The Ultra-High-Performance Yamaha Fz250 Phazer
The ultra-high-performance Yamaha FZ250 Phazer
ROUNDUP
LETTER FROM Japan
KOICHI HIROSE
Normally, when a new model is announced, advertisements appear claiming that the bike is a “revolution.” Now, for a change, a truly revolutionary model is making its debut in Japan: the Yamaha FZ250 Phazer.
Liquid-cooled, four-stroke inlineFour with DOHC and 16 valves—up to this point, the specifications are not so special. In a 250cc Four, 16 valves are something new, but they alone could not be called revolutionary. But when you straddle the FZ250 and read the tachometer, you then know that this machine is different from the others. The tach’s full scale is 18,000 rpm, and the red zone starts at 16.000 rpm. The maximum output is 45 bhp at 14,500 rpm. and the engine can rev up to the 16,000-rpm redline without any effort. It wasn’t too long ago that 10,000 rpm was a limiting engine speed for streetbikes, and the higher speeds were reserved only for racing machines. What’s even more miraculous is that the torque output at low rpm for the FZ250 is the same as that of a conventional 250cc.
The secrets are locked in the fourcylinder, 16-valve engine. Developed under the same concept as the FZ750, the 250cc Phazer engine has its cylinders tilted forward at an angle of 45 degrees, and it, too, has downdraft carburetors. Sixteen-inch wheels are used front and rear. Both the FZ750 and FZ250 are advertised as the “Genesis” in Japan, and the engine performance is truly befitting this name. Yamaha’s FZ series already includes the FZ400 (Cycle World, November, 1984), a motorcycle that is showing favorable sales in one of the most competitive markets in Japan, the 400cc class. However, there is a strong possibility that Yamaha will be introducing a new FZ400 with 45-degree-inclined cylinders by next spring—or, considering the short life-cycle of motorcycles in the Japanese market, even in early fall of this year. This would mean that an enlarged version would automatically debut overseas as an FZ550 or FZ600.
