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/142449
e e r c-r 00 0") .....-l .....-l ~ (1) ..0. 8 (1) .-..J c, (1) CJ) (Clockwise from above) Yamaha's little Seca uses a monoshock and enjoys the resulting clean lines. Fo'r a small bike, the Seca is quite a handsome piece. The front wheel is shared with Yamaha's Vision . Instruments are simple, but keeps you informed . Note the lack of a front downtube. Clean and light . . came with Dunlop Gold Seals, a Kl27 4.lOx18 rear and an F1l3.00x18 front. A drum in back and a single disc in front provide the means for deceleration. . Front suspension is the con ventional inline axle fork; this model permits 5.6 in ch es of wheel tra vel, Yamaha elected to use their Mo noshock system in back. The square tube, silver p a in ted triangula ted swingarm attaches to a short shock located under the forward part of the seat and the gas tan k. The rear wheel moves through 3.8 inches of tra vel. Chromed handlebars are set fair ly low behind the black p las tic-encased instruments which include the usual speedo/ odometer/tach combination plus neutral, high beam, tum signal and oil pressure ligh ts. A choke lever is moun ted o n the left bottom side of the bars , and its use is imperative when cranking over a col d engine via the button next to the throttle. Despite the Yam ah a Induction Control System (YICS), the engine tends to be cold-blooded to th e extreme. Throttle response is almost nil after warming the engine up for a couple m in u tes, and getting underway requires about 5-6000 rpm and lots of clu tch sli p pi ng. It's ra th er much ask ing a novice to coordinate takeoffs like a 125cc GP road racer. After several miles, the choke can be turned completely off as the engine warms fully to ideal opera tion temperature. Throttle response then is quite good, thanks in part to the 34mm Mikunis. The eng ine pulls briskly from the bottom an d makes its best power above 5500 rpm. Each of the transmission 's six speeds engages positively and seem spaced about right, first is low and sixth high enough to permit comfortable freeway cruising. Sixth gear at 55 mph moves the tach need le just over 5000 rpm ; the engine 's built-in balancer must do a prett y decent job of checking vibration because images in the mirrors remained surprisingly clear, and there was no tin gling in the hands or feet. An annoying trait that is quickly discovered in low sp eed tra ffic or when strafing comers is excessive driveli ne snatch. You don' t know p recisel y when 'a fter twisti ng the th ro ttle you'll get more forwa rd motion , so it 's either learn to slip the clutch or live wit h jerkiness and im precision. Yamaha claim s the Seca 400 weighs al most 375 pounds dry and 410 wet. No matter; whether fu ll , em p ty or somewhere in between , the Seca felt like a flyweight when flicke d from side to side. At th e same time, how- Dunlops must ha ve been chosen with ever , there is a.feeling of bulk to it , an eye toward eco no my and longevpleasantly reassuring to most. While ity because the y aren't the hot ticket the Seca can be tossed about like a for Kenn y Roberts impressarios. small bike, it doesn 't impart that The quick steering is further q uickmicro-bike feeling of instability. One of the reasons behind that is ened by fork springs which are too soft , allowing the front end to com the generously proportioned fuel tank. It's a 5.3-gallon item that's press quite a bit in corners. While the " sculp tured" to allow your knees to softly sprung front end isn 't too bad when cruising or commuting, the tuck in. That part is debatable because . the tank still forces your legs apart. rear end can be on the stiff side. Its We recorded gas mileage from a lowest preload will not match the low of 49 to a high of 69 without front, so you end up with unbalanced suspension. With a little work, that trying. You can count on well over could probably be rectified. 200 miles to a tank. Reserve capacity O ther items like the lights work is 1.3 gallons. well. The 65W/ 60W q uartz hea dlight The Seca's riding position fit a variety of riders from small to tall . One throws a good, flat-topped beam through the dark, and the tail , slo p tester would have liked the pegs an and turn signal lights are very visible. inch or two further rearward, but no , A singie horn located under the headone else complained. The seat, bars and other controls elicited no whines, light does honk, but not quite loud and passengers felt comfortable, too. enough to al ways grab attention. . The seat flips up, allowing access to Everything was easy to operate. - the battery and shock preload adjusIf the urge to toss the Seca 400 into ter . A standard issue tool kit hides in a corner becomes too great to resist , the tail section, where you can throw don 't worry about losing lots of metal a wallet, gloves or other small items. on either side of the bike. The reasons The Seca 400 isn 't going to set the for this are twofold: I.) .the engine is motorcycling world stampeding to' narrow, though not mounted exits door; too ma ny are impressed by tremely high in the frame (minimum nothing less than four cylinders, com ground clearance is 5.7 inches), thanks . to Yamaha's decision to place the AC puter consoles or other technological wizardry, but as a second fun bike or generator behind the cylinders like sporty com m u ter, it's a solid number. the bigger Secas; and 2.) the stock