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/981926
2018 YAMAHA YZ65 FIRST TEST P92 at the front brake lever is solid and communicative and at the rear it was easy to modulate and didn't lock up too easily. Gray- son summed it up, "It's good that the brakes are strong cause this bike is fast." ROOM TO MOVE The rider's cockpit features a seat that is nearly flat from the back to the front making mov- ing forward and back easy. The rider triangle can be adjusted at the bars with two bar mount locations with reversible clamps that give a total of four positions with 27mm of reach adjustment. The levers are adjustable for reach as well to accommodate different sized hands. Our riders found the cockpit to be roomy and easy to move around on; both did comment the tank area did feel a little wide but nothing that caused any issue with riding to their full potential. READY TO SWITCH After a full day at the track both Grayson and Gunnar were fans of the 2018 YZ65 and were constantly making compari- sons to their orange and white race bikes. Both told their dad it was time to switch but he knows that kids get excited for anything new. However, both boys are more analytical than most their age, and their excite- ment speaks volumes about the capability and performance of the new little Yamaha. Rock- solid handling, a strong torquey engine and a roomy cockpit will have, we believe, many a mini- racer expressing the same senti- ments to their parents. Time will tell on the racing success of the YZ65, but there will be plenty of wins in the dealership with this hot new model. CN 2018 YAMAHA YZ65 ($4599) ENGINE TYPE: ............65cc liquid-cooled, 2-stroke, reed-valve inducted (YPVS), single BORE X STROKE: ............ 43.5 x 43.6mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................8.1-9.1:1 FUEL DELIVERY: ................ Keihin PWK28 carburetor TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, multi-plate wet clutch FINAL DRIVE: ........................... 420 chain FRONT SUSPENSION: ............ 36mm KYB coil-spring, adj. compression & rebound damping REAR SUSPENSION: ........... Single shock, adj. compression & rebound damping FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ...................8.5 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ...................10.6 in. FRONT BRAKE: ............. 198mm hydraulic wave-type disc, single REAR BRAKE: .............. 190mm hydraulic wave-type disc, single FRONT TIRE: ..........60/100-14 in. Maxxis Maxxcross SI REAR TIRE: .............80/100-12 in. Maxxis Maxxcross SI SEAT HEIGHT: ............................... 29.5 in. WHEELBASE: ................................ 45.0 in. RAKE / TRAIL: ...................26.4° / 2.5 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: ................... 10.5 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ........................... 0.9 gal. WET WEIGHT (CLAIMED): ............ 134 lbs. DRY WEIGHT (CLAIMED): ............. 128 lbs. (calculated) WARRANTY:......30 Day (Limited Factory Warranty) COLOR: ......................Team Yamaha Blue S P E C I F I C A T I O N S Full of fuel, the YZ65 weighs in at 134 pounds.