YAMAHA XJ 900 (1983-1984) Specs, Performance & Photos

The Yamaha XJ 900 was a motorcycle made by Yamaha from 1983 as a development of the original Yamaha XJ 650 model, which was the base of the XJ series. The bike had at its core an 853cc four-cylinder engine.

At first, the bike came equipped with a handlebar-mounted bikini fairing, which affected its handling. Due to its poor handling capabilities, the bike was quickly revised with a frame-mounted upper fairing and retrofitted to all models.

In 1983, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer launched the Yamaha XJ 900, a motorcycle fitted with standard features, such as a rectangular headlight integrated into a front cowl, a small windscreen, a one-piece dual seat with a passenger grab handle, a four-into-two exhaust system with a silencer on each side, and three-spoke lightweight wheels.

In the performance department, the 1983 Yamaha XJ 900 had installed an 853cc four-stroke four-cylinder liquid-cooled engine underneath its fuel tank, boasting 97 hp at 9,000 rpm and 81 Nm (60 lb-ft) torque at 7,000 rpm.

The engine was coupled to a five-speed manual transmission with a wet multi-disc clutch, sending the power to the rear end through a low-maintenance final shaft drive, pushing the motorcycle to 213 kph (133 mph).

From top speed to a complete stop, the bike relied on two 254 mm discs tied to dual-piston calipers on the front wheel and a 254 mm disc with a dual-piston caliper on the rear wheel.