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/142441
Turbo! There's nothing like that simple word to perk up a contemporary motorcyclist's ears. Though car racing folks have been using the devices for a number of years, turbochargers are just beginning to become available as "standard" fare to John Q. Public. The very word seems to command reverence and is steeped in semimysticism. The Yamaha XJ650LJ Turbo Seca is Yamaha's first turbocharged offering presented for public consumption. It also becomes Yamaha's premier sport bike which utilizes much, but not all, of the gadgetry, lessons and hardware Yamaha has incorporated in its street and race bikes to date. Impressian: 1!lBi! XJ&5DLJ Turba 5el:iI "Stil • 22 rl By M ark'Kariya 5" The once-over Of the bikes we have ridden, it would be safe to say that none drew more stares in traffic or crowds when stopped as the Turbo Seca. Part of the reason was the styling - some liked it, some didn't. Best described as angular and spacey, the Turbo features a full fairing, body work and a tail section done in silver with red and blue trim. The fairing's belly pan incorporates a sort of air scoop and, in conjunction with angle of the top part of the fairing, gives the bike a nose-down-and-mean look. Yamaha also claims the fairing helps promote downforce on the front end at speed to aid stability. There are two locking compartments on each side of the fairing that come in handy for storing small items. . A smooth cowling covers the fuel tank and swoops down over the top rear portion of the engine. The large seat extends in a smooth visual line from the tank to just above the tail light and has a small "kicker" section, presumably to help prevent the passenger from falling off the rear of the bike under hard acceleration. Low bars and set back pegs further the sporty image of.the Turbo. The suspension front and rear is air adjustable, with each end sporting its own air valve and cross-over/ equalizer tube. In addition, each shock has damping adjustment, adjustable four ways by twisting a collar at the top. There is no anti-dive fitted in front, curious in light of the bike's position in Yamaha's line-up. Yamaha fitted cast aluminum wheels similar to the Vision, but the front one carries twin discs while the rear makes provision for the· 650's shaft drive. The Turbos come with either Br idgestone or Dunlop tires; ours wore Bridgestone's Mag Mopus models, a G508 120/ 90V 18 rear and an L303 3.25V19-4 P R front. The engine, specifically the turbo part, is the other half of the Seca spectacle. Yamaha claims to have redesigned and/or beefed up many of the stress-carrying parts of the already speedy XJ650 engine. Four black chrome pipes met u nderneath the engine near the centerstand pivot, directing exhaust gasses to the tiny Mitsubishi-manufactured turbocharging unit. From the turbo, two pipes, one on each side, run to the rear, parallel to the wide red /thin blue stripe emblazoned on the body work. The stripe itself brings to mind Kenny Roberts' latest OW factory 500cc G P racer. A small oil cooler is placed above and to the front of the engine beneath the frame steering head tube. What it's really like Those two things that first attract attention to the Turbo Seca ~ looks .and turbocharged engine - stand out as the neatest features when you ride it. The choke, mounted on the left side of the handlebar, needs-to be-