Letter From Japan
LETTER FROM Japan
Rumors and sneak previews
With the Tokyo Motor Show opening in October, all the motorcycle makers are busy coming out with new models. More important is that information on new models rumored within the industry have suddenly taken on concrete form.
The main new models announced in August were the Honda CBR400F “New Life Up” and the XL600R Pharaoh. The CBR400F New Life series is a conventional model equipped with a 4-into-l exhaust and emphasizing mediumand low-speed torque. In addition to this, the “F,” the “Endurance,” and the “F-3” each are equipped with an aluminum swingarm. The F-3 is a high-potential model that can be easily modified for racing.
The XL600R Pharaoh is a Japanese domestic model of the XL600 announced at the Paris Salon last year, and is painted in red and white, representing an image of the “Pharoah Rally” that will be held in Egypt. This is a dual-purpose model and is equipped with a big, 28-liter fuel tank, dual headlamps, and a front disc brake.
As for the other makers, Yamaha has added new color to its conventional models while Suzuki and Kawasaki won’t be announcing any new motorcycles until the show.
The biggest attraction, though, is the Honda NR250R. This streetracer is a revolutionary new model that uses a design patterned after the four-stroke NR500 GP Racer. It uses a liquid-cooled, two-cylinder, V-Twin engine with oval pistons and six valves per cylinder. The powerful engine belies its 250cc size by borrowing technology from the 20,000-rpm NR.
In the domestic market, the fourstroke 250cc FZ250 based on the Yamaha Genesis concept is recording favorable sales with its high performance, while Honda apparently is planning to be in hot pursuit of the FZ with its high-technology NR250R. Also, the VF400R V-Four will make its debut mounted with a dohc engine and gear-driven valve train similar to that in the RVF commercial racer that recorded amazing results this season. The frame will be aluminum and of the ULH (ultra light frame) design similar to the RVF’s.
Yamaha’s RZV500R, which is a replica of the YZR, is still quite popular, and Yamaha has announced the RZV400R as a scaleddown version to users who are licensed to ride only medium-sized motorcycles in Japan. Additionally, Yamaha is planning to improve the RZ250 series, which boasts a stable popularity in Japan.
For a time, there was the strong rumor that the engine of the new RZ250 would be changed from the parallel Twin to the V-Twin. However, the possibility of this has disappeared. and a new parallel-Twin engine will be mounted. Also, 17inch tires will be employed for both the front and rear wheels.
The sales of the GSX-R750 are favorable both in Japan and in Europe, and the higher-class GSX-R1100 is finally about to make its debut. The specifications will be practically the same as the 750, employing, of course, the oil-cooled engine and the aluminum frame. What is significant is that externally, the engine will be the same size as the 750. It is not that the 1100 is so small but more that the 750, in spite of its light weight, is rather large. Together with the debut of the 1100, a minor change is also expected to be made to the 750.
Also among the new models to be introduced by Suzuki is the Road Sports GN600T, based on the engine of the enduro DR600. This model is a competitor to the Yamaha SRX600/400 and the Honda GB500/400 TT. It’s targeted for the big-Single road-sports market, which has recently been growing quite popular in Japan. At the same time the 600 makes its debut, there is the strong possibility that a similar 250 will also be included in the lineup.
For the off-road machines, the RA/RH Suzukis have made their debut mounted with an SAEC (Suzuki Automatic Exhaust Control) engine. Two-stroke, 200cc off-road models are popular in Japan because their size and the instantaneous power of their two-stroke engines are matched to the off-road driving conditions.
At Kawasaki, the Ninja series is gaining popularity in Japan and the sales are good. Now, however, the 1000 has appeared, and so it is believed that this will dull the lustre of the older 750 and 900 Ninjas.
The balanced high-performance of the 900R is well-known, but the 1000R should be even stronger. Also, plans for changing the Ninja 750R are now underway. The bike will be based on the 600 rather than on the 900, but it is believed that the model change will not be made in time for the Tokyo Motor Show. For the GPz series, the GPz250R will make its debut. It will be a fourstroke, four-cylinder, dohc, 16valve, high-performance engine to compete with Yamaha’s FZ250 and Honda’s VT250R.
Moreover, there is also the Super Trail KT200 based on the KX125 motocrosser, as well as a scaleddown 750cc version of the ZL900 Eliminator, plus the Road Sports based on the KL250E DOHC Single engine. However, it is not known whether or not these will make their debut at the Tokyo Motor Show.
In any event, in conjunction with the Paris Salon, the Tokyo Motor Show and the Milan Show, a large number of new models are expected to be displayed by Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. These models should be on sale from the end of this year to early next year, thus stimulating and making even more colorful the domestic motorcycle market.
One more from Yamaha
Yamaha’s new 225 Serow is a combination trail/trials bike. An XT200 is the foundation for the engine which is bored out to 225cc’s; it has a wide power spread with an emphasis on slow speed. This is a bike for exploration and for trials-like playing around. With a weight under 250 pounds and grab handles at both ends, the Serow is easy to get out of tight places. It is available in a green and white paint scheme that would make a Sierra Club member proud, as well as Yamaha’s standard redand-white.
Koichi Hirose
