FEATURE - Yamaha DB40 Prototype
Words: Mike Ryan
Photos: Yamaha Motor Europe
Yamaha’s YZF supersport range isn’t exactly bereft of options. From the entry-level R15M, the range also includes the R3, track only R6, LAMS-compliant R7LA, full-power R7HO and the almighty R1 in both standard and more potent R1M form.
However, there’s a gap between the R7 and R1 that Yamaha looks set to plug with an ‘R9’, if the recent appearance of a XSR900-based prototype is any indication.
First revealed in 2016, the XSR900 showed that a retro roadster can be built off the MT-09’s proven CP3 engine and Deltabox chassis, while the Tracer 9 GT showed that a tourer can be built up from the same bones. Now, it appears that the torquey 889cc three-cylinder engine and lightweight aluminium frame will be applied to a sportsbike, too.
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this past July, Yamaha unveiled the ‘DB40 Prototype’; a bike that many are saying is the preview of an YZF R9, although it must be stressed that Yamaha have made no such claims themselves – yet.
Several factors point to the DB40 Prototype being more than a one-off, though. Firstly, the DB40 is referred to a ‘prototype’ not a ‘concept’. Secondly, Yamaha created it in-house. If this was just a styling study, it would have been farmed out to a third party to build, as Yamaha have done multiple times already under their Yard Built programme. And finally, those who saw it in the metal at Goodwood state that the quality of bespoke parts and overall level of finish is far closer to that of a production model than a one-off.
The Lead Up to Now
The idea of a sportier version of the XSR900 has already been explored, both officially and unofficially.
Back in May, Yamaha released a café racer-inspired ‘Racer’ bodykit – headlight fairing and pillion seat cover – for the XSR900, while later that month, a fully-faired custom XSR900 broke cover. Unveiled at the Bike Shed Moto Show in London, this was the product of a collaboration between social media platform, caferacersofinstagram (CROIG) and Yamaha’s US and European design houses as part of a ‘Yard Built for Good’ charity initiative.
Along with Rotobox carbon fibre wheels, the full carbon fibre fairing made the XSR900 underneath virtually unrecognisable. Öhlins suspension, an Akrapovic muffler, custom leather saddle and Rizoma slimline mirrors further separated this creation from its XSR900 origins. According to CROIG, the fairing was created to bolt-on spec, with no frame mods required, and made using a combination of old-school foam moulding and modern 3D printing.
The styling had hints of GP racers from the 1980s, but the squared-off headlight aperture and bulky tail section were said to be inspired more directly by Yamaha’s FZR750 (OW74) factory entry for the 1985 Suzuka 8 Hour. History records that Honda’s Wayne Gardner and Masaki Tokuno were the winners at Suzuka in ’85, but Yamaha came agonisingly close to victory that year. The pairing of Tadahiko Taira and Kenny Roberts (the latter making his endurance racing debut) on the ‘Tech 21’ FZR750 retired from the race lead with just 30 minutes left.
This American connection saw CROIG create a second version of the XSR900 retro racer for the US, which was donated to clean water charity, Waves for Water, as a Yard Built for Good fundraiser.
Celebrating the ‘Box’
Moving back to the DB40 Prototype, Yamaha describe the bike as a blend of their own rich racing history and cutting-edge modern technology. In terms of the latter, that means all the tech and spec of the XSR900, like Lean Sensitive Traction Control, Slide Control, Front Wheel Lift Control, a quickshifter, assist/slipper clutch, fully-adjustable suspension and TFT instrumentation as standard.
Improvements to the XSR900 for 2022 have translated to the base unit for the DB40 Prototype, but whether the factory outputs of 87.5kW at 10,000rpm and 93Nm at 7,000rpm from the 889cc CP3 triple have been altered are unknown.
Officially, Yamaha describe the DB40 Prototype as nothing more than a celebration of 40 years of their Deltabox frame (hence ‘DB40’).
The Deltabox took its name from the frame’s appearance when seen at different angles, and was first applied to Yamaha’s YZR500 OW61 Grand Prix bike in 1982. Kenny Roberts recorded multiple race wins on the V4-engined, Deltabox-framed YZR500, but a crash at the British GP ended his championship challenge, allowing Franco Uncini to win the 1982 500cc World Championship on a Suzuki RG500. New Zealand's Graeme Crosby was second on a YZR500 and Roberts fourth.
After its debut in racing, the Deltabox was transferred to Yamaha’s roadgoing models in 1985 with the TZR250. Since then, the Deltabox has been a constant for Yamaha’s supersport models, including today’s YZF range, the XSR900 and MT series. The frame has continually evolved over the decades, too, with the latest version forming the basis of the DB40 Prototype.
Limited Opportunity
Given the DB40 Prototype is meant to honour the Deltabox frame, that component wasn’t altered, beyond highlighting its bare metal finish with dark wheels and bodywork. The CP3 engine is believed to have remained unchanged, too, but an Akrapovic muffler was fitted. Öhlins suspension, high-mount clip-on bars and rearsets were fitted in place of the standard XSR900 items, but these components and the custom bodywork appear to be the only deviations from factory spec.
At Goodwood, the severe weather that impacted this year’s event and led to an outright cancellation of the Saturday programme limited opportunities to see and experience the DB40 Prototype in action. Regardless, the bike still managed to complete several runs up the famous Goodwood Hill course and attracted plenty of attention in the paddock when it wasn’t in action.
Fittingly, former YZR500 GP racer Niall Mackenzie was one of the few who put the bike to the test on the hillclimb. Others included UK-based motorcycling journalists, who shared their thoughts on the bike and reaffirmed the general opinion that the prototype points to a future production ‘R9’ or similar supersport model. Whether this will be modern, like the R7, or have retro-inspired styling touches to keep it in line with the Sport Heritage XSR900 and XSR700 models is unclear.
Future Pointers
Lending credence to the belief that the DB40 Prototype is the forerunner of a future production model are the fact that Yamaha have already trademarked the ‘R9’ name, as well as ‘XSR GP’.
Those who rode the prototype at Goodwood noted pre-production serial numbers on the engine and frame, which is odd for a one-off, while mounts for the rearset pegs have been described as looking like factory parts, not aftermarket or bespoke items.
The half fairing that's a big part of the DB40 Prototype is frame-mounted, larger and of a different shape to that offered in the XSR900 Racer kit, while the straight-cut lower edge seems tailor made to take a lower fairing section and bellypan. A non-functional air vent at the front would change to a headlight mount in production form.
The professional finish and mounting of the fairing applies to the side covers and tail unit, too, the latter of which is different to what’s in the XSR900 Racer kit.
Despite the enthusiasm for a fully-faired companion to the XSR900 from some quarters, a ‘retro’ sportsbike is much more of a gamble for Yamaha than one with modern styling that would slot seamlessly between the R7 and R1. Retro roadsters are plentiful in the market, but no manufacturer offers a fully-faired, fully retro sportsbike and there’s probably a good reason for that.
The closest the major brands have come is with models like the Superveloce from MV Agusta, whose retro look is down to its circular headlight more than anything else. Bimota’s KB4 nudges into retro territory, too, but bikes like Kawasaki’s Z900RS Café, the BMW R nineT Racer and Triumph’s Speed Triple 1200 RR and Thruxton R are not fully faired.
An alternative line of thinking on this is that the DB40 Prototype may preview a more comprehensive bolt-on fairing kit than what’s already available in the XSR900 Racer package.
Ultimately, confirmation of where the DB40 Prototype leads to – if anywhere – is expected soon, maybe even as soon as EICMA in November, or sometime in early 2024 at the latest.
Watch this space for more as it’s revealed.
