Yamaha

YAMAHA

NEW FOR '91

REDONE FZRs, A REVISED FJ1200 AND REVITALIZED DIRTBIKES

FOR 1991, YAMAHA HAS USED refinement and revolution to come up with an exciting model line, a welcome change from the dormancy that the company exhibited in 1990.

With its previous FZR line of sportbikes, ranging from the FZR400 to the FZR1000, Yamaha had fielded one of the strongest teams in the sport, with the 600 and 1000 being the best in their classes for pure, unadulterated sport riding. But Yamaha was not content to leave the bikes alone, especially the 1000, so the FZRs get makeovers for 1991, and show the direction the FZR line is going to take for the next few years.

The new FZR 1000 gets updated bodywork, with the most noticeable change being in the upper fairing. Yamaha calls it a “slant-nose” design, and it looks like an enlargement of the bodywork used on the domestic-model FZR400RR, right down to the single headlight replacing the previous dual, round units. Overall, the new bodywork utilizes a more integrated design, with the tail section in particular looking more polished than previously.

While the aluminum Deltabox frame is the same as before except for the welded-on aluminum subframe meant to mimic the cast-in piece that the Japanese FZR400RR has, the biggest change to the chassis is the addition of a Kayaba upside-down fork. The fork has spring-preload adjustments, but no allowances for changing compression or rebound damping other than playing around with different oil weights or levels.

Basically, the 1003cc, inline-Four engine has been untouched, though it now comes with a spin-on oil filter and a liquid-cooled oil-cooler.

Like the 1000, the 600 gets a slightly new look. The upper fairing uses the slant-nose look, while the rest of the bodywork is unchanged. The engine and chassis are the same as last year, though minor updates to the carburetors and transmission are said to refine the powerplant a bit.

The likable FJ1200 gets a major alteration, in that its air-cooled engine is now rubber mounted. Large mounting plates with a rubber-isolated crossbar secure the front of the engine, while the rear now has only two mounting points. There are rubber dampers between the cooling fins, as well. Yamaha claims the 1991 FJ pilot will feel less vibration and hear less engine noise than riders of the 1984-1990 versions of the machine. Additionally, the fairing has been reshaped, and is now taller than before, though an optional, shorter windscreen is available.

The rest of the street line has only minor changes, though, sadly, the FZR400 backroad-blitzer has been dropped for 1991. Yamaha claims there is no shortage of 1990 400s, which is why it’s not offering 1991 models.

While that covers the streetbikes, the two new dirtbikes—the WR500 and the WR200—are just as exciting. Yamaha has not produced an Openclass, liquid-cooled dirtbike in large part because buyers loved the aircooled YZ490, even though it was dated and sometimes difficult to ride. Rather than ignore those people, Yamaha has revised the air-cooled engine considerably, with a new combustion-chamber shape, new carburetor and revised exhaust pipe. The crank has also been rebalanced to reduce vibration.

The WR500 has YZ suspension components, though with spring rates and damping specs all its own. The chassis is also for this bike only: It’s not just a YZ490 engine stuffed into the WR250 chassis. Yamaha says this is a competition bike intended for a broad range of riding, and its target price is the same as that of the WR250’s, though as of the time we went to press, none of the company’s 1991 prices had been set.

In addition to the WR500, Yamaha also has introduced the WR200, a liquid-cooled 199.7cc two-stroke Single. This bike is intended to compete with Kawasaki’s popular KDX200. The WR has a lighting system and meets the noise regulations for enduro use.

Yamaha did not design the engine new from the ground up. but rather, borrowed it from the Japanese domestic DT200R. It comes standard with a counterbalancer and an electric powervalve actuated by a small servo, much like the system used on the roadrace bikes. The WR uses a 41 mm Kayaba upside-down fork and a Showa rear shock, both offering a full range of adjustments.

The WR200’s styling is the real standout, however. It features integrated body pieces, much like some of the Paris-to-Dakar replicas, but in a more sophisticated and subtle way. The bodywork has the seamless quality that we have come to expect on streetbikes, but never to this extent on a dirtbike. The third-year WR250 will have similar styling.

Yamaha seems to have come out of its cocoon for 1991. Models that were already very, very good have received changes that should make them even better. And with the WR lineup joining the YZ motocross bikes, Yamaha now has one the most extensive arrays of serious off-road bikes in the industry. Which only goes to show that refinement and revolution can go hand in hand. ES