If you’re anything like us, then you still get a shock every time someone talks about something that happened more than thirty years ago – and they’re talking about the early 1990s. But it’s true: the final decade of the last millennium is officially now history, and in the world of bikes, it’s definitely now right in the classic era.
And what an era it was. At the start of the decade you had high speed rocketships like the Kawasaki ZZ-R600 and 1100 sporty tourers appearing, before massive advances from Honda with its super-exotic NR750 and CBR900RR FireBlade. The superbike class meant 750s: the Suzuki GSX-R750, Honda VFR750R RC30 and Kawasaki ZXR750/ZX-7R.
And you could still get gorgeous jewel-like kit from the Japanese domestic market, where 250 two-strokes and 400 four-strokes were king, and had just as much development as the superbikes of the time. Honda CBR400RR and NSR250R, Suzuki RGV250 and GSX-R400 and Kawasaki’s KR1-S/R and ZXR400 all made us Brit riders drool, until they could be brought over by the grey (and sometimes official) importers.
All of which brings us to this – the latest retro concept ‘Yard Built’ machine from Yamaha, built alongside London-based custom bike maker Haxch Moto. Dubbed the XZR900 Thunderbolt and based on a 2023 XSR900 retro-roadster, it’s an unashamed reboot of the firm’s styling from the late 1980s and into the 1990s.
The Thunderbolt apes a range of models, from the sleek TZR250 stroker and FZR400RR SP EXUP pocket-superbike to the bigger FZR600 and 1000 EXUP, and into the YZF750 superbike range. And it’s being launched on the Yamaha stand at the Bike Shed show this weekend at Tobacco Dock in London.
The first thing that hits you is the paint – a proper ‘shell suit’ scheme with bright acid colours and a Streetfighter font on the model name. Amazingly the purple white and teal paint isn’t on top of plastic bodywork though: the fairing and tank are both made from hand-formed aluminium sheeting, produced on a tradition English wheel metalworking tool.
Under the bodywork, there’s been some slick performance work, aimed at improving power and losing mass. The motor has been tuned by Seton Tuning with a remap, race pipe and other tweaks giving a 10 per cent power boost. Meanwhile, the chassis geometry has been tweaked with 40mm lift on the rear through a billet linkage, steepening the front end and reducing the rake and trail.
There’s premium British racing Maxton Suspension front and rear to give improved track performance, while lightweight Dymag wheels slash unsprung mass. Stopping power comes courtesy of HEL Performance, with the British firm’s four-piston radial front brake calipers, hoses levers and master cylinders fitted all round.
According to Yamaha and the builders, the Yamaha XZR900 is more than a one-off custom show bike; rather it’s a new platform. Haxch Moto is now offering this configuration as a limited-production custom, with each bike built to order and tailored to the owner’s desired specifications. A road legal version with headlight, discreet indicators & tail tidy, is currently being developed & will be available in the coming months.
“I wanted to channel the soul of the 90s race era but deliver it with modern performance and craftsmanship, with factory build quality,” said Marc Bell, – founder of Haxch Moto.
And you can buy something similar yourself! Orders for the trick retro race-rep are now open, and for pricing, build inquiries, or to commission your own XZR900 Thunderbolt, visit www.haxchmoto.com or follow @haxchmoto on Instagram for behind-the-scenes content.
Pics by Kane Layland @kanelayland