XSR900 gets racy: Three-cylinder Yamaha retro treated to half faired café racer kit

Yamaha have treated their three-cylinder XSR900 retro motorbike to a new mini front fairing and rear seat cover, said to be inspired by the smoking 500 and 250cc grand prix racers of the 1970s and 80s.

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The bike shown here, known as the ‘Racer’ is still the same competent Yamaha XSR900 as before – which was launched for 2016, updated in 2022, and powered by the firm’s meaty 117bhp 890cc CP3 water-cooled triple – also found in the Yamaha MT-09 and Tracer 9 ranges.

This motor is housed in an aluminium Deltabox chassis and suspended by 41mm fully adjustable KYB front forks plus a rebound and preload adjustable rear shock.

The new café racer bodywork is set to become available as an optional accessory kit, which can be purchased from the Yamaha’s online store from June this year – with the bike seen in these photos due to make its first public appearance at the Bike Shed Moto Show on the 27th and 28th of May at Tobacco Dock, in London.

Once available to the public, the special bolt-on kits can be colour matched to either the black, or TZ-inspired blue livery designs. The inclusion of the fibreglass reinforced plastic front screen should give the bike more versatility over distance and provides a cleaner front end – shrouding part of the upside down fork tubes and silver headlight bracketry.

At the rear, the inclusion of the new plastics removes the XSR’s pillion provision by covering over the rear seat. The bike in the photos has also had its pillion pegs removed for a neater back end look.

Also missing from this version of the Racer to make it road legal is the rear numberplate hanger, front indicators, and mirrors. There’s also a black Akrapovič accessory end can and exhaust hanger to enhance the sporty look.

Elsewhere, the machine in the images also sits on a pair of track-ready slick tyres, which won’t be coming to the road any time soon. According to Yamaha, they have been fitted for display purposes at the upcoming Bike Shed event.

Although some might be slightly disappointed by the small additions to the Racer, it does signal a sportier statement of intent from Yamaha and their versatile three-cylinder motor. The track-ready parts and photos shot at Goodwood race circuit could well signify more to come.