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/710094
VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P77 be able to cover huge miles very quickly in divine comfort. But what of that face? If you're into Terminator, I'm sure you'll find favor in the sharp accents and glaring, bug-eye headlights. But if you're a retro guy, this thing will look appalling. Already the comments are flowing on Facebook, and it seems pretty split down the middle. One thing you can't deny is the FZ-10 is probably the most futuristic look- ing bike on sale today, and even though I thought it horrendous when I saw the first pictures last year, I have to admit the look has started to grow on me. Even more so after I rode it. Oh, and I love the yellow wheels. Those things look bitchen. ENTER THE DRAGON There are those riding roads you hear about long before you experience them. Stretches of tarmac like the Transfagarasan in Romania, Stelvio Pass in Italy, Great Ocean Road in Australia and US 129, otherwise known as the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap—all roads that if you're re- ally into your riding, you'll have at least heard of, if not experi- enced. The Dragon is a truly epic rid- ing road of 318 corners jammed into 11 miles and winds its way through the lush green forests of Tennessee and neighboring North Carolina. It's the perfect sport riding road with on-cam- ber, off-camber and switchback corners, hard braking and ac- celerating points, everything that Big Bang Theory T his is indeed a 998cc, in-line four-cylinder cross-plane-crank R1 engine, but there are a few major differences be- tween the R1 and FZ-10. For starters, the airbox has been increased to 12 liters to the R1's 10.5, with new 45mm throttle bodies and a single fuel injector, as opposed to the twin system found on the R1. There's a new cylinder head with a revised intake port and smaller 31mm steel intake valves (the R1 has 33mm titanium units) operated by camshafts with less valve overlap and less lift. The valve angles themselves are the same at 11.5° intake and 13° exhaust but the combustion chamber has been slightly altered, with compression dropped a point to 12.0:1. This also helps to reduce the engine heat that would otherwise be largely dis- sipated (or not as much of an issue) on a high speed, track-specific superbike engine. The conrods, instead of being constructed using fracture-split titanium, are made of good old steel, and pump new forged flat-top aluminum pistons and crucially, the crank inertia mass has been increased to aid the smooth low-end torque. Yamaha's testing guru Mike Ulrich said he tried a few different versions of the crank when devel- oping the FZ-10, with the standard R1's crank revving out too quickly for the purpose of this machine. In the gearbox sits the same internal ratios as the R1 but the final drive has been lowered five percent to 43 teeth on the front and 16 on the rear sprockets. The clutch is the same Assist and Slipper unit found on the R1 and uses the en- gine's torque to compress the clutch pack, meaning lighter springs can be used and there's a nice, light pull at the lever. The exhaust is also different with a narrower collector box and smaller muffler core to aid back- pressure and low-end torque. The result is this engine produces a claimed 18 percent more torque be- tween 6-8000 rpm than the R1, although Yamaha has so far not provided official power and torque figures. (Left) The cross plane engine is essentially the same as the R1 but with subtle differences. (Right) A titanium muffler for your FZ-10? Right this way, sir.