Deep Dive: 5 Historic Lots from Gooding’s Geared Online Sale

A brilliant assortment of 38 classic motorcycles and a boatload of memorabilia is set to cross the block at Gooding & Company’s Geared Online sale, with most lots selling at no reserve. You’ll find everything from Honda Z50s and Cushmans, to top-tier Ducatis and BMWs in the online-only auction, which starts on Wednesday, May 8, and concludes on Friday, May 17.

While picking favorites is never easy, the following five bikes are undoubtedly the headliners of the Geared Online sale.

1969 Honda CB750

Honda built a crap-ton of Honda CB750s, roughly 445,000 examples of the SOHC 750 and another 110,000 DOHCs afterward, and decent examples can be found on your local classifieds for as little as $2,000. So what does it take to make a CB750 worth roughly 20 times that amount?

Having built their reputation on smaller displacement machines, the CB750 was Honda’s gutsiest move ever when they debuted the model in 1969, and they weren’t sure how it would go over. Honda minimized its investment in production costs by using permanent mold casting, instead of more costly die-casting. While sources disagree on whether the initial run of 7,714 CB750 engines was actually cast using sand, the name stuck, and the value of these early bikes has skyrocketed.

As we all know, the CB750 would go on to be a massive success for Honda, cutting deep into the Brit’s and Italian’s ownership of the big-displacement scene, and establishing the formula for affordable superbikes of the next generation. For its historical significance, even a die-cast 1969 CB750 can bring north of $25,000 in concours condition, but the market places a huge premium on known sand-cast VINs.

Gooding’s Lot 30 from the Geared Online sale is a beautifully restored ’69 CB750 with the desirable early VIN of 1001484. While it’s been stored dry for the past decade and will require some recommissioning before use, Gooding estimates 1484 will perform strong, and the pre-auction estimate comes in at $30,000 to $40,000.

1981 Ducati 900 Super Sport

Japan had redefined the sportbike back in the 1970s, and while they couldn’t match the handling prowess of the Europeans, maintenance and MSRP alone were enough to sway most buyers. That made for tough times for brands like Ducati, until one fortunate day at the Imola 200 in 1972.

There, Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari brought home the famous 1-2 finish that restored enthusiasm for Ducati, and inspired one of the most iconic motorcycles of the 1970s—the 750 SS. Basically a legalized version of the race bike, the SS was powered by a 748 cc desmodromic L-twin that produced 70 hp at 9,000 rpm, all while keeping the dry weight under 400 pounds. It looked the part as well, fit with disc brakes and Marzocchi suspension, and the original 401 examples established Ducati’s formula for big-displacement road bikes for the next decade.

Ducati was looking to spice things up by 1975, and found that the 750 SS L-twin’s displacement could be safely brought out to 864 cc, and the rest of the 750 platform could support it. Thus the 900 Super Sport was born, and Ducati would fine-tune the bike in the coming years. And, of course, we can’t forget about Mike Hailwood’s sensational victory at the ’78 Isle of Man TT aboard a 900 SS.

The 900 SS would become the S2 model in 1982, and it’s said that the last 900 SS was the best. Gooding’s Lot 50 has to be one of the most desirable 900 Super Sports in existence, it being a 1981 model in spectacularly original condition. Showing 8,132 Km [5,000 miles] on the clock, the bike is believed to be factory-original down to the windscreen and fasteners, tires and spark plug boots.

Documented by leading Ducati historians, Gooding believes the 1981 900 SS will bring $40,000 to $80,000.

1974 Laverda 750SFC

There are few more impactful ‘what could have been’ stories in motorcycling than Laverda. Born from humble beginnings in agriculture, Moto Laverda was launched in the post-war years to provide simple and reliable transportation on two wheels. But it wasn’t long before Laverda’s engineering prowess and build quality gained reputation, and the humble Laverda 75 and 100 models soon became riders’ favorites in endurance racing.

Into the 1960s, Laverda started building small-displacement twins, and eventually schemed a 650 cc parallel-twin that would push the company’s exports to the next level. The finished production bike grew to meet the 750 cc benchmark in the form of a massive air-cooled, parallel-twin with an overhead cam and a unit five-speed transmission—with the engine serving as a stressed member in the chassis.

