The 2022 Yamaha XSR900 Proves Motorcycles Still Win on Smiles Per Dollar

Nothing makes a noise quite like the yowling intakes of the 890-cc Yamaha CP3. With the throttle wide open, the wail of air being inhaled and detonated by this three-cylinder engine is hypnotic. Almost addictive. Imagine, as its closest analog, half a caterwauling Porsche 911 GT3. But the mighty GT3’s engine signs off at 9,000 rpm, and all that rowdiness is stuffed on the other side of a beefy firewall, several feet behind you. At 9,000 rpm, Yamaha’s CP3 still has yet to reach peak horsepower, which it makes at a hair under 10,000. And all that racket and heat is happening between your knees.