[UPDATE 10/29/25 at 10:42 a.m. ET : We have received a response from Yamaha US. Per Yamaha US, "The 2026 Yamaha XSR900 GP is not available for the US market. We are unable to comment on any possible future release of this product for the US market currently."]
Original piece follows.
Listen, you guys. I get it. I get that in the US, much as I and other die-hard fans have tried, certain motorsports just haven't grabbed the imagination of US fans as much as they've caught on in Europe, or elsewhere.
It took Netflix's Drive to Survive to really make Formula One catch on among the masses here, even though my partner and I and several other weirdos (but apparently not enough weirdos) have loved it from these shores for literal decades. And motorcycle racing, even at the level of MotoGP? That's seemingly been an even harder sell.
Now, some will tell you it's because there haven't been that many American racers in MotoGP, or even in the feeder series that most frequently lead to a MotoGP ride. The most recent American champion in MotoGP was the late, great Nicky Hayden (RIP, we forever stan a legend).
That was back in 2006. It's now 2025; nearly 20 years later.
And of course, there are the living legends, like Wayne Rainey and Kenny Roberts. Earlier in 2025, we saw Wayne Rainey take a gorgeous Yamaha XSR900 GP out at Laguna Seca, which filled me and others with mixed feelings. On the one hand, awesome to see him out on that bike, full stop.
But on the other, the US market does not currently get the XSR900 GP. It's a fact I've been loud about ever since Yamaha Motor Europe first introduced it. While I know I frequently love a lot of things that people in this market don't, I like to think that I can usually recognize when I'm just having a difference of opinion versus when I think an OEM is truly missing a trick. And truly, I think there are a lot of folks in the US who would buy an XSR900 GP, were it to be offered here. That's exactly why I won't shut up about it.
And especially not now, when Yamaha Europe has just pulled the covers off the 2026 XSR900 GP.
I have two words for you: Legend Yellow.
Yamaha took one of the most well-known historic motorcycle racing liveries of all time, channeling YZR500 'King' Kenny Roberts vibes all the live-long day, and applied it perfectly to the XSR900 GP. The colorway is quite fittingly called 'Legend Yellow,' and really, what else could you possibly call it?
It has all the goodies you'd expect: fully adjustable KYB suspension, riser clip-on handlebars, a nice 5-inch full-color TFT dash, adjustable footpegs, 6-axis IMU derived from the current-gen R1, cruise control, quickshifter, assist and slip clutch, Bridgestone S23 tires, and of course that inimitable current-gen CP3 triple engine.
Really, what's not to love? Europe's about to find out, although updated pricing information has yet to be released in that market.
For those curious, Legend Red is still available as well on the 2026 MY bike, and it still absolutely looks the business. But Legend Yellow is just a chef's kiss of an excellent addition to the lineup. Obvious? Sure, but I mean, if you were Yamaha, and you had that legacy to contend with, wouldn't you? I suspect very much that you would.
Now, to be historically accurate, if Yamaha USA hadn't sent Roberts to Europe in the late 1970s, then we probably wouldn't be talking about the history that this livery honors at all. But that's exactly my point.
Roberts' international racing career took off on the world stage because he raced in Europe, but it was Yamaha USA that sent him there. Two different branches of Yamaha, showing teamwork. And because of Roberts' years of dirt track racing experience in the US, he ended up teaching the other road racers a thing or two because he brought a brand new (and very effective) style to what he did.
Will We Ever See The XSR900 GP In the US Market?
Naturally, I reached out to Yamaha Motor US once more to ask if there are any plans for the 2026 XSR900 GP to come out here, particularly since it bears this particularly great homage to one of the most famous living MotoGP legends, who is also an American. It seems, quite frankly, like a major oversight to not honor such a great, living legend of a racer in his home country.
I understand that OEMs frequently stagger international motorcycle releases across markets, so there could be a plan for this bike to reach the US at some later date. It's not impossible; remember, it took a couple of years for the reborn Honda Dax to come to the US after its initial European debut. But the important thing is, it did eventually happen, even if we had to wait for it.
Anyway, at the time of writing, there hasn't been a response from Yamaha US about this bike making its way across the pond to us. If and when they do respond, I'll be sure to update this post with whatever information they provide.
Yamaha US has now responded to RideApart; go to the top of this piece to read their response. Sadly, it's not the news we were hoping to hear, but we do at least have official word now.
