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/126834
Motor changes on the YZ125 include a lo ng er rod, different porting specs, a 34mm flat-sl ide Mikuni carburetor and a new exhaust pipe. The 125's rear suspension have the linkages operating underneath the swingarm in stead of on top, and the shock is now an Oh lins. The new YZ80 isn't radic ally cha nged but it does have a longer rod, new porting, a beefier clutch and a larger airbox. A polished aluminum swingarm on the YZ80 replaces last yea r 's steel unit. Also new for 1986 is a front disc brake. NewYamabas 1'86 YZ80 and YZ1Z5 revealed By Kit Palmer SUNNYMEAD , CA. J ULY 26 Yam aha Motor Corpora tion re vea led i ts 1986 YZ 125 and YZ80 mode ls a t DeAn za C ycl e P a r k l a st week , and , acco rding to Yamaha Product Evalua ti on Sup ervisor Ed Schiedler, " the YZ I25 is our fi rst priority." For th e p a st couple of years th e YZI25 has .' i been th ewea k I In k In Yama h' s a motocross line-up, bu t the 1986YZl25 is all new; only th e h andlebars, grips, levers a nd color remai n u nchanged. Most of th e atten tio n went into the en g in e , wh ich now h a s a s ma llervolume combustion cha m ber, a new cylinder with di fferent porting, and a 20mm-longer co n n ectin g rod . Carbur etio n is now handled by a 34m m flat slide (vs. a round slide ) Mikuni feed ing through a new ca se-in d ue ti on reed- val ve syste m with fib er cha nged a t 56x50m m. The exha ust p ipe is a.1I new . th e ~ater pu~p has been s!lghtl y red esigned to Improve cooli ng. a nd th e clutch has one more fiber a nd steel plate alo ng with heavi er sp rings a nd a new hou sing 10 acco moda te the extra p lat es. Mu ch effo rt went into low ering th e center of grav ity o n th e YZ- the gas tank has a n a ll -n ew sha pe , th e left side being low er ed d ra st icall y, a long with th e lar ger radiat or s. T h e rear Mon o -X s us pe ns io n is all-ne w, too . Th e YZ co mes stoc k wi th an Ohlins shock, co m p lete with th e Bra ke Actuated Su spensio n Sys- The clutch has more p lates and he av ier springs. gravi ty. th e lo wer shoc k m ount is co n nec ted to it s linkage underneath th e swingarrn. in stead o f on top ; th e lin kage lever ra tios ar e differen t. too. T he shoc k runs th ro u gh th e new , beefier, a lu mi n u m -alloy swi ngarm, whi ch is sim ila r 10 th e swinga rms u sed on Yam ah a work s b ik es IW O seaso ns ago. T he sw inga r m pivot a rea h a s been s tre ng the ne d with m ore gusset in g. Th e 43 m m Ka ya ba forks d idn ' t need a lo t o f wor k; the damper rods a re now coa ted wi th Ala rni te 10 redu ce friction a nd to ma inta in lon ger fork o il lif e. Fork boo ts are n o lon ger used , being replaced with for k wipers. The frame is new 10 acce p t th e new rea r su s p en sio n, a n d th e stee ri n g head has been lowered - rake and tra il is slig h tly cha n ged . Beca use of th e ~O~ ;.:f~~i~~~%~~~~F::: W~t~:fF:r:Wp:: ~r~ : : <;~'fr?: i~·A ?0t:J~}5}~g:~~:~~r.m:~~:::. ::::: : ~n"::~~:~!.fr.~ ~qn,.: ~. !w~n:~:! ~b,:q~ ~~d The new Ohlins shock still inco rporates the B.A.S.S. system. airbox-ro-ca rb ureto r boot can now be used 10 improve a ir flow . Th e YZ80 has engine modifications to improve power thro ughout the rpm ra nge. Like the YZ125, the YZ80 has a lo nger rod, ne w porting and more cl u tch p lat es. T he a ir box is the same size as used o n the YZ250 and 490. Th e YZSO now h as a n a lumi n u m all oy swingarm (instead of steel )and a from d isc brake, which allows the use of a smaller hub with straight-pull sp o kes. The rear wheel has Yam a ha 's Z-spo kes. Both bi kes have M-37 (fro m ) , and 1\1-38 (rear) Bridg esto n e tir es. .0