Yamaha XSR700 2016

For years and years now, Yamaha has been responsible for designing and building some of the best production motorcycles to hit the market.

They’ve recently partnered up with a Los Angeles-based Japanese bike builder to create retro inspired motorcycles that take advantage of advanced modern technology and engineering, but up until just recently we’ve only been able to get a look at prototype motorcycles from this partnership.

Well, that all changes with the introduction of the brand-new 2016 Yamaha XSR700!

A performance tuned “naked” bike similar to the kinds of motorcycles that were incredibly popular throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s (in the US and abroad), this Yamaha motorcycle is going to absolutely crush it at the annual industry awards – and a lot of that has to do with the incredibly fine-tuned and vintage inspired design.

Initial Impressions

At first blush you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that the brand-new 2016 Yamaha XSR700 was a much older motorcycle, a throwback from the years where Moto X and dirt racers were starting to cross over into the mainstream, a time period when “naked” motorcycles were all the rage.

And that’s good news, considering the fact that this is exactly what Yamaha and their design partners were looking for!

However, upon closer inspection, you’re going to find that this motorcycle is anything but ancient. It includes a brand-new aluminum gas tank, a textured leather seat, and a speedometer that provides much more information to the rider than anything in the past ever has.

Standout Features

Combine all of that with the introduction of brand-new Pirelli Fandom tires, a 700cc parallel twin engine, and a fine tuned racing suspension that guarantees you’ll be able to fly across bumps in the road without feeling them, and you’re looking at something truly special.

The bike is capable of producing 75 hp and 50 foot-pounds of torque thanks to the 700cc engine we mentioned above, and the electric start guarantees that this bike will fire up even when ice cold. The six speed constant mesh transmission gives you complete and total control over the bike and your fuel economy, which is second to none in this motorcycle class.

Final Thoughts

The only real knock against the brand-new Yamaha XSR700 is that it is going to be available in Europe only, with no plans to “transplanted” to the United States or any other markets. And that’s the real shame. There’s a lot of people that would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to own and ride this bike, and they may never get the chance.