The Laverda 750S had catapulted the company to new heights, and they continued to refine the bike throughout the early ’70s–resulting in the 750SFC (Super Freni Competizione). Undoubtedly the pinnacle of Laverda’s cycle works, the 750SFC was built in 4 batches from 1971 to 1976. Each batch incorporated increasing levels of performance over the 750SF, including higher compression ratios, improved camshafts, refined induction, modified chassis and suspension systems and (of course) racing bodywork.

Laverda’s 750SFC proved dominant in endurance racing right out of the gate in 1971 with 6 wins, and superior reliability was often its ace in the hole. A total of 549 SFCs were built for factory riders and the general public.

Gooding’s Lot 45 is a concours-quality 1974 750SFC with its numbers-matching engine. Stamped with chassis No. 17100, this was the 100th (and final) bike of third batch production that was built to U.S. export spec. Gooding & Co. estimates the bike will bring $40,000 to $60,000.

1975 MV Agusta 750S America

MV Agusta had established a fine reputation for building some of the best track-bred sportbikes available through the 1960s, but the 1970s weren’t looking so good. With ravaged finances, MV went under state administration in 1974, and the company needed a bright idea to restore excitement for the brand. One possible solution came from across the pond.

Chris Garville and Jim Cotherman of Commerce Overseas Corporation, MV’s sole US importer, approached the company in 1975 with the idea to build a special-edition machine for the U.S. market. It needed to be closely based on MV’s race machines, with all the power, glitz and glam the Italians could muster, along with bringing MV’s 750 back into U.S. conformity.

Dubbed the 750S America, the core of its components were taken straight from the 750S. The exotic DOHC four-cylinder was a known quantity, but MV increased the bore by 2 mm to build a more powerful 789 cc mill. Four 26 mm Dell’Orto carburetors fed the engine, and the snazzy four-pipe exhaust system closely resembles the 750S. The unit-construction five-speed gave the 750 America a top speed of 130 mph, and the larger 38 mm Ceriani fork was equipped with dual Scarab discs.

MV built just 556 examples of the 750S America, making any survivor noteworthy, but Gooding’s Lot 48 is an especially significant machine. Not only is this one of just 200 built for the model’s introductory year, but it happens to be the ninth bike of the production run. With the first eight bikes going to MV Agusta family members, board members, and Giacomo Agostini, this particular bike was the first to leave MV’s inner circle, and landed in the hands of Chris Garville of Commerce Overseas Corporation.

Garville would keep the bike until 1984, when ownership was transferred to his brother Peter. No. 221009 found a new owner in 1990, and a comprehensive restoration was carried out by MV Specialist Perry Bushong in 2014. Aside from its Kay Engineering exhaust system, the MV was brought back to 100% original specification, and Gooding & Co. estimates the bike will sell for $60,000 to $80,000. Considering this exact machine brought $73,700 on BringaTrailer.com last year, we’d say they’re in the ballpark.

1972 Ducati 750 Imola Desmo

April 23, 1972, marks the most significant day in Ducati history, and there’s virtually no discussion of L-twin Ducatis of the 1970s without it. This date marks the historic day when Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari accomplished a commanding 1-2 finish at the inaugural Imola 200, besting the favored MV Agusta of Giacomo Agostini, and establishing Ducati as a premier brand.

Development of Ducati’s L-twin engine started as early as March of 1970 under the leadership of Fabio Taglioni, and the tenacious Italians had a running prototype just five months later. The bike was initially conceived in a 500 cc displacement, sporting desmodromic two-valve heads, 10.5:1 compression and an output of 61 hp at 11,000 rpm. Aiming to drum up excitement at Italian championship and Grand Prix events, Ducati was all-in on the V-twin, and Taglioni was urged to develop a full-fledged 750 cc version.

The 500 cc and 750 cc bikes were nearly identical in the technical aspects, both based on a Taglioni-designed frame with input from chassis specialist Colin Seeley. Dell’Orto 40 mm carburetors fed the lightened 90-degree desmo V-twins, and ignition came from a dual-plug, four-coil setup. Top-quality suspension components from Marzocchi and Ceriani were used, and the bikes weighed right around 300 pounds before fluids were added. Displacing 748 cc, the 750 produced 80 hp at 8,500 rpm, and would do 155 mph flat out.

