Y.P.D.I. Sport-Touring Gear
Y.P.D.I. SPORT-TOURING GEAR
EVALUATION
Yamaha Gears Up for the Sport-Touring Market
WHEN THE FJ1100 WAS INTRODUCED in 1984. everyone expected it to be the outstanding sportbike that it is. But most people were surprised to find that the addition of a tank bag and a couple of soft saddlebags could turn the FJ into a sport-tourer par excellence. And the 1200, while no less of a sportbike than the 1100. is even better at sport-touring.
This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed by Yamaha Parts Distributors, Inc. (YPDI), the accessory division of Yamaha's U.S. operation, which offers a number of accessories to enhance the sport-tourability of the FJ 1 100 and 1200. During our test of the FJ 1 200, we tried three of those accessories: the F-Series twopiece riding suit, a tank bag, and a set of soft saddlebags.
YPDI knows that the demands of sport-touring can be a bit different than those of other kinds of riding; so the company worked with motorcycle-clothing specialists Hein-Gericke in designing the F-Series suit to meet the needs of sport-touring riders. The goal was to come up with a suit that would be comfortable for riders who were likely to move around on their bikes more than full-dress touringtypes might, but who would stop short of the gymnastics put forth by some pure-sport riders.
Well, the gray-and-red jacket and pants are indeed quite comfortable and allow the wearer excellent freedom of movement. The pants, which have an expandable waist and a 100percent nylon taffeta lining, are particularly nice. The area around the knees refuses to bunch up even under the most radical of knee-bends, and there is an additional layer of leather over the knee area that insulates while providing extra protection. The only thing we disliked about the pants is that they have no pockets.
Neither does the jacket have external pockets, although just inside the front zipper is a pocket perfectly sized for a pair of sunglasses. But there is no outside storm flap covering that zipper, so wind can seep past, making for an unpleasant draft during lowtemperature riding. And the exposed zipper can scratch the back of the gas tank on certain bikes in no time flat if
the rider does much moving around. The jacket has an expandable waist that allows it to fit snugly over the pants without pinching the rider, as well as a snap-in vest for coolweather riding. For warmer days there are four zippered vents, two on the front and two on the back, which circulate a goodly amount of air around the rider when open.
All in all. the F-Series suit is a wellmade, comfortable, stylish piece of riding gear that will work for any kind of riding on any kind of bike, not just for sport-touring on an FJ Yamaha. The jacket has a suggested retail price of $220 and is available in sizes 36 through 46; the pants are $160 and available in sizes 30 through 38, ready to be tailored for length.
Although the F-Series suit is new, YPDFs universal-fit soft luggage has been around, unchanged, since 1 982. The FJ 1 100’s sport-touring success, however, has prompted YPDI to remind the riding public of the luggage’s existence. The $70 tank bag and the $ 1 1 5 saddlebags are made of black cordura with red and silver stripes. The top of the tank bag has a plastic-windowed map pouch, and the bottom is fleece-covered to protect the tank’s paint. The bag has two separate compartments, the larger of which can hold a couple of pairs of jeans and several shirts. The smaller
compartment is just big enough for a shaving kit.
While the tank bag is just the ticket for an overnight trip, the saddlebags can, with some careful packing, hold enough clothes for several days of traveling. But because each saddlebag consists of just one large section with no inner liners or retaining straps, things tend to fall out if the bags are opened while on the bike.
Attaching the entire soft-luggage system to just about any motorcycle is approximately a 30-minute task. The tank bag connects to the frame of the motorcycle via nylon straps and plastic buckles at the front and rear of the bag. Mounting the saddlebags requires attaching a harness to the seat that stays in place, and the individual bags snap on and off the harness with quick-release plastic buckles. There also is a nylon tie on the bottom of each bag that lashes to the passenger footpeg to help keep the bags from flopping about.
In the end. however, there is nothing special about the YPDI soft luggage; it’s not high-tech or even particularly inexpensive, but it is reasonably well-made and gets the job done. For FJ 1100/1200 owners in particular, the strongest appeal of the luggage might be that it comes from the Yamaha organization responsible for their favorite bike. 0
