stop start switch failed at 3500 miles. Chain o rings split at 4000 miles.

Good fuel economy.

Radiator guard essential. Adjustable levers, fender extenders. Tyres bridgestone t31.

Rides so well. Definite change in the three modes. I do ride it fairly hard on occasions. Handles very well.

Delivers just right and allows for it to be ridden fairly hard without complaint.

Three years down the line with only 12500 ish miles on the clock. It has no dramas.

If I’m honest I had a mate service it for a bottle of Mermaids Vodka. It cost £230 for the kit for mine and my wife’s XSR700 including the oil.

There are loads of extras available, I paid £123 for Pierelli Corsa’s from Demon Tweeks. Cheap as chips but feel super.

The ride is good, the bike feels solid and well planted to the road. The only time the rear end kicks out is if you give it a bit too much coming out of a corner. The bike loses a star here because, on a long ride you will find the seat a little hard. The brakes are decent but it may give you a little more confidence upgrading the discs or pads. However, the brakes are much better than other bikes I have ridden.

The XSR's 850 triple is an absolute torque monster. When 'balls out' mode is selected the throttle is on or off. This takes a little getting used to but once mastered that smile may as well be tattoo'd on because its going nowhere! It pulls in every gear, you get a decent amount of engine braking when off the throttle and its often difficult to keep the front wheel on deck. Lots of my riding buddies ride 1000cc sportsbikes and they are all impressed when they can't get me out of their mirrors. In my opinion, if you love the retro look, the bang for your buck from the XSR900 is real hard to beat

3 years in, the bike has never let me down

Being a 900cc, the insurance and fuel consumption is cheaper than all the 1000+cc bikes but still delivers smiles per mile!

The rider can choose from 3 ride/power settings. This is handy to tame the monster when riding around town. Also has traction control and anti wheelie. Some daily riders will use these but if this bike is a weekend toy like mine then you will no doubt leave these off.

I've toured round Europe and Scotland fine with kriega luggage and a Givi tank bag (with special adapter ring that goes on fuel cap as tank not magnetic). Seat comfort is fine. Suspension is good enough too, with lots of adjustability. Brakes feel a bit wooden with not much feedback compared with a high end set up, but have enough stopping power.

Brilliant engine with good torque throughout rev range. I had an original street triple before and this is clearly a more grunty engine. Downside is around town and on and off throttle at low speeds it can be jerky, particularly in A mode. I had a remap done to my akra exhaust at a reputable place but still a bit annoying sometimes. I got 115bhp and 64ftlbs off the dyno which is I think what Yamaha quote. Hopefully they put the new mt09 2021 engine in there for next year which has even more torque and lower down the rev range.

Mine still looks good after 16,000 miles in all weathers, but I acf50 it in winter. No reliability issues apart from engine management light used to come on for no reason but dealer fixed it. No break downs and part failures. Parts and build quality as you would expect of a mid market bike.

Normally looking at best part of 300 quid for a normal annual service from official dealer. This year though needed a new chain and spockets (first change after 16,000 miles) and a few other bits, so was north of £600. Mpg is in line with what others have said, fuel tank slightly small but have never found it a problem.

I got Michelin Road 5s on as I ride in all weathers, they're good. Stubby black akra looks good, also have a short Dart screen which is mostly cosmetic but takes a bit of wind off at speed. Also have gb racing crash protection and tail tidy.

I’ve done 500 miles in a day, it’s very capable for a naked, seat is a bit firm, why aren’t seats comfy anymore?

Great pulling power, gears clunky and could do with loosing 4th gear, pretty good on fuel but tank too small. Panels on the tank are a waste of volume.

Has TC & ABS that’s all you need, my last bike a Tuono V4 was a pain too much tech.

Ride quality is not up to the standard of my last bike which had Ohlins suspension - but you wouldn't expect that. The seat is pretty hard but you soon get used to it. The brakes were dramatically improved with a fluid change.

