Yamaha Comes Back Strong
YAMAHA COMES BACK STRONG
SPECIAL SECTION
A new year and a new mission: Building commitment to sportbikes
IN 1988, YAMAHA MADE SOME FANTASTIC MOTORCYCLES. There was the fabulous V-Max, still setting the industry on fire three years after its introduction. There was the phenomenal FZR400, a landmark in small sport-bikes. And there were others like the popular YSR50 and the ground-breaking TW200.
But for all its diversity and all its innovation, Yamaha was still lacking in one area. And what an area to miss: big sportbikes. Model by model, each of Yamaha’s 600ccand-above sportbikes had to take a backseat to something else in the same class. The FZR1000, while generally acknowledged as a better handler, was overshadowed by the Suzuki GSX-R1100’s racetrack success; the FZ750 and FZ600 were both rather long of tooth, and the FZR750R was barely even available.
Oversight noted and corrected. For 1989, Yamaha has hit the sportbike world and hit it hard. First of all there’s the new FZR1000. The machine isn’t just a cosmetic rehash, but a complete redesign. Virtually nothing has escaped the engineer’s touch. Its purpose has been honed finer than ever, too: The FZR is going Suzuki-hunting in 1989.
And in the spotlight right next to the new 1000 is a new 600. To build the FZR600, Yamaha started with the FZR400 engine and added a new chassis, more displacement and more power. A lot more power. The result is intended to turn the highly competitive 600 market upside-down.
Yamaha didn’t have to go to such great lengths in the sport-touring arena. The company already had the all-time classic in that market: the FJ 1200. It just wasn’t available in this country in 1988. Again, oversight noted and corrected. The FJ is back and ready to pick up right where it left off: On top.
We had the chance to witness Yamaha’s new commitment to sportbiking first hand, by riding the new motorcycles on racetrack and roads. What follows is what we learned. If the rest of the motorcycle world is as impressed, 1989 will be a very good year for sport riders. And a great year for Yamaha.
