The Yamaha XSR700 is about as close to a modern descendant of the original Yamaha XS650 as we’re ever likely to see, and much like its original forebear, the XSR 650 makes light work of urban commuting, highway riding, and the occasional cross-country excursion.
THE YAMAHA XSR700
The Yamaha XSR700 shares more than just a brandname with the XS650 – both motorbikes are parallel twins with overheads cams (albeit just one on the old bike) developed by Yamaha to target riders spanning from absolute beginners to hardened saddle warriors.
While the XS650 engine is one of my own personal favorite parallel twins of all time, the far more modern XSR700 benefits from over four decades of engineering advancements. With its relatively low price point of $8,499 in the USA, its semi-retro styling, and its broad versatility, the XSR700 has become a common sight on the road – and deservedly so.
