Yamaha Ty350

YAMAHA TY350

CYCLE WORLD TEST:

A FAST CHANGE IN A SLOW SPORT

THINGS HAVEN'T REALLY CHANGED THAT MUCH. The world still is round, the Pope still is catholic, and not even the coldest parts of hell have frozen over. But that doesn’t mean that everything always remains the same. Yamaha has just demonstrated how much things can change by getting back into the U.S. trials market.

This marks the first time that any Japanese company has marketed a trials machine in this country since the trials boom went bust in the mid-Seventies. But Yamaha has decided to use the TY350 as a low-quantity test to see if America’s interest in trials bikes can be rekindled. Also, because trials machines can serve as excellent trainers for beginning riders, Yamaha wants to see if the TY can help attract new people into motorcycling in general.

As a beginner’s bike, the TY350 has much to recommend it. Its low-end power is so smooth and plentiful that it's almost impossible to stall, it’s geared low and so won't get away from the rider with an sudden burst of speed, and it's light and low to the ground. The TY still is a no-compromise trials bike, though, and so is designed primarily for serious trials riders. For example, the TY has practically no seat, which is typical of trials bikes, and so must be ridden standing up on the high, rearset pegs.

For hard-core trials riders, though, that's just fine, as is virtually everything else on the TY. Trials people rarely agree on what really works and what doesn’t, but they seem to have reached a consensus that the TY350 is the best trials machine made. The bike is based on the TY250 sold in the Japanese and European markets last year. Yamaha simply increased the bore 12mm to give the engine its current displacement of 341cc. That resulted in making one of the most powerful 250s around into one of the most powerful 350s. >

Right off the bottom, the TY is incredibly strong. Although there are other trials bikes that seem to have more low-end, this isn’t the case. The SWM Jumbo was formerly regarded as the torquiest machine in the class, but the Yamaha proves to have more on the bottom as well as on top, and the Jumbo merely has much more flywheel inertia. The TY is a prime example of the new wave of trials machines that are made for attacking sections rather than just plonking through them. Compared to most trialers, the TY has harder-hitting power, faster steering and a more aggressive manner.

Even though that sounds like an experts-only approach to riding, the TY is an equally competent machine for mere mortals. One reason is the Yamaha’s weight, and where that weight is located. At just under 200 pounds, the TY ranks as one of the lightest in its class, even if only by a few pounds. On top of that, the TY is very small and low. Despite its nearly 13 inches of ground clearance, the Yamaha has a low seat height and feels downright tiny. That helps any rider develop confidence on the machine, and encourages an aggressive approach from both novice and experienced riders.

Yamaha didn’t sacrifice suspension for seat height, either. In both quality and quantity, the Yamaha’s suspension is, once again, the best available. The fork is smooth and plush, and the rear end really shines. The TY is one of only two single-shock trials bikes currently available in this country (the other is the Beta TR32), and both designs are excellent. The TY’s shock is worked by linkage connected to the swingarm in a system similar in concept to the Monocross setup on YZ motocrossers, but quite different in construction. The shock spring’s preload can be altered by turning a camtype adjuster, and most of our test riders (weighing between 1 50 and 170 pounds) preferred to set the preload on its second-stiffest notch. The softer settings make for an extremely smooth ride, however, as long as no big drops lie ahead. When set up properly for Novice or Expert, the TY’s Monocross system puts most other trials rear suspensions to shame.

It isn’t really suspension, or even power, that makes the Yamaha such a giant step forward for trials bikes, though. The Yamaha is just more civilized than any trials machine before it. Riding the TY is easy simply because everything works so well. Trials bikes don’t have to have stiff clutch-lever pulls and weak brakes, and they don’t have to look as though they were assembled in a garage, even though many of the European bikes available might make you think they do. From its easy-pull clutch to its strong brakes, the Yamaha is a well-finished product.

Still, there are some points worth criticism. The gearbox occasionally lapses into Euroshift mode and makes selecting gears very difficult. Making matters more difficult is the shift lever, which, like those on most trials machines, is too far from the footpeg to be used like a normal shifter. But due to its folding tip, it can’t be shifted by heel, either.

With the TY’s broad powerband, it’s rare that you’ll have to shift in the middle of a section anyway, so the TY still ranks as the best way to traverse the worst terrain without touching foot to ground. Which goes to show you how much things really do change: The best trials bike now is Japanese. And it’s available in the U.S. All that remains to be seen is if the TY can find enough buyers to remain available in this country. And that, of course, depends on whether or not things have changed enough.

YAMAHA TY350

$2499