Yamaha's XSR 700 is the Complete Package with Optional Assembly

Text by @Devon | Photography by @Kevinsbryan

Yamaha’s XSR 700 is the newest edition to Yamaha’s Sport Heritage line and after selling well overseas for the past 3 years, it’s been brought over to the Americas.

What you ride and what you wear has always meant something. It’s been a defining statement on your ideals and it usually didn't align with authority. I’m obviously no one percenter and since just about all of us fall on the big slice of the pie chart so chances are you’re not one either, but you can’t deny there’s an allure to them. That’s why so many riders dress like “bikers”. There is a part of us that likes belonging to the tribe of riders, the brotherhood, and we want to look the part. Despite the tribe, or the brotherhood, motorcycling is still about individualism. We've always been that buyer group that makes decisions with a heavy serving of emotion and then adds our individual flare. With more and more riders entering the market/brotherhood, there's an even greater than normal desire for homage to motorcycling heritage. Most of today's newer riders are pretty far from classic and don't want to get messy or always smell like sweat, oil and gasoline. Today's rider doesn't always have access to or wants to ride custom builds, but they want to feel like a biker, and that’s where Yamaha’s XSR 700 fits in just perfectly. Yamaha’s Sport Heritage models which combine retro styling with modern technology. It doesn’t have traction control or ride modes, just ABS, style and potential for loads of character.

I loved riding this bike, it was a ton of fun around the city, weighing in at 410 lbs, meant it was stupidly easy to maneuver while riding and not overbearing when rolling it into the garage. The 700’s modern technology touches come from the MT-07’s favoured inline-twin engine. The six-speed XSR 700 is driven by a 689 cc liquid cooled DOHC twin motor. The “270 degree ‘Cross Plane Concept’ crankshaft with an "uneven" firing order provides a strong feeling of acceleration & great traction.” Yamaha knew it had done it right with the MT-07 so they didn’t mess with the engine for the XSR. The 689 cc is torquey well into the mid-range but manageable and smooth, keeping you from running wide and having to dodge distracted pedestrians as you zip around the city. Once I hit some of the longer stretches of pavement in Toronto I had an ear to ear grin in my non-retro Joe Rocket helmet. Between 5000 rpm and 6000 rpm the acceleration did get _strong _and the Pirelli Phantom tires completed the package with _great traction _and their tread pattern is pretty cool too. Up front are two 282 mm floating wave-style disc brakes with a 4-piston monoblock caliper. ABS is standard but only activates during lower speeds. I used this bike as a commuter and never had any doubts or lack of confidence during hard braking.

The New Classic

Yamaha’s efforts into the styling resulted in some really nice touches that make the 700 stand out. The mesh engine covers are such a small aesthetic but their addition adds so much to the styling and is often one of the design pieces admirers commented on. The seat is one piece with a suede rear section, visible stitching and a leather strip with the XSR embossed in it.

The gull-wing style swingarm gives it an aggressive look and the classic lines continue up to the tank that brandishes classic stripes, and exposed bolts on the tank cover. The circular headlight with its metal-styled plastic, and silver tire fender work nicely to complete the heritage look. Despite the styling throwbacks Yamaha equipped the 700 with a really nice modern display that is large, bright and easy to read. If you’ve got an older Bolt you’re going to drool over this display.

Your OEM Custom

The riding position isn’t aggressive and the XSR 700 doesn’t come with a windscreen but bust open Yamaha’s accessories catalog and you’ll find windscreens, seat options, saddle bags radiator guards and lots of bike pieces you can swap out. This makes the XSR 700 the perfect bike for 3 sets of rider groups; the newer rider that wants to upgrade to a larger bike for city use, the hipster rider that wants something classically styled but unique and reliable and custom bike builders.

If someone is looking for their upgrade, to mid power and wants the classic look, many will also consider the Ducati Scrambler with a 803 cc engine, neoclassical styling and the Ducati prestige. Then they'll think about price, decide they want more power than the 399 cc Sixty2 Scrambler and then shift their gaze back to the Yamaha and with the XSR 700 being priced very competitively at $9,599 CAD Yamaha gets a nod for their strategic choices.

You’ll remember that the XSR700 shares the same powerhouse as the MT-07 and there is a XSR 900. With the engine being virtually unchanged the XSR differs by way of ergonomics, styling of course and suspension. You'll be more comfortableon the XSR 700 but your wallet will be lighter too since the XSR 700 costs at least $1300CAD morethan the MT-07. If you’re considering the XSR 900 the name is about the only similarities these bikes share. The shoot off between the 900 and the 700 comes down to more than displacement. The XSR 900 is not a step into the mid-range and includes more electronic ride aids.

After the initial excitement, my gripes with the XSR were the plastic on certain parts, but that’s to be expected as manufacturers work to keep prices low and with how customizable it is, I don’t see a bit of metal mimicking plastic as enough of a deterrent to recommending this machine. If I were picking up the XSR 700 the standard emission and sound restricting exhaust is likely the first thing I’d swap out. It looks pretty bland and sounds even worse.

Despite the excitement the XSR 700 provides and the allure of the custom scene, it isn't for me. Classical styling doesn’t weigh that heavily on my appeal scale, but if your inner "biker" even bats an eye when you think about classic styling, the XSR 700 definitely worth investigating for yourself, once you swing a leg over it, you won’t be disappointed.