Success didn’t come overnight, with the 1971 season plagued with gearbox and ignition issues, and Ducati management was eager to cash in on its investment by 1972. With the inaugural Imola event taking place in April, the factory prepped eight 750 cc machines with lightened frames and lightened engines with billet cranks and connecting rods, and their alternators and flywheels removed.

Among the drivers selected for Imola were Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari, with Smart coming directly from an event in Altlanta to race a bike he’d never seen before. After taking an early lead in the race, Giacomo Agostini’s MV Agusta retired early, and Smart and Spaggiari battled spiritedly through the circuit’s final laps. Smart ultimately took the checkered, and the Ducati brass was so thrilled with his win that they told him the Ducati was his to keep.

Record-keeping was sparse in the heat of the moment, but experts believe that chassis No. 751033 was spared from the rigors of Imola in 1972, and stayed back at the Ducati factory as a spare. And that likely contributes to the astounding original condition of the bike, on which marque expert Ian Falloon commented “Condition and originality is of such a high standard that this is one of the finest known examples.”

The Ducati was subsequently shipped to South Africa in 1973 to compete in the Formula 750 championship, where Errol James piloted the bike to a fifth-place finish in the South African TT. Other documented competition history includes appearances at the Kyalami Circuit and Angola. After long-term storage, the bike was recommissioned for vintage racing in 1999, with a sympathetic mechanical overhaul to ensure longevity.

Crossing the block as Lot 40, this Ducati 750 Imola Desmo is a rare opportunity to own a piece of premier Ducati history. As such, Gooding estimates the bike will bring the big bucks, between $650,000 and $750,000.

Images courtesy of Gooding & Company.

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Moto Distracto: Steady Garage customizes the new Honda Motocompacto

If it’s small and it comes from Honda, you can bet your bottom Dollar Steady Garage will be all over it. The Californian outfit is best known for their wild Honda Ruckus and Grom customs, and stocks a staggering number of scooter and mini-moto parts. So it’s hardly surprising that the first custom Honda Motocompacto we’ve seen comes from the Steady crew.

Recently released by Honda, the Motocompacto is an all-electric reissue of the adorable, legendary, and ultimately short-lived, Honda Motocompo. Produced between 1981 and 1983 and only sold in Japan, the Motocompo was a 50 cc moped that could fold up to fit inside the trunk of a car. It was targeted at commuters who had to park far from work as a ‘last mile’ solution—but it never caught on.

The new Honda Motocompacto brings the original Motocompo concept into the modern age, with an electric drivetrain that’s good for a top speed of 24 km/h [15 mph] and a maximum range of 19 kilometers [12 miles]. Early reviews have been positive, and the battery-powered moped is reportedly selling like hotcakes.

The Honda Motocompacto’s small, appliance-like build suits its intended usage perfectly—but that didn’t stop Steady Garage. When the Motcompacto hit the scene, the guys couldn’t resist the urge to mess with it.

“Everyone here at the shop loves to play and tinker with new toys, especially ones from Honda,” says Steady co-founder, Kevin Dunn. “Since it has two wheels, is small, and looks cool out of the box, we knew we had to build a few of these and design some parts together with Chimera Engineering [Steady’s go-to parts fabricator].”

“We named it ‘Moto Distracto,’ because all of the technical guys in the shop dropped everything that we’re working on, and spent a bunch of time R&D’ing things for it, distracting us from our daily tasks.”

The Steady team had a bunch of ideas for the Motocompacto, but at the top of their list was the notion of sticking a fat rear tire onto it (relatively speaking, of course). It seems like a weird thing to get hung up on, but big rear wheels are a central piece of Steady’s history.

“Our passion for mini-motos and scooters started with the Honda Ruckus,” Kevin explains. “Back in 2007, having a fat rear wheel on the Ruckus was unheard of in America. We saw that Tokyo Parts were doing them in Japan, but in the States, no one had successfully completed one at the time.”

