Yamaha XSR900 DB40 Prototype

[Hugh Janus]

Yamaha’s XSR900 DB40 Prototype was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Yamaha/)

The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed has evolved into a major event in the 30 years since it first took place as a hill climb for classic race cars and motorcycles along the driveway of Goodwood House in 1993. Today it’s regularly used for major new model unveilings, so the appearance of a prototype Yamaha called the XSR900 DB40 was a clear indication that it’s a machine that’s destined for production in some form in the future.

Ridden up the hill by former 500cc Grand Prix front-runner and three-time British Superbike Championship winner Niall Mackenzie, the XSR900 DB40 Prototype was ostensibly a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Yamaha’s Deltabox aluminum chassis concept, which first appeared on the 1982 YZR500 OW61 GP bike and reached the street with the 1985 TZR250. Developments of the Deltabox have been a key part of every major Yamaha sportbike since then.

Former 500 Grand Prix racer and multitime British Superbike champ Niall Mackenzie on the DB40 at Goodwood. (Yamaha/)

But it’s the term “Prototype” in the bike’s name that’s more significant than the “DB40″ element. It’s a clear hint that this is a test bed for a future production model, and that aligns very neatly with previous clues that Yamaha is developing not one but two different faired sportbikes around the 889cc CP3 engine and the alloy Deltabox chassis used in the XSR900 and the current MT-09 roadster. More than a year ago, we revealed that Yamaha had trademarked the name “XSR GP” and speculated that it was likely to be used on a sport version of the XSR900. Beyond that, the company has also trademarked both names and stylized logos for an upcoming YZF-R9, likely to use the same chassis and engine but wrapped in modern-looking bodywork to align with the R3, R7, and R1.

A closer look at the XSR900 DB40’s bodywork. (Yamaha/)

Of the two possibilities, the DB40 Prototype is clearly closer to the idea of the XSR GP, with retro looks thanks to its connection to the standard XSR900. The main frame and the CP3 engine are direct carryovers, but the DB40 Prototype adds a higher-spec KYB fork similar to those of the MT-09 SP, plus an Öhlins shock, again aping the MT-09 SP. It’s not clear whether the DB40 has the MT-09′s swingarm, which is shorter than the XSR900′s, but it’s a change that would also make a lot of sense, given that Yamaha has the part on the shelf.

The single-seat rear end of the XSR900 DB40. (Yamaha/)

The bodywork features a single-seat rear end that’s similar, but not identical, to the XSR900 Racer aftermarket kit that’s already available, and the side panels below the seat are also slightly different to the existing production bike. The tank is from the XSR, but the seat itself is moved forward, pushing the rider closer to the tank and shifting the weight toward the front. The dropped clip-on bars, mounted below the upper yoke, are matched to footpegs that are higher and farther back than the XSR900 or MT-09′s, mounted on castings that look very much like production parts.

Closer look at the Deltabox frame. (Yamaha/)

At the front, the fairing takes its inspiration from ‘80s Yamaha sportbikes, with bolted-on wind deflectors on each side, reminiscent of the TZR250. The central air intake on the nose—filled with a mesh screen but leading nowhere—would make the ideal place for a headlight that is reminiscent of the rectangular shape of the old TZR’s, too.

You can see the similarities to the old TZR250’s headlight. That bike was also Yamaha’s first to use a Deltabox frame back in 1985. (Cycle World Archives/)

Yamaha’s official XSR900 Racer kit already offers the option to create a partially faired cafe racer from the XSR, with a bar-mounted, bullet-style nose cowl giving 1970s overtones, but the chassis-mounted fairing of the DB40 Prototype is a much more complete transformation. The likely production version could even go a step further by adding lower fairings—the straight-edged lower cut off of the DB40′s panels look tailor-made to mate to a bellypan to create a fully faired machine. While there’s still no official confirmation that the DB40 Prototype will lead to a production model, the evidence, aligned with Yamaha’s trademark activity, certainly points in that direction.

Close-up of the DB40’s nose. (Yamaha/)
Niall Mackenzie heading up the hill at Goodwood. (Yamaha/)

Source

[Buckster]

Nice looking bike.

