Yamaha Bolt becomes XV950 for Europe

YAMAHA’S new Bolt cruiser is set to go on sale over here minus its inexplicable name and instead given the XV950 moniker.

The bobber-style bike is clearly a rival to Harley’s 883 Sportster, and like the American Bolt version largely eschews chrome in favour of matte black and matte aluminium finishes on the mechanical parts.

The engine is Yamaha’s well established 942cc twin, and despite the old-school looks the bike includes a few bits of modern technology like LED lights.

A second version, the XV950R, gets piggy-back rear shocks and a ‘buckskin-look’ seat, as well as a stripe on the fuel tank and, much more importantly, ABS brakes.

At £7199 for the base model and £7499 for the ‘R’ version, it’s a pretty cheap way onto a decent-looking modern take on the bobber theme.