“The majority of people who owned a Ruckus wanted one—it’s one way to set the scooter apart from everything else. Through a few trials and errors, we managed to get a few done and created the complete 150 cc engine swap kit with the ‘fatty’ rear wheel option for the market. This completely changed and steered the direction of Ruckus builds in the USA.”

“When Honda released the news that they were going to release an electric version of the Motocompo, our team all had the vision to have a fat rear wheel on there. It’s one way for us to bring back the nostalgic times of the pre-2010 era.”

Given its size, there’s not much wiggle room around the Motocompacto’s rear wheel. Steady and Chimera worked together, designing and machining a burly new swingarm that Kevin tells us took a few attempts to get right. The wide rear wheel comes from a racing go-kart and is made out of magnesium.

Chimera also machined a new rear hub, which not only matched the kart wheel to the custom swingarm but also made provision for a cable-actuated disc brake. (It should offer a lot more stopping power than the OEM drum brake, although we doubt the Motocompacto needs it.)

The other obvious change is the Motocompacto’s new side panels. Made from scratch by Chimera, they’re modeled after the MOLLE webbing systems used by the military, offering a versatile way to carry extra stuff on your 12-mile-maximum commute.

Next, Steady ripped out the Motocompacto’s headlight, replacing it with an ultra-bright LED unit from Baja Designs. The OEM part is recessed into the front of the scoot’s bodywork, but Steady’s design is bolder, with a custom-made ‘nacelle’ shrouding the top of the light. Finishing touches include leather trim on the grips and seat, CNC-machined bar-ends, and a motorsports-inspired graphics kit.

Kevin assures us that this is only the beginning of the Moto Distracto’s transformation. As they head into summer, Steady Garage will have their hands full with various events and activities—but the next phase of the project is already planned for when the dust settles.

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This five-cylinder Puch proves there’s no replacement for displacement

They say that there’s no replacement for displacement. By that logic, the best way to improve a single-cylinder Puch moped is to turn it into a five-cylinder Puch moped. At least, that’s Uwe Oltmanns’ theory.

Based in Northern Germany, Uwe is a moped enthusiast with an extensive resume. He’s a professional toolmaker who’s worked at Airbus, built hopped-up Opel street cars, and dabbled in drag racers. These days, he spends his time building vintage car engines from parts that he’s machined himself—mostly for pre-war BMW 328s.

He also messes with vintage mopeds—or, as they’re known around those parts, ‘MOFAs.’ “Due to the flat countryside near the North Sea, automatic MOFAs are a thing in Northern Germany, especially the Puch Maxi S and N from the 70s and 80s,” says Uwe’s friend, and the photographer who brought us these stellar images, Sven Wedemeyer. “So there’s a long-standing tuning scene in this region.”

“These were called MOFAs (short for ‘MOtor-FAhrrad,’ which is German for ‘motor-bicycle’), and usually had bicycle pedals. The dream of every teenager back then!”

To say that Uwe is passionate about mopeds is an understatement. To relive his youth, he organized a four-hour endurance race for classic MOFAs, with a makeshift circuit that ran laps around the local bar. “It was a huge success,” Sven tells us, “with 46 MOFAs and eight emergency calls to the hospital!”

The event became an annual thing, growing year on year until a custom show became part of the proceedings. And that was all the excuse that Uwe needed to build something outlandish.

Uwe kicked things off with a 1976 Puch Maxi S moped—a humble 48.8 cc two-stroke with a one-speed transmission. But very little of the original bike remains. Uwe not only brought four more Puch engines to the party, but he also rebuilt the rest of the bike with a smorgasbord of interesting parts.

The Puch’s main frame was left intact, but the rear frame was hacked off and replaced with an angular handmade unit. Uwe turned to the suspension next—and then stumbled upon something truly special.

Through sheer serendipity, Uwe managed to get his hands on a prototype rear swingarm that had been developed for Ralf Waldmann’s 1993 Aprilia RS 125 R Grand Prix racer. He worked his magic, modifying the single-sided swingarm to suit the Puch, and hooking it up to a hidden mountain bike shock via a handful of CNC-machined parts. A three-spoke magnesium wheel from PVM does duty out back.

Later on, Uwe snagged a set of race-spec WP Suspension forks, again from Waldmann’s 1993 Aprilia (they’re one of only 60 sets made). Uwe CNC-machined a set of yokes to attach them to the bike and then fabricated his own bar risers and grips. A set of streetfighter bars with aftermarket scooter levers sit up top.

