It might have been a while since Yamaha’s MotoGP bikes were sponsored by Fiat but the company has forged a new connection with the Italian car company with its XSR900 Abarth.
Set to be sold in very limited numbers in 2017, with only 695 being made, the new bike takes the stock XSR900 as its basis but adds a slice of Italian style.
Underneath its business as usual, with the MT-09-derived chassis and 850cc three-cylinder engine unaltered compared to the normal XSR900. On the top, there’s a new carbon-fibre nose fairing and suede seat. Carbon is also used for the front mudguard and seat cowl, while the exhaust is a titanium Akrapovic.
Although Abarth was originally a stand-alone firm, known for its racing cars and highly-tuned Fiats, it’s been wholly owned by Fiat since the early 1970s. So while there’s no Fiat branding on the new XSR900 Abarth, it represents a new tie-in between Yamaha and the Italian car firm.
Yamaha says that the bikes will go on sale on 17 January via a special website at www.xsr900-abarth.eu. The first 95 customer to register an online order will be invited to a ‘VIP Abarth Experience’. The remaining 600 bikes will be sold through Yamaha dealers from April 2017.