Yamaha Prototype Breaks Cover at Goodwood.
In order to pay respect to the racing machines that helped create Yamaha's history without sacrificing current performance, Yamaha's Sport Heritage line combines the emotion-evoking design of some of the most famous motorcycles in the brand's history with the most advanced high performance chassis and engine technology.
This homage to Yamaha's legendary racing past goes even farther in 2023. With the introduction of the XSR900 RACER accessories and the CafeRacersofInstagram Yard, which was inspired by the 1980s Grand Prix, The XSR900 DB40 Prototype, which was featured in the Built for Good special earlier this year, had its public debut at the venerable Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The XSR900 DB40 Prototype, which adheres to the Sport Heritage ethos, will ascend the iconic Goodwood Hill on each of the festival's four days. It is a combination of Yamaha's rich racing heritage and cutting-edge contemporary technology.
Yamaha introduced the Deltabox chassis in their Grand Prix race motorcycles in the 1980s, setting off a new era of technological innovation in motorcycle engineering. Road bikes would soon adopt this technology, and 40 years later, the Deltabox-style design is still at the core of many Yamaha motorbikes.
The award-winning 890cc "CP3" triple-cylinder engine, housed in the most recent iteration of the Deltabox style frame, powers the XSR900-based XSR900 DB40 Prototype, which was created to commemorate 40 years of the Deltabox chassis. The Greek letter delta, which is symbolised by a triangle, is the fourth letter of the alphabet, and the word "box" are combined to form the name "Deltabox." The Deltabox appears box-shaped from the side and is made out of a triangle connecting the head pipe and the swingarm pivot. This connection between the pivot point and the steering head provides exceptional stiffness and feedback when a rider needs it most. More surface area is possible with the cross-shaped box section, which also offers lower weight and a better level of stiffness.
Three years later, the TZR250, which brought the traits of the YZR factory racing machinery to the road, was the first production racer to use the Deltabox frame. Yamaha introduced the chassis in their 1982 YZR500 OW61 Grand Prix bike. Since then, the Deltabox has come to be associated with Yamaha's Supersport models, notably the ground-breaking R1 that was introduced this year, 25 years ago.
The most recent model built on the XSR900 chassis to honour Yamaha's racing heritage is the XSR900 DB40 Prototype. During the Bike Shed Motorcycle Club Show last month, custom house caferacersofinstagram debuted their first Yard Built for Good project—a modified XSR900 that paid homage to Yamaha's Grand Prix racers from the 1980s and 1990s.
This came after the introduction of a line of Yamaha Authentic Accessories that turned the stock XSR900 into a RACER with a tiny fairing in the café racer design and a single seat cover in the racer style. Before to the iconic French Grand Prix racer Christian Sarron competing in the renowned Wheels and Waves Punk's Peak event in June, this XSR900 RACER made its premiere at the Bike Shed Motorcycle Exhibition.