For the front wheel, Uwe took a moped’s outer rim and machined a new inner section to match the PVM rear wheel. The brakes use Braking calipers with laser-cut stainless steel discs. An airbrush specialist company called Pfeil handled the bike’s heavily textured silver, gold, and black paint job.

The peculiar headlight is a custom part too. “Uwe had a vision at five in the morning after a long party,” says Sven. “So he started CNC-machining immediately, using BMW Z8 Prism technology. He went to bed after that, and was quite surprised the next day at what he had done.”

Sven is pretty blunt about the fact that, although Uwe’s Puch does run, it’s basically unrideable, thanks to the noise and heat that it emits. Each of the five two-stroke engines has been bored out to 70 cc, fitted with an upgraded round-slide carb and a fly clutch, and given a wide-open exhaust header. The bottom three motors are linked by a central shaft, with two separate belt drives connecting engines four and five.

To start the bike, Uwe spins the rear wheel to get the first engine going. Once that’s warmed up, each of the subsequent engines is unleashed one at a time by releasing their fly clutches with a wrench (see it in action here). With all five motors purring, the 350 cc Puch registers 127.5 decibels—and the only way to shut it off is to pull all five spark plugs.

This sort of insanity is nothing out of the ordinary for Uwe. He’s also built a 70 cc Puch moped with a crank-driven supercharger, and he’s currently working on a V10 Puch with a longitudinal crank. We can’t wait.

Images and build info supplied by Sven Wedemeyer / Wheels of Stil

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Gear up with the new Bike EXIF merch store

In the 16 years that Bike EXIF has been online, we’ve only ever produced merchandise twice. Both times, they were one-off products that were gifted to the custom builders, photographers, and OEMs that support us. Now we’re throwing the gates wide open.

For the first time in Bike EXIF’s history, we’re producing Bike EXIF-branded merchandise for public consumption. We’re kicking things off with a limited range of high-quality T-shirts. Three of them sport the same Bike EXIF logo that’s adorned the top of our pages since day one, and two pay homage to some of our favorite heritage brands.

The Bike EXIF ‘Manx’ and ‘Plug’ T-shirts should feel familiar to petrolheads, but they’re not the only tribute tees we have planned. While the standard Bike EXIF logo tees will remain a staple, other designs will change periodically, and will only be available for a limited time. So get ’em while they’re hot.

Each T-shirt is printed on 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (except for heather colors, which use a cotton and polyester blend), and is pre-shrunk. Our tees are printed on demand and ship worldwide—which means that, although they take a little longer to get to you, we can offer them in a wide range of sizes (from S to 4XL), without needing to keep copious amounts of stock on hand. It also reduces waste, and makes it easier for us to roll out new designs.

If you have an original idea floating around in your head, you can also go ahead and submit your own design for a chance to have it featured. If it ends up on a tee, we’ll send you store vouchers to kit yourself out in your favorite Bike EXIF merch.

As the premium destination for custom motorcycles and those who build, photograph, and admire them, we’re stoked that we can finally give you, our loyal readers, a way to represent your favorite website while out on your bike. Happy shopping, and sound off in the comments if there are any products you’d like to see us add in the future.

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Review: Riding the stunning Yamaha XSR900 GP retro sportbike

Some motorcycles beg to be ridden in anger. Others drip with nostalgia. If you draw a Venn diagram of those two paradigms, you’ll find the Yamaha XSR900 GP smack dab in the middle of the intersection.

The Yamaha XSR900 GP just about melted our servers (and lit up our comments section) when it first broke cover in October of last year. Drawing inspiration from Yamaha’s illustrious racing heritage, it’s a homage to iconic bikes like the Yamaha TZR250 and YZR500 OW01, reimagined on the modern, three-cylinder XSR900 platform. And its retro sportbike underpinnings make it one of the most striking factory bikes currently on the market.

But does the Yamaha XSR900 GP look as good in the flesh as it does in photos? Is it all show and no go? And what’s the Portuguese coast like this time of year? I headed to the picture-perfect coastal town of Ericeira, on Yamaha’s invitation, to find out.

