Yamaha introduced this nameplate in 2016 as part of its neo-retro "XSR" family, positioning it as a heritage-styled roadster built around modern Yamaha performance hardware. The model was conceived under Yamaha’s "Faster Sons" direction, drawing on the company’s racing legacy rather than directly reviving a single older motorcycle. Its original form paired a contemporary inline-three platform with classic-inspired details such as a round gauge and minimalist bodywork, giving the bike a modern chassis and engine character wrapped in a more traditional silhouette.
The model has remained in continuous production since its debut, but it has gone through major evolutionary steps. Yamaha highlighted a full redesign for the 2020 model year, when the bike moved to a fully updated platform and received a fresh interpretation of its heritage look. Another significant overhaul arrived with the 2022 model, which brought a new styling direction and a more modernized execution of the concept while keeping the same basic identity as Yamaha’s flagship retro sport model.
Enthusiast interest in the nameplate has centered on that blend of present-day performance and retro-inspired character. It sits in Yamaha’s lineup as the larger, more premium counterpart in the XSR series, appealing to riders who want the company’s current sport-bike engineering in a machine that emphasizes design, history, and everyday usability over outright supersport styling.