This Pitbull Of A Motorcycle Was Once A Yamaha XSR900

Yamaha Europe has this neat initiative called the Yard Built programme where the company recognises special custom builds on its bone stock bikes. Now usually, there are some creations that are quite out there, with severe modifications done to the original bike. This year though, Yamaha has highlighted the XR9 Carbona by Bottpower. It is a XSR900 underneath the new bodywork and is a direct bolt-on kit, no chop-shop treatment required.

Bottpower has been reasonably successful at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb event, winning their particular categories a couple of times. The XR9 Carbona is inspired by Bottpower’s racers that it took to the event. Hence you see a flat number plate with LED slits on it rather than a headlight. Two air intake pipes, straight and on both sides of the number plate, are neatly integrated into the fuel tank cover.

The tail has been completely altered with a flat-tracker style seat section that houses the LED tail light and turn indicators. You do get a slim flat seat with an Alcantara leather cover. All of the parts are made from carbon fibre and hence the kit is bound to be quite costly.

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Bottpower’s website states the pricing for the kit in its raw carbon fibre finish at 4,975 Euros, or Rs 4.47 lakh. And if you want the red/black combo with a few more accessories to complete the look as well as make it road legal, then the grand total comes up to Rs 7,135 Euros, which equates to Rs 6.40 lakh. And this is just for the XSR900. Since the only bike from the CP3 platform to be sold in India was the MT-09, you would have to pay an additional 450 Euros (Rs 40,000) to get the necessary fitments right for the bike.

That is some serious money for aesthetic mods. What we do wish is that Yamaha India gets a bit more courageous in 2021 and starts developing its large capacity motorcycle business once again. Yamaha has one of the strongest lineups of bikes in Europe and America. India could definitely do with more than just the MT-09 and the YZF-R1. The likes of the XSR family as well as the Teneres do sound quite appealing.