5 Of The Best-Sounding Yamaha Motorcycles Ever Built

Almost as much as the beauty of their design and the joy that riding provides, the sound of a motorcycle contributes greatly to the appeal and the visceral experience of motoring on two wheels. Some motorcycle engines are capable of revving to wildly-high RPMs, singing the siren song of combustion on their way to scarcely-believable redline numbers — much higher numbers than the engines in typical cars. Other bikes, with preposterous power packed into tiny spaces and with the lowest-possible cylinder counts, do their best impression of a helicopter-style thump as they idle slowly by.

Yamaha is no stranger to these kinds of machines. One of the world's premiere motorcycle manufacturers, Yamaha has had plenty of great motorcycle soundtracks throughout their history that are favorites for enthusiasts. In some cases, these bikes sound excellent just the way they are. In other cases, it takes a bit of tinkering to get to those soundtracks, adding aftermarket exhausts to free up some extra decibels, or unique sound elements. For the purpose of this list, we won't hold modifications against them. Stock, modified, whatever — these bikes qualify as some of the best-sounding Yamaha motorcycles ever, and they all deserve a bit of extra volume.

The guttural and raw nature of a bike like the XSR900 is impossible to ignore — specifically when it's been fitted with an aftermarket pipe. Like other CP3-powered Yamaha bikes, the XSR900 uses a three-cylinder 890cc engine. Yamaha says they've specifically tuned the intake so that induction noises have a pleasant resonance — sounds like the people who built instruments at Yamaha may have been talking to the motorcycle people. Don't worry, you'll get no complaints about that kind of collaboration here. 

There is definitely a harmonious engine note with the XSR900, but in stock form, there isn't much excitement coming from the tailpipe. With the stock pipe, the XSR900 and its CP3 Yamaha counterparts have a relatively tame exhaust note. Add a less restricted exhaust and the XSR900 is significantly louder and more aggressive, like someone's unleashed a chained beast. Pops, bangs, and burbles are all introduced with a low-frequency growl that's particularly distinctive. 

The new Yamaha R9 also uses the CP3 powertrain and some owners have begun to install aftermarket exhausts, but it hasn't been long enough to let the R9 rise to the level of "best-sounding ever" just yet. If the R9 or the XSR900 don't appeal to your sense of style, there's the MT-09, which is also powered by the CP3 engine and offers the same satisfying sounds.

You can no longer buy an R6 new from Yamaha, but that doesn't stop them from screaming past you at just about any bike night in America. The R6 was discontinued in 2020 due to updated emissions regulations in the European Union, but it was an immensely popular bike during its production run, and during its final year it sounded just as good as ever. The 2020 R6 used a 599cc four-cylinder engine that spun all the way up to 16,500 rpm, making an impressive 117 horsepower — and even with the stock exhaust, the R6 sounded great.

The RPMs rise quickly on the R6, whether you're idling at a stop light and having some fun with the throttle or going full-speed down a straightaway at your local racetrack. Reviews of the R6 over the years often referred to the engine as a "screamer" with its high-pitched progression to redline, and even though there weren't many updates to the four-cylinder powerplant in the R6's final years, it still had its trademark scream.

When you think of V-Twin motorcycle engines, what probably comes to mind first are manufacturers like Harley-Davidson or Indian Motorcycles. After all, the rumble of a V-Twin is synonymous with a certain kind of American-made cruiser — but Yamaha has a few V-Twin engines in their history books that offer very similar sounds. The V-Star brand, owned by Yamaha, produced a number of cruiser style bikes that challenged the notion of American bikes owning that segment.

Yamaha still makes the small (and really affordable) V Star 250 as a part of their sport heritage lineup, but one of the best-sounding bikes to wear the V-Star name was the 650. The V-Star 650 was powered by a 70-degree air-cooled V-twin that had a distinctive thump. Aftermarket setups like the Vance & Hines exhaust, also gave it a lovely rumble both at idle and under full acceleration. Some riders might even prefer the deeper tones of larger V-Star bikes like the 1300, which is certainly another strong contender.

You may not know the FZR400 name, but it's one of the coolest bikes to come out of Yamaha's factories. The FZR400 was a replica race bike released in 1986 that was styled on the racing motorcycles of the 1980s and 1990s in the All Japan TT-F3 series. Powering the FZR400 was a tiny, four-stroke 399cc four-cylinder engine — a rare engine size and cylinder count combination for bikes. The FZR topped out at 59 horsepower, revving all the way to 12,000 rpm.

If you're behind the FZR400 on a straightaway, it'll likely sound like a massive and beefy swarm of the most in-tune bees ever assembled is flying away from you — it's got an unmistakable buzz that would be right at home on any racetrack. Buy one bone stock, rev it up, and be the envy of all your bike buddies — or feel free to install an aftermarket exhaust — either will sound fantastic.

Not just one of the best-sounding Yamaha's ever built, the R1 is known as one of the best-sounding motorcycles of all time. Even alongside iconic bikes from Ducati, Harley Davidson, and Kawasaki, the R1 holds its own. Capable of quickly reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 186 mph, the R1 uses a 998cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine called the CP4. The CP4 is built using Yamaha's crossplane crankshaft and sends its exhaust gasses through a titanium exhaust — that is of course, if you don't decide to swap out the exhaust and go for something a bit louder.

From the factory, the R1 sounds impressive, but it really lets loose when you take the stock muffler off and add something a bit spicier. Unlike the buzzy bees of the FZR400, or even the high-pitched screams provided by the R6, the R1 sounds more like something that belongs on a Formula 1 starting grid.