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
YAMAHA FZ-10 FIRST RIDE P84 there is excellent feel from the front end under brakes. You know exactly where the tire is at all times, and at mild to ro- bust speeds this is extremely confidence inspiring. The other side of the coin is the FZ-10 is perfectly comfortable for long days in the saddle. Whereas the R1—who's suspension the FZ-10 directly rips off—is stiff and harsh over bumps, the FZ-10 will float over them and transmit only about half the shock to your ass you'd get from an R1. The suspension is quality KYB fully adjustable kit, giving you plenty of scope to sharpen it up, but for its intended purpose of being a solid roads performer, Yamaha has got the suspenders pretty spot on. I wasn't that enamored with the brakes, even though they are similar to the superbike's. The front brake doesn't have quite the bite I was hoping for, even with the lever set to position one out of four. They still have power and will haul you up quickly, but I would have liked a bit more initial bite and feel. The FZ-10 uses a conventional Brembo master cylinder compared to the R1's radial Nissin unit, and I can only guess its inclusion on the FZ-10 is a cost saving measure. Another thing I'm not keen on is the ABS cannot be switched off. As long as you're of average human size (140-300 pounds), you should have no problem finding a comfortable seating position on the FZ-10. The bars are held up on risers and if any- thing are a little narrow for me, but overall the seating position is near perfect for a sports road machine. The rider's seat is similar to the R1's in that it's wide enough to fit almost two people, but the pillion may have a hard time getting comfortable if you have long legs because the pegs are, shall we say, a touch on the high side. Yamaha's dashes have been on the constant improve since the horrid unit found on the previous generation R1. The FZ-10's is wide, easy to read and easier to adjust thanks to the plethora of utilitarian-look- ing switches found on the right and left blocks, and the fact you can adjust the TC on the fly easily by the right hand switch is a welcome relief. People are going to buy this bike. As a street bike, it's very difficult to find serious fault with it. It's got one of the best en- gines in the game, the suspen- sion is top quality with plenty of adjustability, the electronics are a top-notch and easy to use, and it's got an in-your-face look about it that's essentially future- proofed the bike; I love how aggressive this thing looks. And for the price, this is going to be a very hard bike to beat in the naked bike cat- egory. CN 2 0 1 7 Y A M A H A F Z - 1 0 ENGINE: .....................................4-cylinder inline, 4-stroke, DOHC, with Cross Plane Crankshaft and Uneven firing order DISPLACEMENT: ............................ 998cc BORE X STROKE: ...............79 x 50.9mm HORSEPOWER: ....................................N/A TORQUE: ..............................................N/A COMPRESSION RATIO: ....................12.0:1 CLUTCH: ......Wet multi-plate disc Assist and Slipper type TRANSMISSION: ..........................6-speed CHASSIS: ............... Twin spar aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: ............43mm KYB inverted fork, fully-adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: .. Single KYB shock absorber, fully-adjustable FRONT BRAKE: ........ Twin 320mm discs, four-piston Advics radial calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: ......... Single 220mm disc, single-piston caliper, ABS FRONT TIRE: ....................... 120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE: ......................... 190/55 ZR17 RAKE: ...................................................24° TRAIL: ............................................ 4.01 in. WHEELBASE: ................................. 55.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: .............................. 32.5 in. OVERALL WIDTH: .......................... 31.5 in. OVERALL LENGTH: ....................... 82.5 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ............................4.5 gal WEIGHT: ............ 463 lbs (wet, claimed). COLOR: ... Armor Gray and Matte Raven Black MSRP: ......................................... $12,999 S P E C I F I C A T I O N S