YAMAHA FZ-10
FIRST RIDE
P78
makes you want to get out and twist
it.
So to take the new FZ-10 here was
a real treat and I was immediately
happy to feel Yamaha hasn't totally
chopped the nuts off the big bang
R1-S engine in the name of more
"real-world performance." God, I
hate that term.
The cross-plane-crank engine
still has power by the bucket load
but it is a little more forgiving in its
delivery. This FZ-10, like almost all of
Yamaha's big bore bikes, comes with
Yamaha's Chip Controlled Throttle
(YCC-T) which gives you three sepa-
rate throttle options as well as offer-
ing a gateway for the ECU's traction
and cruise control systems.
The new kid on the Yamaha block
has three throttle modes (Standard
offering the softest power delivery,
A in the middle and B giving you full
throttle response). The modes don't
diminish the available power like the
BMW S 1000 R's variable modes,
but just soften the overall blow when
you open the gas. For me, B-mode
is simply too abrupt for the FZ-10. It's
not a nice delivery of the stupendous
Same But Different
T
here's not a lot to separate the
FZ-10 and the R1 in the chassis
department. The main Deltabox alu-
minum chassis and swingarm are di-
rect hand-me-downs, as are the fully
adjustable 43mm KYB forks with
lighter 8.82 Nm springs compared
to the R1's 9.06 Nm units, giving the
FZ-10 a plusher feel on the road.
The rear shock is similarly fully
adjustable with different spring rates
and damping settings to the R1.
Magnesium has been replaced
with steel for the subframe and the
triple clamps have been revised, but
interestingly, Yamaha has chosen to
mount the headlight and front cowl
assembly directly to the frame, rather
than mount is directly off the steering
head to allow for lighter steering. The
headlights, taillight and turn signals
are all LEDs.
Bridgestone has provided the
standard tires for the FZ-10 in the
Battlax HyperSport S20F/S20R
W range, a tire that was developed
specifically for the FZ that wraps itself
around standard fare cast aluminum
wheels.
The same four-piston front Adv-