Between consuming disproportionate amounts of fresh seafood, exquisite wines, and sublime desserts, my peers and I sampled some of the region’s best backroads—and even squeezed in a photo op on the famed Estoril race circuit. But we also rubbed shoulders with the people behind the XSR900 GP’s development, gaining insight into its compelling backstory.

If the sport heritage motorcycle segment is a niche, then the Yamaha XSR900 GP occupies a niche within that niche, by prioritizing performance without sacrificing style. It’s a tiny needle to thread, making the XSR900 GP arguably one of the gutsiest OEM releases in recent years.

The story starts eight years ago, when Yamaha product manager, James McCombe, sat down for his first interview with the Japanese marque. Asked what he would create, given the opportunity, his response was a variant of the XSR platform that would represent Yamaha’s racing lineage, and legitimize the sport side of the sport heritage tag. But turning that concept into a fully homologated motorcycle that, while it does make compromises makes few compromises, was a tumultuous journey.

The XSR900 GP project stalled twice and survived a global pandemic that limited contact between Yamaha’s global team, which is split between Europe and Japan. Workarounds were needed—like signing off the design using 3D renders instead of the tried and true modeling clay method. And then there was the usual internal tension that comes from trying to color outside the lines without blowing the budget.

It’s easy to forget that factory motorcycles take an inordinate time to develop, and that they are conceived, designed, and engineered by real humans. Product managers arguably have the toughest job of all. They need to look into a non-existent crystal ball to predict what the industry zeitgeist will be years down the line, and then they need to rally a team around them and convince the powers that be that their idea is a good one.

It takes vision and moxie to bring a bike like the Yamaha XSR900 GP to market. The fact that this bike has hit the scene just as the 80s and 90s sportbike revival is reaching fever pitch is a testament to the tenacity of Mr McCombe and the designers, engineers, and test riders who worked on the project.

The GP hits all the right notes, evoking motorcycle racing’s golden years while nailing the balance between modern and retro. My brief time in Portugal was fraught with moody weather, but even so, the bike shimmered in the light of day. Every detail that had struck me when I first saw photos of it was now cranked up to eleven (twelve, when the sun finally poked through the clouds).

Adapted from the ‘standard’ Yamaha XSR900, the GP model trades the platform’s black frame paint for a silver finish that highlights the bike’s Deltabox-like chassis. Fresh bodywork sits up top; a half-fairing with bolt-on wind deflectors, new side panels, and a boxy rear cowl that covers the pillion seat. Those pieces create a faultless silhouette, making the GP’s heritage undeniable.

The XSR900 GP’s flagship ‘Legend Red’ livery [above] pops hard and begs closer inspection. The white bits are ever so slightly silvery, the red bits have a hint of orange in them, and the yellow number boards boldly recall the Yamaha racers of yesteryear. (Even the brake rotor carriers are painted, to disguise them against the red wheels.)

The aptly named ‘Power Grey’ colorway [above] is somehow both more subdued and bolder than its livelier counterpart. Wrapped in swathes of grey and black, it foregoes the throwback racer vibe for a brooding look that would killer under Tokyo’s neon lights. For my money, I’d be hard-pressed to pick between the two.

The bike boasts a high level of fit and finish, and nowhere is this represented better than in the minutiae of its cockpit. From the rider’s position, the perfectly proportioned fairing stays and TZ250-inspired beta pins that hold the fairing in place transport you right back to the 80s. (Yamaha would have used the same pins on the lower fairing attachment points, but certain European regulations demand that at least some of the bodywork fasteners require tools to remove.)

A drilled strut extends from the center of the top yoke to the front of the fairing, where the bike’s contemporary TFT display lurks quietly. All of the wires are neatly wrapped together, and anchored to a purpose-built bracket that attaches discreetly to the triple clamp. Small bulges along the top edge of the fairing accommodate the clip-ons at full steering lock; the bars are not adjustable, presumably to avoid any clearance issues.

Yamaha loses half a point for one tiny unsightly connector that was exposed on the bike I rode on the day. And although I can accept the need for modern switchgear that can simultaneously operate the bike and navigate its dashboard menus, I can’t tolerate the new turn signal button that Yamaha has debuted on the XSR900 GP. It’s a clunky button that’s supposed to make life easier with short- and long-burst functions and an auto-canceling feature, but it feels awkward to use and never quite works right.