Fantastic engine mated to a really slick gear change. Power everywhere - very flexible with torque available at all revs. Sounds beautiful with an aftermarket exhaust fitted. I can't imagine wanting more power on the road than this (although maybe that is connected to my age - 50).

My bike is 4-years' old but feels like new. Some of the gaps between panels - and particularly the seat unit - are not perfect, but it feels like it will just run and run....No reliability issues so far.

Not had the bike serviced yet, but access is good without sports bike fairing panels to remove. Common parts with other machines and lots of on-line advice should make it good value to service. Approx. 55mpg so reasonable on fuel - and to be honest - life is too short ! XSR900 is not for trying to beat your fuel economy record.

Not covered in electronic this and multi-adjustable that - but she's all the better for it ! Suspension settings to standard, ride mode to A (for me) and just ride it. What more do you actually need to have a good time on two wheels ?

Superb engine no issues

I've had issues with starter switch sticking and had two replaced now. I'm unsure what will happen after the warranty runs out, is this classed as an inherent fault?

Brakes are fine. Not Brembo sharp but more than sufficient for the bike. More progressive than immediate. The suspension it where this bike can be a let down. I personally found the shock to be too stiff for my 78kg and at high speeds on rough B roads it could get out of shape. I upgraded the suspension which has transformed the handling for me. Even factoring the cost of the upgrades the overall cost of the bike is better than the competition. Riding position is all day comfortable and a little less focused than say a Striple so big miles are easily achieved. I have put some SW Motech Legend bags on mine and it really has become as versatile as a sports tourer. An OEM fly screen adds a tiny bit of wind protection but I prefer the clean air of a naked over the buffeting of a fairing.

Quite simply the best engine I have every owned. Singles, twins, in-lines I've had them all but for all day usability on every type of road then, for me, it's perfect.

Considering the price this is built to a really high standard. I have ridden mine through two winters now and with ACF50 it still looks good. A little furry on the banjo bolts and discs which I hadn't coated but they soon cleaned up. The ignition switch started sticking which Yamaha replaced immediately through warranty. In my experience Yamaha are good when it comes to warranty issues. Starts first time and no other issues in 6k.

Living on the south coast servicing can be expensive so the annual service varies between £160 - £200 depending where you go. Valve service intervals every 24k (Are you listening Triumph?!) so overall pretty good. Winter riding I get 56mpg and even riding the twisties in 3rd/4th it doesn't drop remarkably.

I like simplicity. I'm not interested in TFT's or semi-active this and keyless that, so this has as much technology as I would ever want. The three rider modes do change the throttle response but I leave mine in standard all year round. TC1 is fairly unobtrusive so if wheeling is your thing fill you boots. TC can be turned off. Hepco & Becker for tank bags and SW Motech for side bags I have found to be the best luggage options.

Brakes are ok and give good feedback but could be improved by installing braided lines, I'm being really picky here. After an hour I'm feeling the lack of seat padding and after two hours my backside is screaming for a break. Could no doubt be improved by using an Airhawk. There are some that may find the seat a little high. I'm 5"7" with a 31" inside leg and I can just touch the ground both sides on the balls of my feet. If you're not a confident rider try before you buy. On the upside the XSR handles as well as any bike I've ridden out of the box. It's planted in the twisties and will embarrass a few sports bikes ridden well.

For me the engine is the real centrepiece of the bike. It really is a cracking engine and delivers its power all the way to red line so smoothly, it's a joy to ride. Loads of power on tap and there's very little to beat the sound of a screaming triple.

No problems at all. My bike is 2-years-old and isn't showing any signs of age. All-in-all, it looks great and hasn't missed a beat.

Running costs are about what you'd expect on a bike like this. Not cheap but not pricey either.

