Yamaha XSR900 Anniversary Edition

A perfect Pre-Loved Bike from Bikeshop Boksburg…

When we wandered down to Bikeshop Boksburg at the end of 2025, we noticed this 60th anniversary edition Yamaha XSR 900 on the floor. Business was closing for the festive season, so we arranged that they would be our first call in the new year.

We picked up the bike and joined the team from The Bike Show for a ride out to The Cradle.

First, a little bit of background;

Yamaha has an amazing 900 triple engine. They have built some seriously cool bikes around this platform, starting with the MT, moving along to the XSR, then the Tracer, the GP and most recently the R9. Yes, we’ve ridden them all, and yes, largely thanks to that brilliant triple engine, we really have grown to appreciate the model lineup.

There is often debate as to which is our favourite.

Racers will lean towards the GP and the R9 with the sporty business-like riding positions. Modern riders who want performance and comfort will lean towards the MT lineup – no question.

Distance travellers are spot-on with that Tracer. In our team, there’s a hung jury, with the older riders leaning towards the more classic lines of the XSR linked to all of the most up-to-date tech that money can buy, and the younger riders giving the MT, especially the SP version a solid two thumbs up.

This immaculate pre-loved (yes, we know the previous owner), so loved is the word, XSR also happens to be a slightly rare 60th anniversary edition, which – well, just look at it. It looks amazing.

The brackets, fuel tank, and clocks are all made from aluminium and not plastic. Quality. Even the bolts used on the bike are personal to this model.

Extras on this bike include the racy rear seat cowl, bar-end mirrors and a very cool screen .

The XSR900 comes with ABS and Traction Control as standard. There are three rider modes to complement this: A, Standard, and B, which changes the throttle response but not peak power. B isn’t quite a rain mode, but it tames things right down when the road surface gets snotty. There are also two levels of traction control that can be changed on the move with the throttle closed or can be deactivated completely with the bike in neutral and at a standstill.

Climbing aboard, you are greeted with lots of space, flattish bars, and well-positioned footpegs. The seat is pretty thin and firm, and the display is gorgeous and easy to read and navigate.

Tickle the starter, and there is a very satisfying burble from the stock pipe. The clutch is butter smooth, click her into first gear…

We pointed her into the Boksburg traffic and wound our way from the shop and onto the freeway towards Rivonia. That Gilloolys interchange is always a mess, and we discovered a little irritation. The previous owner bolted on some pretty bar-end mirrors. They look great, but you can’t see anything out of them AND… they make the bars just a little wider, so dodging car mirrors becomes a chore.

That’s no fault of the bikes, though. The engine delivers rich, smooth torque, the seating is upright and comfortable, and you have a really good view of the traffic around you. Even riding slowly, we did not notice any uncomfortable heat being emanated.

As soon as there was a gap in the traffic, we opened up a bit and smoothly (there’s a theme here) accelerated towards our meeting spot.

There’s lots of low-down poke, and it’s a joy to ride on the freeway. The only thing missing on this bike is a quickshifter. Man! We are spoiled these days…

The mapping is perfect, the brakes are on point, and the suspension – although on the firm side, keeps everything in shape. No weight on your wrists – just cool running.

Worried about power and acceleration? Well we shot a vid and she climbs to 180 in just a few short breaths and speed was still climbing. You can feel the performance changes between the rider modes.

Tackling the twisties out in the Cradle was a grin-inducing affair – if there is a fault to this bike, perhaps Yamaha has just made it too refined?

Handling is spot on – what’s not to like? Oh yeah, on a long distance that seat gets pretty firm.