Yamaha’s XV950 Racer
A lot of looks and a decent B-road blaster too.
Yamaha’s Sport Heritage range was launched in 2014; traditional looking bikes, designed to be easily modified by owners, via officially approved add-ons commissioned in conjunction with the likes of Roland Sands. The Racer arrived a year later. This is the cafe racer spec, featuring a host of modifications over the original XV950 (see below).
We took out a 2017 model with 4000 miles on the clock, interestingly in standard spec.
Give me some spec
The 942cc, 60° V-twin is lifted from the XVS950 cruiser, retuned for 52bhp at 5000rpm and 58lb-ft of torque at just 3000rpm fed to the rear by belt drive, housed in a steel doublecradle frame. The package stops via single 298mm discs front and rear. The Racer features forged clip-on handlebars, new switchgear, (more) rearset footrests (than original – more on those later), twin gas shocks and Akrapovic exhaust. The chassis is short and low, the single seat sits taller than the original, giving a more sporty ride.
So what’s it like to ride?
Initially I wasn’t sure I could get the Racer moving! I leaned into the bars, went to paddle... and found I had little room to move against the pegs. Click into first and let the engine do the work.
Once on the move and used to the (surprisingly comfortable) riding position, it is a nice bike to ride. At 251kg this is no lightweight, but you wouldn’t know it when riding with the clip-on bars and narrow profile front wheel making tipping into corners a doddle. Keep in mind those pegs are quite long (the Racer has more ground clearance than my Vulcan S, but the latter’s peg placement gives more lean room). The engine has enough guts to hold motorway pace easily, with maximum torque at just 3K you’ve always got punch in hand when needed.
The clutch is light, the box a little clunky, but the pedals were closer to the pegs than I’d like. Effectiveness of the brakes? I hadn’t noted it! They do the job, pure and simple. The little screen helped deflect wind. I like the little clock, enhancing the cafe racer image, but why not give it an analogue speedo and then have the other bits in a digital display beneath?
My big gripe is the footpeg placement. Eating into ground clearance, combined with the large air filter case and curved downpipe you get feet down by lifting up and back; not natural in a hurry. I would like Yamaha to go the whole hog, put on smaller pegs pushed back even further – if you’re going cafe racer, then go cafe racer.
The above eats into the Racer’s usefulness as an urban tool – my preference would be to take this bike out onto quieter B-roads, where you can take advantage of the nimble steering and riding position.
What nick is it in? What’s it worth?
The dealer is looking for £5895 for a 2017 model with 4000 miles clocked in perfect condition. The dealer search revealed... ONE other bike (excluding a couple of ‘prereg’ models with two or three miles logged), a 2016 bike with 464 miles recorded for £5999. There’s not a lot of them out there.