For a sub £9k bike the equipment on offer is quite astonishing. Three riding modes, perhaps confusingly called B, Standard and A. B mode is effectively rain mode and soften everything off, Standard is where most people will be happiest and A quickens it all up and makes delivery that much sharper. For me, A is where the fun lives. Three traction control levels, if you include switching it off altogether but I'm not really sure why you would on a road bike. Of course ABS is now included as a result of European legislation. Also as standard is a slipper clutch that seems to work great, I can't get the back wheel to lock on down shifts.

Rides fine, not got the more sophisticated feel of my last bike (ZX6r 636) but perfect for what it is. A lot more comfortable than I thought it would be, and pleasantly surprised with the lack of buffeting from the wind.

Full of character, quite low geared and 'pokey'

Build quality is fantastic. I can't find anything 'cheap' on it anywhere

Not sure about servicing costs yet, but being a naked triple and with 6000 mile intervals it should be OK

Full of latest must haves - traction, modes etc, and the dash is a really clever, solid and pleasing piece of kit. First bike I have had with ABS

high quality, firm and planted. Good at doing both commuter and weekend play duty.

Love it! Great power and triple thrum. Torque right through the rev range.

Well made, good quality parts. No issues to date.

Not much 'equipment' on the bike, but it is a naked after all. Luggage options not that clear, off set tank filler makes tank bag selection awkward, saddle bag option limited etc. But if you want a tourer get a Tracer etc. Where i it well equipped is though is things like a slipper clutch, ABS, traction contorl and engine power modes etc.

seat gets uncomfortable after couple hours, about usual for factory seats

had to change oil twice. did myself at $70 dollars total. no other maintenance costs. 50 miles to the gallon, driven hard.

for the dolllar, you get slipper clutch, abs traction control and three drive modes.

Uncomfortable at 'high' speeds due to its nakedness. I had the rear suspension turned down 1 click, and it's now much nicer. Nice to feel sat in the bike, rather than on top of it, especially at roundabouts and sweepers (previous Fazer S2 felt a bit tall in comparison). Pillion is small, but OK, although lack of grabrails may concern some. 200 mile round trips are OK, but dual carriageways and motorways can be a bit tiring. Boredom, mostly, while sat in lane 2 following the oblivious texters and reps...

Utterly brilliant. Grunty, barking acceleration in any gear (steering goes strangely light in 2nd and 3rd) always brings a smile. Effortless overtaking. cheeky burble on the overrun.

No problems so far, after 3500 miles - I've not even had to adjust the chain. I keep the bike covered with a healthy dose of anti-corrosion, and a quick wipe down gets it looking like new.

Running costs are OK, with insurance relatively cheap for a 50 year old. The add-on parts are stupidly expensive, though - £200 all-in for a (OK, they look the biz) radiator guard and side covers, anyone? Rear tyre will be up next...

Funky clocks are great - everything in one place. Would love an Akro pipe, but the one that's available is obviously built for the MT, so looks odd on the XSR. Come on, Yamaha. If you're going to get a styling exercise done so well, Yamaha, get a nice round Akro sorted. And give me one for good measure. BUT why no helmet lock? And I'm guessing that the underseat storage area reflects the hazards of smoking, so I'm now only given space for 10 fags instead of 20 on the Fazer.

Ride is great, a bit stiff, which I prefer. Feels similar to bikes more expensive. There are a couple things that you should know - this is a tall bike for a standard, and feels wider under your back side than a Ducati SF848 or Triumph Street Triple.

Haven't really gotten to wick it up yet, but the bike works great under break in conditions. Will get on it a bit more after 1000 miles.

Bike is spot on so far. Fuelling, suspension, brakes, etc are all as advertised with no issues.

No costs for service so far. It's a Yamaha and they're known for excellent reliability with proper maintenance. I'll follow the manual and do the first service at 1000 miles which includes an oil change, chain clean/adjust, and clutch cable lube/adjust.

Bike is well set up as stock. Features are spot on for what I wanted. Tyres work well, but will likely change them out when ready to another tire - Pirelli or Michelins instead of the stock Bridgestones.