Yamaha Will Finally Bring Its Coolest Motorcycle Stateside

The wait is over; it looks like Yamaha is finally bringing the XSR900 GP to the US.

Photo by: Yamaha

By: Robbie Bacon

Aug 5, at 9:05am ET

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When Yamaha launched the XSR900 GP in 2024, it might have been one of the most bittersweet announcements for motorcycle riders in the US in recent history. When it came to the world's attention that Yamaha was making the XSR900 GP, it was the most exciting Yamaha to hit the market in years. So, it almost felt like a cruel joke that it wasn't coming to the US, especially given that its design was inspired by American racing icons like Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, and Eddie Lawson.

Finally, it seems the Japanese manufacturer has come to its senses and will bring the XSR900 GP to the States, according to our counterparts at Motorcycle. An executive order issued by the California Air Resources Board shows the XSR900 GP listed alongside other models from Yamaha, bound for the US, that use the same 890cc CP3 powerplant. We can tell plenty from the model codes on the list.

As seen on the list, there's a code 'XSR9GPVCW', whereby the "V" indicates that the bike is MY27, while the "C" indicates that it's heading to California. There's also a model with the code 'XSR9GPVCY'; here, the "Y" indicates it'll be a yellow model, and similarly, the "W" in the first code indicates a white model.

What do you think?

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Although there's no national certification data from the EPA, we have to believe that it'll only take a matter of time because, looking back, there have been signs that Yamaha was eyeballing bringing the XSR900 GP for some time. Back in July 2025, Yamaha presented Wayne Rainey with an XSR900 GP to ride at Laguna Seca, and that was thought to be the first XSR900 GP in the US.

What I can't give you is an exact timeframe for Yamaha to start delivering arguably its coolest bike to the US. But given the fact that the XSR900 GP is sold globally and has been in production for a couple of years, I have to think we should see models pop up in dealerships in the next few months.