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Yamaha’s Stunning New Performance Moto Is the Best Kind of Exclusive

In a two-wheeled world lousy with geo-targeted forbidden fruit, this particular pitch-perfect beauty is all ours.

Close-up of a Yamaha motorcycle engine and exhaust with blue and red fairing and red wheels.Yamaha
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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As US-based motorcycle enthusiasts know all too well, this particular part of the world often ends up with the short end of the stick.

By that I mean reading (or in my case writing) about bikes that seem agonizingly sweet … but for the one small detail of only being available in parts of Europe, or Asia or India or simply anywhere but here. 

Blue and orange Yamaha sport motorcycle with orange wheels parked on a road with a mountainous background.
This particular R9 color combo is not only striking but unusual, looking like custom paint right off the factory floor.
Yamaha

But just as every dog has its day, every once in a while the universe throws us a high-octane bone.

That’s exactly what is happening right now, as the new Yamaha YZF-R9’s coolest paint scheme is coming to America … and America alone.

One for us

So what is the dreamy new colorway for the YZF-R9, known colloquially as the R9?

Dubbed Matte Phantom Blue and Fluorescent Red, it’s a darkly dazzling showstopper with curb appeal that is simultaneously instant and unique.

Blue and orange Yamaha R7 sport motorcycle with orange wheels on a white background.
The red accents serve to highlight the bike’s angular yet athletic build, with the alloy wheels offering matching pop.
Yamaha

For comic book fans, if Spider-Man 2099 (think Across the Spider-Verse) were a motorcycle, this is exactly what that would look like, and that is cool AF.

For sports fans, it may feel like the alternate road jersey replacing Anniversary White and joining Raven (black) and Team Yamaha Blue in the 2027 lineup.

That’s only part of the appeal, too, as Yamaha positions this bike as the perfect blend of supersport capability and rider-friendly accessibility.

Person wearing a black and orange motorcycle helmet and gear sitting on a blue and orange Yamaha R9 sportbike on a mountain road.
The almost purple blue might look cheesy with a glossy finish, but the matte treatment totally works.
Yamaha

Regarding the former, it boasts an athletic chassis and a lively 890cc liquid-cooled CP3 engine making 117 horsepower with a broad, torquey power delivery, tamed by Brembo Stylema brakes and KYB fully adjustable suspension.

As for the latter, this bike enjoys a veritable alphabet soup of six-axis IMU-enabled high-tech nanny features to help you keep that beautiful shiny side up. 

Blue and orange Yamaha R9 sport motorcycle with orange wheels on a white background.
The signature M-shaped front duct and tail wing, plus advanced aerodynamics including MotoGP-inspired front winglets, should make this bike an absolute blast on the track.
Yamaha

Just to name a few, we are talking TCS (traction control), SCS (slide control), LIF (lift control), BSR (back slip regulator) and YRC (Yamaha Ride Control, which simplifies this bevy of aids with simplifies rider aids with selectable pre-programmed and customizable modes.

As Visordown points out, this news is particularly awesome in light of the fact that Honda is not bringing its CB1000 GT stateside. 

Sport motorcycle with black and red body and red wheels ridden on a mountain road.
Yes, it’s a supersport, but with a seat height of 32.7 inches, wet weight of 430 pounds and a bevy of electronic rider aids, intermediate street riders can still feel confident swinging a leg over.
Yamaha

We may not be getting the Fireblade-derived performance of that award-winning sports tourer, but we can keep plenty busy with this track and twisty-crushing beast.

Oh, and don’t worry, I found the perfect helmet to wear with it, too.

Availability and pricing

The 2027 Yamaha YZF-R9 is available now, starting at $12,499.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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