Yamaha 1986
YAMAHA 1986
FEATURES
Yamaha greets the new year with subtle changes, but still has a few tricks to show
IF IT WORKS. DON’T CHANGE IT—AT least not much,” could very well be Yamaha’s motto for 1986. After a few shaky years, Yamaha’s profit-and-loss sheet for 1985 offered some good news, in the form of showrooms swept clean of gold-tinted Virago cruisers and emptied of red-and-white FJ1100 sportbikes. And then there was the priceless image-building provided by one of the best sportbikes ever to leave the drawing board: the FZ750. And let’s not forget the near-legendary, 145-horsepower V-Max, a motorcycle that sent all the other high-performance bikes off in search of a Charles Atlas muscle-building course.
Given that kind of sucess, it’s no wonder that Yamaha’s movers and shakers decided not to tinker with a good thing for 1986. Those four previously mentioned motorcycles, plus the Venture Royale tourer, are back for another round of the sales-chart wars with only slight modifications.
But don’t think that Yamaha was content to just bump up the displacement here and add a restyled fairing there for its entire model range. Four all-new models will be on hand to celebrate the new year: the Fazer 700, a smaller companion to the VMax; the Radian, a low-priced, 600cc model that Yamaha hopes will appeal to first-time buyers; the SRX600, a 600cc Single with updated styling; and the FZ600 (not pictured), which takes the FJ600’s air-cooled Four and wraps it in modern aluminum frame and freshfrom-the-paddock cosmetics.
Sadly missing from the 1986 roster is the mischievous RZ350 two-stoke, once again the victim of impending noise and pollution regulations.
Even with that gap in its 1986 lineup, Yamaha will build on the solid foundation laid down by its previous showroom stars, and hope that for 1987 it will have four more bikes that only need subtle updates.
The Fazer 700, a spin-off of the VMax, is a motorcycle that Yamaha hopes will be perceived as a Corvette on two wheels. The engine and frame are from the FZ750 with slight modifications: The former is tuned for more mid-range power, and the latter has tucked-in frame rails that show off more of the engine. Chrome-covered, upsidedown shocks look like mini-forks, but are conventional in operation.
This is Yamaha’s interpretation of what a 1980’s basic motorcycle should be. Called the Radian, this 600 is targeted at young, economically oriented buyers who want a sporty cruiser. Using the melting-pot approach, Yamaha took an FJ600 engine, tuned it for more torque, and, using a rubber-mounting system, bolted it into a frame patterned after the Seca 550’s. The whole affair was then surrounded by a blend of cruiser and standard-style hardware. The Radian’s most appealing feature, though, may be its price: under $2300.
Yamaha officials claim they were pleasantly shocked by the FJ1100’s U.S. sales performance. They expected the FJ to be a smash hit in Europe, but were surprised by the way Americans took the bike to heart as a sport-touring machine. Thus, the ’86 model, called the FJ1200, displaces 1188cc thanks to a bigger cylinder bore that helps improve low-end and mid-range power. The fairing was redesigned to improve wind protection and lower the bike’s drag coefficient, and all the changes are aimed at keeping the FJ the dading of the tank-bagand-soft-saddlebag set.
The meaty V-Twin continues. The Virago 1000 was Yamaha’s most popular bike last year, so the 1986 version’s most drastic change is on the spec sheet: The engine has been stroked to 1063cc for more of that torquey, V-Twin throb. Also helping in that department are flywheels with 20 percent more mass. Other engine changes include a diaphram-spring clutch, new pistons and rings, more efficient combustion chambers and restyled cylinder fins. The 1100’s outward appearance gets a spiffing-up with a new two-tone fogged paint job, different tank emblems and a new seatcover.
Good news for California riders: The FZ750—plumbed with the requisite, pollution-quelling charcoal canisters— will be available to them in 1986. Riders in other states will have to soldier on without the canisters, but can still enjoy the new red-white-and-blue paint scheme, dual headlights and fashionable chin fairing.
Changes to the V-Max? Hardly any, unless you count the slightly redone sidecovers and new rear wheel. And contrary to popular rumor, the '86 V-Max does not use FZ750-style, five-valve heads. Speed freaks in need of more power will have to be content with rumors of a one-off VMax Yamaha has built that makes 170 horsepower with changes to the intake and exhaust systems alone.
For tourers who admire more-substantial hardware, Yamaha’s Venture Royale has been improved for 1986. After three years of complaints about the Venture’s luggage, Yamaha has replaced the bike’s small, detachable saddlebags with non-removable replacements that have 50-percent more capacity. Already the performance king among two-wheeled land yachts, the Venture gets a little V-Max transfusion with a displacement nudge from 1200 to 1300cc. Taking a cue from Suzuki, Yamaha has plushed-up the Venture’s passenger accommodations with remote audio controls, an adjustable backrest and a more thickly padded seat. And just to show that sportbikes don’t get all the techno-gadgetry, the Venture now has an electrically activated anti-dive front suspension.
Yamaha claims that the 1986 YZ250 motocrosser is even faster than Ricky Johnson’s 1985 factory racer. The jury is still out on that one, but the new bike certainly looks the part. Like the YZ125 we previewed two months ago, the 250 has a revised rear-suspension linkage system connected to an Ohlins shock. Claimed dry weight is 213 pounds. Yamaha’s big off-road bruiser is still the YZ490, which also gets the new suspension system and a fivespeed gearbox.
