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/126997
The 49 .3cc engine has a smooth pull from the mid-range up: the f ivespeed gearbox shifts w ith a clunk. Up front a disc brake stops the YSR but the rubber hose gives it a mushy feel. The Bridgestone tires are the only new items. Yamaha YSR50 Engine type .... Air-cooled. single cylinder, two-stroke Bore x stroke . . . . . . .. .• 4Ox39.2 Displacement ..•••.• .. .. 49.3cc Compression ratio • ..• ..•• . 7 .4 :1 Carburetor 16mm M ikuni N/A Horsepower Torque ... . . • . . .. • . . .. ..• . N/A Starting system . . .•.•..•..• Kick Ignition CDI Lubrication Yamaha Autolube Final drive Chain Gear ratios Primary •• .......... . . 3.579:1 Final . .... •.. ...... . . 3.667:1 5th 0 .962:1 4th • ......... ... . . . . . 1 .125:1 3rd " 1 .429:1 2nd 2 .000:1 1st . • . . . . .. . . . . . . . •. . 3 .250:1 Frame .. .... • •. •Rectangular box section steel wasn 't too had. O ur maj or compla int is with the seat. It is just li ke th e ones fou nd o n the Iactorv road racers. small a nd thin ly pa dded. It d idn 't take too long befo re o ur rea r ends were sor e. especiall y on bumpy roads. Starting the YSR50 was no problem . T hree or four kicks o n th e starter, wit h the righ t lootpeg raised, usuall y brought it to life. After it was warm , o ne jab o n th e kickstarter was usu all y sufficient . Gettin g the YSR moving can be a little tricky. There isn 't a wh ol e lot of low-end power, so th e engine must be revved befor e yo u ease the clutch out. We bogged the engine on numerous occasions but luckily the clu tch bai led us ou t. Once underwa y the motor steadily pulls harder as the revs rise unti l it is wo und out. The malar in o ur YSR never win ch ed at the high rpms necessary to keep the bike moving with the speed of traffic on some streets. In fact, as we racked,up more m iles the engine seemed to get stro nger. Shifti ng up thro ugh the gears produces a noticeable "clunk" with each jab of the shift lever. The shift action isn 't exactly smooth, but you are aware that you have hit the next high est gear. Downshifting a lso gives off the same noise and feeling. Missed shifts were rare, although , there were a few times that our YSR Rake .•. •..• ..• ... .. ..• .. . 26.0 Trail ....•.••...•....... 2 .64 in. Front suspen sion . .. . .Telescopic fork Fork tube diameter 27mm Front wheel travel •. ...... 6.5 in. Rear suspension .. . .. Monoshock Rear wheel travel . .. . • . • . . 3 .0 in . Front brakes Disc Rear brakes .. .......... .• Drum Front tire . . . 3 .50x12 Bridgestone Rear tire . •. 4 .00x12 Bridgestone Claimed dry weight 165 Ibs. Overall length 62.2 in. Overell width 25 .0 in. Overall height •.•....... 36 .6 in . VVh~base 41 .5in. Fuel capac;ity .. ........• 2 .1 gal. Ground clearance •.. ... . . 4. 7 in . Seat height ..•... ..•.. .. 2 6.0 in . Colors .. •.. .. • . . . . . . White/Red Retail price $11 99 popped o ut of gear. This usu ally hap pen ed when we hit th e shifter too lig htl y and didn' t gel all the wa y int o the next gear. For a moment it wou ld seem that it was in gear, then the mo tor would scream a nd let us know we were no longer in gear. T he problem can be startli ng , but a good jab o n .the sh ift lever prevents it from occu rn ng. The YSR handles very well , a nd th rowing it into the comers was no problem . Once in to th e turn o ur YSR always tracked strai ght a nd tru e with no fri ghtening wobbles, even in rough co rners. It 's li ght wei ght m akes it easy 10 la y o ver , a nd scrap ing the footpegs a nd dragging your kn ee is easil y within reach . The st ock Bridgestone tires gr ip th e pav ement quite well a nd hold the YSR on track, ' Only three inch es of rear suspe nsio n travel make the rid e stiff a nd big bum ps, suc h as co ncre te drainag e cha nnels or other sharp dips in th e road, se n d th e impact straight thro ug h the seat and up the rider 's back. T he fro nt suspension is a little more supple, and th ere is a mi nimum of flex from the front fork s. Stopping our'YS R was quick and precise. The hydraulic front disc has a mushy feel, but gets the job done. Part of the problem lies with the rub ber brake hose. and part of it is the bra ke lever. The lever must travel You don't have to be a road racer to enjoy the YSR . Most people will have fun on it just buzzing around the ne ighborhood . ab out a quarter in ch before it makes con tac t with th e plunger on th e master cylinder, and there is no way to adjust it. One-finger grabs on th e lever were usually ineffective since th e lever would hit other fin gers still wrapped around the handlebar. Two finge rs usu all y work ed well, but for the most power all fingers must be used. The rear drum brake al so worked well and can eas ily lock the rear wh eel. As we said before, comfort is th e major comp laint with the YS R. But that has to be expected wh en you put a fu ll-sized rider on a pint-size bike. Ergometrics aren 't too bad, although a taller rider may feel a bi t cra mped. Our 5' 6" test rid er felt that the YSR wasn't too uncom fortable, especiall y on short rides. It was th e longer rid es that made us sore . especi ally in th e. rear end. The thin seat padding makes long rides a pain in th e butt, but . most people probabl y won't spe nd a long tim e trav eling many miles in th e sadd le. A 2. l- gallon fuel tan k allows you to go for a t least 100 mil es before stopp ing; we were able to go as far as 125 mil es before hitting reserve. The stock grips aren't rea l comfortabl e either and are easily cha nged. Even though th e YSR may not be rea l com fortab Ie to ride for long periods, th e fun of riding it easi ly balances out a ny pa in. We found ourselves stay ing on th e bike long aft er pain set in and quickly forgot about it when the next tight section of road cam e up. T he 1988 YSR50 may be small in size, but it is big on fun. And for all of the aspiring Eddie Lawsons out there, YSR m ini road races are becoming more popular throughout the nation. With Yamaha providing an ample supply of YSR50s more people will be a ble to join the fun of owning a m ini road racer. _