Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

here, just slick and positive gear changes, up or dow n and virtually no drive-line lash. The only hitches are that the neutral indicator will light wh en the bike really isn' t quite all the way there and first gear is a bit tall, especially wi th the soft bottom-end power. If you' ve sa mpled d eep ly th e avail . able power - a claim ed 121 horsepower a t 11,000 rpm - and subsequently think the quiet life m igh t be more right for you, you' ll be glad to know that when it comes time to bring thirigs back to sanity the brakes are stro ng an d effective in doing so. Think of the system as brak e sou p, what wi th the varied components that make up the stoppers. The front master cylinder is manufactured by Tokico and pressurizes very larg e six- pis to n Sumit omo cali p ers. Th ese binder s ar e ve ry coo pera tive in terms of outright power and put quite a squeeze on the supplied 320= stainless-steel discs. Unfortunately, as strong as they are the front system lacks feel and is not particularly progressive, giving little in the way of initial bite, then seeming to tum on abruptly as the bike begins to slow . Also, the pads tend to chatter enter the tum faster than you think you sho ul d, then flick the bik e over - d one right, yo u'll be reward ed with stable, predictable corn ering from th e nimble, light-feeling chassis. The front sus pe nsion is an invert ed , cartrid ge-type unit and is ad justable for sp ring preload, as well as compression and rebou nd damping. The fork' s compliance over small bumps and ripples is excellent and th e sa me can be sai d for (Right) Big 320mm stain less-steel discs are very strong. and the sixpis ton calipers are unden iably cool. Updated from last year, the Inverted 41mm fork Is fully adJustable and works great. (Above)Twist this and hang on. Four-position adJustable levers enhance the comfort level of the new Yamaha. (Lett)The muffler canister Is stainless steel and not too loud. A bridged swlngarm and great rear brake round out the rear suspension package . the number-one feature that rea lly sets the Yamaha truly apart from the competition - at least for now - is price. Tha t leaves only one qu esti on - will the fans come to the showroom? . While Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is theopinion of the reviewers only and should not berelied upon in detennining the performance or safety of the uehicleis) , The reader should make his or her own investigation. 1996 Yamaha YZF750R Specifications sligh tly before bringing th e bik e to a complete stop . For the rear, a Brembo master cylinder di rects the action and is connected to a Sumitomo caliper comprised of two pistons. This is one of the better rear brake setups around, deli vering grea t feel and a lot of power without premature locku p. The steering-hea d angle is a steep 24 degrees, and trail is a relatively long 4.25 inches. What this translates into is quick, stable handling through high- and medium-speed bend s, with a slight tendency for the bike to fall into the turns at low s peeds . Wh en th e' brak es are applied mid-co rner the YZF exhibits a tendency to wa nt to sta nd up straight and widen the line. The YZF can be a bit frenetic for use every day or on long trips, but is surprisingly comfortable considering its intended role. The frenzied nature comes not as a r esult of the vib ra ti o n, because it d oesn 't vibrat e at cruising speeds - the machine just alwa ys feels highly stru ng. The rider's input is translated to motion, quickly, almo st as the thought occurs. It always feels read y, and in riding, th e rider can sense this. Bu t it is fu n to rid e when th e ro ad begins to tum. This is a bike that likes to be rid den aggressively. The low bars and br oad flat seat make it easy to hang off the bike and nothing restricts the rider' s ability to move in the saddle. Go ahea d, larger lumps too. The front end feels firmly planted at all times and can be adjusted to suit just about anyo ne's needs - within reason. The 17-inch-diameter front rim is aluminum, 3.5 inches wide and our test bike came equipped with Dunlop's ubiquitous D202 in a 120/70 Z-rated size , althou g h new bikes will u se Bridg estone's Battlax BT50 radials. At the rear, despite the 14 or SO clicks on th e adjust er, comp ress ion da mping always was a bit firm from the new-for' 95 s hock a nd we ke pt th e set ting s toward the soft end of the spectrum. The unit is also adjustable for p reload and rebound damping. The bridged swing arm suspends a hollow-spoke, 5.5-inch-wide aluminum wheel and is shod with a 180/55 ZR-17 tire. There is no doubt tha t Yamaha 's YZF750 is a competent, athletic sportbike that is fully capable of winning at the race track on a natio nal level. And of the bikes in its class, it stacks up very well as far as using it for an everyday mount. A good riding position, surp risingly compliant sus pe nsion an d the ultra-sm ooth (at the lower revs) motor make it a very livable supersport machine. Being a '96 model (available July '95), it isn' t entirely fair to make comparisons based on price at this point. But it is hard to ignore an over-$10,000 price tag on a bike of this type. And when you get right down to it, MSRP . .... . ..... . .. ... . .. . .. .. .. •. . . .. . . . .•. . .•. . . .. . . .. . ... ...$10,499 ENGlNf/TRAHSIIISSIOII Engine Type Liquid-eooled, dohc in-line lour-cylinder - five valves percylinder Bore lie stroke 72 x46mm Displacement . ..... .• : . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ... . . . . . . . • . . . . . .. .. . . .. . •.749cc Compression ratio 11.5:1 Carburetlon (4) 38mm Mikuni BDST, electric fuel pump Claimed power 121 hpl58.61t-1bs torque Transmission Six-speed, constant mesh Clutch Multii>late, wet Lubrication Final reduction ratio Wet sump 43116 (2.688) Final drive . . ... ... . ... • . . ..... . . . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. .... .. . . . .. . ... . ... .... . . . . .. Chain Ignition I.e.l. digftal Starting system .Electric Battery 12v10 a.h. CHASSIS Frame Front suspension Twin-spar aluminum Deltabox, non-removable subframe .Inverted 41 mm cartridge-type telescopic - adjustable rebound, compression andspring preload, 4.72 in. travel Rear suspension Single-shock, rising-rate linkage - adjustable reboun compression and spring preload,4.72 in. travel d, Rakeltrail . . . . . ... .. . .. . .. . ... .. .... . . ... .. . .. . .....• .. ... . •. . . . . . .. . .. .24°/4.25 in. WHEEI.S Front 17 dia. aluminum. 3.5 in. wide -in. Rear . . .. . . .. . . . . .•.. . .. .. .. ....... ...... .. ..... ..... .17-in. dia. aluminum. 3.5 in.wide TIR ES Front .. ... ... . .. . . .. . .... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ..• . . . . .120170 ZR-17 Bridgest ne Battlax BTSOF o Rear .. . .. .... ... .. .. . . . .. .•... . .. ... . ... . . . . . .. .180/55 ZR-17 BridgestoneBalllax BTSO BRAKES Front Rear 320mm double disc, six -piston hydraulic 245mm single disc, two-piston hydraulic DIMENSIONS/CAPACITIES OIA length 81.5 in. OIA width 28.7 in. OIA height . . . . . .• . . . . . . . .. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .• . . .45.9in. Wheelbase .. . .. . .... . . . ... . . . . . • . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . •. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55.9in. Seat height 30.9 in. Dryweight . . . .• . . .• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .432lbs. Ground clearance 5.51 in. Fuel 5.02 gal. Reserve 0.925 gal. 33

• Cover