The rest of the XSR900 GP’s accouterments are executed with panache. The LED turn signals are slim and unobtrusive, and the tail bracket manages to extend the license plate to where regulations require, while also providing a little extra rear wheel splash protection. The passenger pegs also use a unique design that makes them less visible than most setups.

Not wanting to ruin the bike’s race-inspired visage with a big headlight, Yamaha’s team designed a slim headlight housing that mimics an air vent, then packed an ultra-bright LED headlight in there. At the opposite end of the bike, what I initially thought were twin taillights in the bum stop are just slits that mimic the slim warning lights on track bikes. The real taillight, taken directly from the regular XSR900, is hidden lower down—but it’s neat enough not to disrupt the overall design.

All these considerations make the XSR900 GP’s one aesthetic misstep almost unforgivable. Keeping the bike’s development costs reasonable meant leaving some of the ‘base’ model’s parts untouched. While that worked out well for parts like the taillight, bar-end mirrors, and wheels, the XSR900’s exhaust is an eyesore on the GP.

A part of me likes the brutality of the whole unit and the race prototype effect that it invokes—particularly when you notice how tidy the welds are. But it’s hard to deny that it looks like someone hacked the bike’s silencer off and left the lardy catalytic convertor behind. And it only gets worse when you see the bike with the optional Akrapovič exhaust system on, and realize how much better it looks.

The Akrapovič system trades the boxy stock part for a slimmer underslung collector and a stubby muffler that sits exactly where you’d expect it to on a bike of this ilk. It’s part of the bike’s optional ‘race’ kit, which also includes fairing lowers, a tinted windscreen, and a slimmer tail tidy. (No doubt, many buyers will happily fork out for the added swagger.)

Behind the truckloads of sex appeal lies one of the best engines currently on the market; Yamaha’s utterly brilliant 890 cc triple-cylinder ‘CP3’ crossplane engine, which is now Euro5+ compliant. It makes 117.3 hp at 10,000 rpm and 93 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm, but those numbers are ultimately irrelevant. Because where the XSR900 GP’s engine truly shines, is in its impeccable power delivery.

The link between the throttle and the rear wheel is seamless, the response is visceral, and the amount of usable mid-range torque and power is astounding. It all makes for a rider’s motorcycle—a bike that can pull hard from low down in the rev range if it needs to and howls when you properly open it up. It also makes for a bike that can handle a squirt of power out of a corner without getting bent out of shape.

Despite how the exhaust looks, the XSR still emits a guttural growl—partly thanks to its new intake design, and partly because it is a triple, after all. And while this engine usually looks busy and overbuilt in the more naked XSR900, it actually serves the factory race prototype vibe of the GP model.

Yamaha struck gold with the XSR900 GP’s electronics package too. For starters, the onboard rider modes, traction control, ABS, and other electronic aids operate in a helpful, rather than obtrusive, way, guided by a six-axis IMU (as has become the industry standard). Flicking between the rain, road, and sport modes, the behavior change is tangible, but the bike’s sublime throttle feel is never sacrificed.

Hooligans and wheelie fiends will no doubt want to dive into the bike’s customizable rider modes to dial back the traction and anti-wheelie control, but I found the standard settings more than ample for a day spent sashaying through the Portuguese countryside’s tree-lined twisties.

The TFT display itself is pretty neat too. It hosts a smorgasbord of smartphone connectivity features, including navigation, but I felt it worked best when I just left it on the ‘home’ screen, which uses a design unique to the GP model. Centered around an analog-style tachometer, it distributes the rest of the information around the screen in diminishing levels of priority, making it easy to follow.

The other big update on the XSR900 GP is its revised quick-shifter. Quick-shift systems are notorious for only working well at certain spots in the rev range, but this system is far more forgiving. Between the shifter, and the updates the the bike’s six-speed transmission, the GP never missed a shift, no matter how ham-fisted I was with it.

The new system also allows for upshifts during deceleration and downshifts during acceleration—which sounds pointless, until you need to kick down a gear to overtake a truck, and don’t want to let go of the throttle.

