Worldwide , the accolades have been rolling in for Yamaha ’ s XSR900GP . Some Poms have even named it bike of the year in the UK . Maybe rightly so . But let ’ s delve in to it and see what the fuss is about . First up , I ’ ll say it ’ s a magnificent looking bit of kit . Especially the retro-era GP colour in white , red and yellow . I clearly remember Yamaha ’ s YZR500 GP bikes of that time sporting the Marlboro colours when cigarettes were still sort-of- cool , the Marlboro girls were cooler and the sponsorship dollar excellent . And , of course , Lawson and Rainey were doing
the business and taking home the trophies . Yamaha NZ invited KR out to their HQ for an initial introduction , briefing and a small ride to get acquainted with the new bike . Yamaha has put real effort into capturing the old school essence of the 500cc GP era , right down to the ‘ R ’ clips that hold the top sides of the fairing in place – they have nailed it . All that is missing is the glorious high-pitched two-stroke exhaust note , the smell of Castrol R and the WILD power delivery .
HEART OF THE BIKE The beating , pulsing heart of the GP 900 is
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