Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125878
Yamaha RD 2008 A low budget racer By John Ulrich Just because it's small does not mean the Yamaha RD 200B IS a beginner's motorcycle. It demands too high a level of skill from the rider to be a good machine to learn the functions of motorcycling aboard, but delivers a high level of performance to match. This motorcycle starts, stops, and changes dire ction with im pressive rapidity, bearing in mi nd the lim itations of 11.89 cubic inches engine displacement (195 cubic centimeters). For being a 200, the RD is a posi tive rocket, co mplete with r etros. Our test bike didn't want to move until the RPM reached the halfway point between zero an d the 9,000 RPM redline. The owner's manual advocates keeping the around town revs in the 4.000 to 5,000 range, and the reed-valve twin will keep up with city traffic while making little noise in this mode. However, the bike also makes little power there. (eno ugh to move, but not enough to move quickly) , and the plugs tend to foul after prolonged low speed. low RPM maneuvers. Around 5,500 RPM it comes alive. Above six it screams all the way to 7,50 0, where the power on our model dr opped off. Kep t between six an d seven-an d-a-half, the 200 will leave most cars be hin d at a n intersection, e rn b arr ass ing all b ut the most determine d Detroit barge pilots up to cruising speed. At 60 MPH, the tach shows 6,5 00 RPM. and it's happy to stay there. At this RP M it will tackle moderate headwinds and hills, an d will stay at 60 MPH against anything you're likely to encounter if downshifted into fourth. In fact the RD 200S had more cruising-speed torque and ability to maintain top-gear speed against gusts and grades than the Kaw asaki 250cc Triple we tested several months ago. For spirited running, spark plugs one step colder than stock work well. Very quick handling and powerful brakes co mb ined with the powerplant's strength to make the bike a fine mount for certain applications. Light weight, low height, and a 49 inch wheelbase put the in-traffic handling right where it should be . In and out of lanes. dodging a straying turkey. beating a freeway jam - the little Yamaha is tops. It's much less nerve wracking to thread the RD 200 through the usual rush hour cons tipation of Los An geles' alimentary canals (the freeways) than to try the same trick wi th our regular rid e . a 75 0 Honda. These same q ualities put together into a swell tra ffi c dicer also affect h igh speed han dling. The startling reaction of the bike to the sligh test rider in p ut takes getting used to after step ping off a larg er machi ne. Sid e winds. passing trucks, rain grooves, and eve n lane changing de mand mo re attention since the little moto rcy cle mo ves around a lo t mo re, an d a lo t more suddenly. Never was our test bike unco ntrollab le or dange rous with an experienced rid er at the bars. That's with an experienced rider. Would we let a newly enthused friend loose on this mach ine? Nope. With a novice on the seat, starting to move, accelerating. and stopping are all added to the list of reactions qualifying as "startling. " Taking off from a stop requires clutch slipping. A beginner usually has problems with this simple-to-a-veteran Th e RD 2008 isn't a bad looking scoot. Metallic blue pa int with gold t rim is semi-tlashv , yet hi des dust well. Gassing it out of a corner was the way it Ii ked best . operation, and can be ex pected to blow it. What's the nex t step fo r our begi nner? Grab a handful an d dump the clutch. The bike immediately ass umes a vertical po sture , all set to co me tumblin' down. Even when rolli ng, th e wheelie de m on may strike. Hitting a depression in the road su rface under har d seco nd gear gassing-it -up would eas ily loft th e fro n t end six inc hes. A handful in fir st would do it every tim e around six grand. Even hooking a tight secon d gear corner an d grabbing a h an dful ca n have yo u charging o ut. half cr an ked ov er, nose high, and crossed up to correct. You'll either have fu n with it or die. The brakes react to pressure fas ter than the engine reacts to throttle. If y ou wish to stop very quickly, know what hap pens and what to do wh en a wheel stops moving before the vehicle it is attached to does, they're excellent. With a bit of screech an d howl a good rider can haul down the RD in an incredibly short distance relative to many street bikes. But, since they are loaded with power yet lack progressiveness, the available "instant lock" carries the potential of putting many a novice on his head at ~ noppo rt une moments. This is especially true since over-sprung Locking gas cap is an old concept in a new shape for Yamaha. Last year's cap would have been better if reve rsed, at least from the viewpoint of potential inj uri es in a slide up on the tan k . - shocks with a tendency to wear out quickly and soft forks exaggerate weig ht transfer under braking. It's not a beginner's bike. It's not really an "economy" bike in the sense left in the back of the mind by the gasoline shortages, either. While it is miserly with injection oil (300 miles to a quart), the 200 demands fill-ups every 80 miles like clockwork by going on reserve. That 's 30 miles-per-gallon with the engine kept on the power. The seating position and the seat itself are not very good for extended journeys, and the footpegs feel weird. They're bolted to a rubber-mounted bar fastened under the engine, curling up around the outside of the exhaust pipes. The rider can feel the pegs move under his feet (not good for initial confidence) but they're supposed to dampen the engine's high frequency vibration. After several hundred miles you'll still feel it, no t enough to be distracting, but still noticeable at intervals th rough t he pegs and bars. It's most annoying at about 3.500 and just under 7.000 RPM. when everything seems to resonate. The tires, the pegs, and the centerstand (which we removed) conspire to limit bravery in cornenng. 26 • • Around slo w speed corners, braking entering and gassing exiting worked best , instead of coasting or cru ising