Yamaha XSR700 Yay or Nay?

[Pizzaeatingking]

Following on from my test ride thread, I'm looking at getting a bike again. I sold my CB1000 a couple of years back, nice bike but lacked any character & for my use was a bit too capeable, too easy to get up to silly speeds and it always felt like you were barely tickling it on the roads.

So when I started looking about I was set on something with a little less power that could be thrashed about a bit more without getting into trouble all the time. I liked the XSR when it come out and after reading up on them they sound right up my street, most reviews sing their praises but I thought I'd see what owners opinions of them are?

I'd hope they're fairly robust, any reliability issues? Irritating niggles you discover after a while? I'm going to the dealer tomorrow, unfortunately they only have an MT available to test but I'm not in a rush to buy.

Thanks in advance!

[carinaman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjt54nl7nxY

Could be why they don't allow road tests in winter.

[horsemeatscandal]

No personal experience but they're a very nice looking bike and if they're just a tarted up MT then probably good to ride based on pretty much every MT review.

I was keen to buy an XSR900 but having regularly parked up at work next to a couple of new Yamahas that were seemingly ridden year round, they looked like ste with a lot of corrosion. I don't know how the owners looked after their bikes or if this is a known Yamaha problem, but it put me right off. Granted, I live and work by the sea in the north so pinch of salt required. No pun intended.

If it's a weekend bike, I'd stump up for a Ducati Scrambler for the same retro looks bu, y'know, cooler.

[lukeyman]

I had one after a bit of a lay off bikes. Thought I'd get something relatively small to ease myself back in at the age of approaching 40...

I got bored within 700 miles.

[carinaman]

lukeyman said:

I had one after a bit of a lay off bikes. Thought I'd get something relatively small to ease myself back in at the age of approaching 40...

I got bored within 700 miles.

Bored of the bike or bored of motorcycling?

[lukeyman]

The bike.

[Pizzaeatingking]

lukeyman said:

The bike.

Anything in particular?

[lukeyman]

Pizzaeatingking said:

Anything in particular?

The engine. The handling. The brakes... Oh, and the seat made my left leg go numb!

Maybe I was a bit heavy for it at 15st.

[Pizzaeatingking]

lukeyman said:

Pizzaeatingking said:

Anything in particular?

The engine. The handling. The brakes... Oh, and the seat made my left leg go numb!

Maybe I was a bit heavy for it at 15st.

Jesus, there's no hope for my fat arse on it then.

[the cueball]

My mate has just got the 900 version (which I know is a different engine) but he loves it.

He won’t admit it to a lot of people, but prefers it to his super duke 1290.

[CaptainSlow]

The MT/XSR/Tracer ranges are built to a budget and it shows in the quality. I do like the 09 and 10 engines though.

[A500leroy]

The finish comes of the radiator pipes if you clean them too hard and the swingarms rot from the inside.

[DJP]

My review:

http://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/yamahamt07.html

HTH.

[carinaman]

Pizzaeatingking said:

lukeyman said:

Pizzaeatingking said:

Anything in particular?

The engine. The handling. The brakes... Oh, and the seat made my left leg go numb!

Maybe I was a bit heavy for it at 15st.

Jesus, there's no hope for my fat arse on it then.

There's an SRKcycles video on YouTube that mentions them taking in an MT-09 on hardly miles as a Yamaha dealer talked a large, heavy man into an MT-09 rather than the MT-07 he was interested in and scared himself silly on it and wouldn't ride it. It's US so they say FZ-07 and FZ-09 instead of MT.

Perhaps you should be looking at an XSR900?

DJP said:

My review:

http://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/yamahamt07.html

HTH.

Thanks for that.

Given the amount of MTs sold across Europe someone should be making a replacement swing arm that doesn't rot?

The same swing arm is fitted to both the MT-09 and MT-07 and the XSRs?

[DJP]

carinaman said:

The same swing arm is fitted to both the MT-09 and MT-07 and the XSRs?

Not the MT09 but the one on the XSR looks the same.

[carinaman]

DJP said:

carinaman said:

The same swing arm is fitted to both the MT-09 and MT-07 and the XSRs?

Not the MT09 but the one on the XSR looks the same.

I wondered if that had a standard swing arm. It does. I suppose you don't have to worry about rust on a track bike used in California.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMQALywNRPg

[Pizzaeatingking]

Took an MT07 out today, ever so slightly cramped legs wise but enjoyed it overall. XSR700 was more comfortable and relaxed, put a deposit down on it. I'll have to give it a liberal covering of protection from the sounds of it but I'm a fair weather rider tbh so it most likely wouldn't see salt.

Cheers for the replies.