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/127164
holl ow, three-spoke, cast alumi num ri ms fro nt a nd rear - a h uge 5.5in ch wide rea r and 3.5-inc h wid e fro nt . T ires ar e als o h uge - a 1701 60 at rear a nd 130 /60 a t front. These wid e rims will be espec ia lly ap p recia ted by racers, si nce th ey ca n . now fit radial slicks without th e ad ditiona l expense of pu rcha sing af termarket wh eels. P ull- type cha in adj ust ers li ke th o se us ed o n YZ rnor o cr o sser s p ermit ea sy ch a in adj us tme nt. . L ike th e tires, th e dua l fo urop posed-p is to n front br ak es a re among the best fitted to a ny str eet bike. Grabbing a han dful a t a n y speed locks th e from wheel, a nd more mod era te usa ge will ea si ly loft th e rear wh eel off th e tarm ac. Differen t sized br ake p ads (sm a ll er a t th e leading edge) a re used with in eac h ca lipe r, ens ur ing more even p ressure ac ro ss the pad. In d eed , Yama h a ac h ie ved th e desired resu lts beca use this bike co rn ers wit h the best o f them.' T he front end stays pl anted , even in fast race track sweepers, a nd without th e ben efit o f a steeri ng damper. And th ere' s not a hint of flex in th e frame, swingarm or forks. Bra kin g dee p into a co rner, or in mi d -co rner, unveil s very littl e tenden cy for the b ike to stand up. All in a ll , it's extremely co n fide nce inspiri ng. T he on ly lim its to the Yam aha 's o u tsta ndi ng handl in g characterist ics a re th e wid th o f th e exhaus t p ipe, Aluminum De/tabox perimeter frame cradlesnell' larger capacity airbox. , wh ich can dra g in fast , righ t-hand sweepers , a nd th e lack o f front sus pe nsion damping adjus tm ents. Now , a ny da m p in g adju stments m us t come through a cha nge of fork o il viscosit y. Even so , for a n yth ing short of over -the-top str eet riding or ro ad ra ci n g, th ese fact or s don't even ent er into th e eq ua tion. We had th e opport u n ity to try Yamaha 's new So fpa ck L u gg a ge tank bag, made by Ecli ps e, and found i t to work well. In addi ti on to p rovidi n g so mew here to sto re street rid ing necessities, the bag al so g ives th e rider so mew here to rest hi s ches t o n lon g rid es. Feat ur es incl ude a removab le wa terproof map pocket , expa nda ble top co m pa rt me nt, zip pered side pocket s, and a q u ickrelease universa l m ountin g system . Si nce th e . FZR doesn 't ha ve a n y sto ra ge faci lities. th e ta nk bag is a The Yamaha's manners in the twisties sholl' off its racebike heritage. worth while inves tme nt for stre e t ridin g. No price h as been esta blis he d for th e bag as of yet, but lik e th e FZR it will be ava ila ble in February. Fire One thing's for certa in - th e FZRIOOO is not a beginner' s bike. It's a weso me p ow er a nd stro ng brak es req uire so me fin esse to co n tro l, a n d a n inexperienced rider co u ld easily get in over h is head. Pl us, o n ly a more expe rienced rider wi ll be ab le to tru ly a p p recia te th e perfor ma nce of th e FZR 1000. The pri ce shou ld a lso keep most begi n ner s aw a y. At 7599, o n ly th e ded ica ted enth us ias t is lik el y to be wi lli ng to she ll o u t th e mone y fo r th e advance d tech nol ogy o ffered o n th e FZR . Alu m in um fra mes, fo u rpi sto n brak e ca lip ers, Pi relli rad ia ls and o ther race bi ke tech no logy do n' t co me chea p. BUI th en agai n, co ns idering th e cost of a rea l G P bi ke.jmd th e performance o f th e FZR , it 's a rea l bargain. • Four-opposerl-piston brakes 1I'0rk lI'eli lI'ith Pirelli MP7 Sport radials. 9