[skyrider]

17 hours ago, Hugh Janus said:

Yamaha’s XSR900 DB40 Prototype was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Yamaha/)

The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed has evolved into a major event in the 30 years since it first took place as a hill climb for classic race cars and motorcycles along the driveway of Goodwood House in 1993. Today it’s regularly used for major new model unveilings, so the appearance of a prototype Yamaha called the XSR900 DB40 was a clear indication that it’s a machine that’s destined for production in some form in the future.

Ridden up the hill by former 500cc Grand Prix front-runner and three-time British Superbike Championship winner Niall Mackenzie, the XSR900 DB40 Prototype was ostensibly a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Yamaha’s Deltabox aluminum chassis concept, which first appeared on the 1982 YZR500 OW61 GP bike and reached the street with the 1985 TZR250. Developments of the Deltabox have been a key part of every major Yamaha sportbike since then.

Former 500 Grand Prix racer and multitime British Superbike champ Niall Mackenzie on the DB40 at Goodwood. (Yamaha/)

But it’s the term “Prototype” in the bike’s name that’s more significant than the “DB40″ element. It’s a clear hint that this is a test bed for a future production model, and that aligns very neatly with previous clues that Yamaha is developing not one but two different faired sportbikes around the 889cc CP3 engine and the alloy Deltabox chassis used in the XSR900 and the current MT-09 roadster. More than a year ago, we revealed that Yamaha had trademarked the name “XSR GP” and speculated that it was likely to be used on a sport version of the XSR900. Beyond that, the company has also trademarked both names and stylized logos for an upcoming YZF-R9, likely to use the same chassis and engine but wrapped in modern-looking bodywork to align with the R3, R7, and R1.

A closer look at the XSR900 DB40’s bodywork. (Yamaha/)

Of the two possibilities, the DB40 Prototype is clearly closer to the idea of the XSR GP, with retro looks thanks to its connection to the standard XSR900. The main frame and the CP3 engine are direct carryovers, but the DB40 Prototype adds a higher-spec KYB fork similar to those of the MT-09 SP, plus an Öhlins shock, again aping the MT-09 SP. It’s not clear whether the DB40 has the MT-09′s swingarm, which is shorter than the XSR900′s, but it’s a change that would also make a lot of sense, given that Yamaha has the part on the shelf.

The single-seat rear end of the XSR900 DB40. (Yamaha/)

The bodywork features a single-seat rear end that’s similar, but not identical, to the XSR900 Racer aftermarket kit that’s already available, and the side panels below the seat are also slightly different to the existing production bike. The tank is from the XSR, but the seat itself is moved forward, pushing the rider closer to the tank and shifting the weight toward the front. The dropped clip-on bars, mounted below the upper yoke, are matched to footpegs that are higher and farther back than the XSR900 or MT-09′s, mounted on castings that look very much like production parts.

Closer look at the Deltabox frame. (Yamaha/)

At the front, the fairing takes its inspiration from ‘80s Yamaha sportbikes, with bolted-on wind deflectors on each side, reminiscent of the TZR250. The central air intake on the nose—filled with a mesh screen but leading nowhere—would make the ideal place for a headlight that is reminiscent of the rectangular shape of the old TZR’s, too.

You can see the similarities to the old TZR250’s headlight. That bike was also Yamaha’s first to use a Deltabox frame back in 1985. (Cycle World Archives/)

Yamaha’s official XSR900 Racer kit already offers the option to create a partially faired cafe racer from the XSR, with a bar-mounted, bullet-style nose cowl giving 1970s overtones, but the chassis-mounted fairing of the DB40 Prototype is a much more complete transformation. The likely production version could even go a step further by adding lower fairings—the straight-edged lower cut off of the DB40′s panels look tailor-made to mate to a bellypan to create a fully faired machine. While there’s still no official confirmation that the DB40 Prototype will lead to a production model, the evidence, aligned with Yamaha’s trademark activity, certainly points in that direction.

Close-up of the DB40’s nose. (Yamaha/)
Niall Mackenzie heading up the hill at Goodwood. (Yamaha/)

Source

thought he was busy selling insurance these days