Backing up the XSR900 GP’s peach of a motor are several chassis and geometry changes. The clip-ons and rear-set pegs are obvious deviations from the standard XSR formula. They pitch you forward, but stop shy of the more aggressive riding position found on bikes like the Yamaha R7.

Yamaha opted for this particular layout because they’re well aware that the XSR900 GP’s target customer isn’t looking for an outright superbike (and the accompanying chiropractor bills). I can confirm that the GP is indeed more comfortable than your average superbike, but I can also confirm that, by the end of our ride, my wrists and legs were nagging me.

My butt, however, was fine; the XSR900 GP’s seat is surprisingly well-padded. And if I’m being totally fair, at 1.83 m [6 foot] tall and tipping the scales at a svelte 139 kilos [306 pounds], I was more comfortable on the GP than I thought I would be. I was also surprised at how well the windscreen mitigated turbulence—even though a Yamaha staffer later confessed that it was designed for style and not aerodynamics.

It was no fun around town (where I used the bike’s onboard cruise control to adhere to speed limits while giving my wrists a rest), but once I got it up to speed it felt more compliant. It’s unlikely that I’d pick it for touring or commuting, but as a weekend warrior, it works, and Yamaha isn’t advertising it as anything else.

The changes to the XSR900 GP’s setup go beyond just the controls. Yamaha tuned the chassis to compensate for the extra load that the riding position places on the front of the bike, by revising the engine mounting brackets. This is also the only bike among its stablemates (the XSR900 and MT-09) to feature an aluminum steering shaft.

Other updates include a reinforced subframe, an extended swingarm, and a higher headstock. Those changes push the GP’s wheelbase to 1,500 mm and its trail to 110 mm, making it less nervous and more stable. The bike weighs in at 200 kilos [441 lbs] wet, with a seat height of 835 mm.

As much as the XSR900 GP’s visuals inspire memories of legendary Grand Prix racers, its capability on the road had me imagining I was one of them (even though I’m not). The crossplane engine and full-adjustable KYM suspension inspire spirited riding, and the chassis responds well to enthusiastic body English. The more gusto I rode it with, the better it got.

Its revised geometry does mean that the XSR900 GP relishes sweeping bends more than tight corners, but it was no slouch in either scenario.

If, like me, you prefer bikes with upright handlebars, the slightly raised clip-ons will help you adapt your riding style quickly, since they’re far less intimidating than those you’d find on more focused machines. And even though I’m a big dude for a bike this compact, I found the reach from the seat to the bars just about perfect—and the saddle gave me plenty of wiggle room to shift my weight around.

The Bridgestone Battlax S23 tires that the XSR900 GP is specced with are stellar, and did a great job of keeping me and the GP from getting bent out of shape on a damp Estoril race circuit. Likewise, the suspension kept the bike planted—even when I hit an unexpected and rather sharp bump in the road. Fiddling with the fork and shock settings would no doubt have unlocked more of their potential, but, as with the electronics, I was quite happy with how the bike was set up out of the box.

Discerning customers might pine for a swanky set of Brembo calipers on a motorcycle this stylish, but the OEM units (manufactured by Advics) are actually brilliant. Actuated by a Brembo master cylinder, the twin four-piston front calipers and 298 mm floating discs have finesse for days. Riding in the hills and during our brief time on the track, I could confidently and consistently trail brake into corners—and then utilize the XSR’s wide power band to fire out of them.

On the surface, the Yamaha XSR900 GP is a modern classic that perfectly encapsulates the era that inspired it—a bike that one passionate group fought to make a reality, even if it didn’t always make sense. On the road, it’s a superb machine that, although not billed as a sportbike, deserves the moniker.

And when you get off it, it’s a bike that’ll make you look back and smile, every damn time.

Yamaha Motor Europe | Images by Alessio Barbanti

The Yamaha XSR900 GP will be available in the UK and Europe from May 2024, with a starting price of £12,506 in the UK. There is no word on US pricing or availability yet.

Wes’ gear Shoei NXR2 helmet, Icon Slabtown jacket, Saint Road gloves, Icon Superduty3 pants, Icon Alcan WP boots.

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