Yamaha's Sdr Rocket

Yamaha's SDR rocket

Yamaha's SDR rocket

LETTER FROM Japan

Here in Japan, as in the rest of the world, the battle between the motorcycle manufacturers is no longer fought in quest of the biggest production numbers. In the face of steadily decreasing sales, the market has instead evolved into a new type of war, a battle to see who can do the best job of designing unique new models and inventing novelty categories to attract that jingle in the buyer’s pocket. So, none of the companies is expecting to build a domestic model with a knockout sales potential; rather, they all are trying to tickle the prospective buyer’s fickle fancy.

Along those lines, one of the more exciting new models to come along in a while is the Yamaha SDR200 Sports. The daring little two-stroke is a variation on the SRX theme—the simple motorcycle. But the SDR is more than just simple; it’s a high-performance street performer, one that Japanese enthusiasts call a “Men-Tei-Sha” (LicenseCancelling Bike), a machine sure to redline your speeding-ticket points rating. And rumor has it that this machine will soon come in an even larger displacement to combat Honda’s threatened entry into the so-called “simplebike” market with its soon-to-be-announced

400cc and 600cc V-Twins.

Powering this latest gem from Yamaha is a newly designed, 195cc Single with a claimed 34.5 bhp at 9000 rpm. The exhaust system reflects Yamaha’s newest twostroke technology, with a

power-valve controlling the exhaust flow into an exotically curved expansion chamber and short silencer.

But it's the frame that seduces on the SDR200. It’s a high-tech tube structure reminiscent of the cosmetic constructionist design of Suzuki’s orangeand-black GSX-400X Impulse. The café-racer look is here, but in a minimalist form, and with a touch of class and sophistication that you

might expect from hightech modernist architecture. Light, slim and compact, there’s not much hidden away on this bike, and you probably see more space between the rear tire and the rear seat cowl than on any other motorcycle. What’s hidden away is nicely concealed behind the small panels, and what’s visible is attractive and eyecatching. The largest piece of solid metal is the rear mounting of the truss-suspension bridge frame; the other pieces— the tank and seat cowl— seem to float lightly over the bridge.

Certainly, this new truss-type frame and swingarm are the featured points on this motorcycle. And besides being attractive, they help keep the weight of the bike down around 230 pounds. The rear suspension is a floating-link monocross type, with the front suspension using a special Du-Metal material on the telescopic sliders. The 17-inch tires are mounted on threespoke cast-aluminum wheels.

Overall, the SDR200 is a small bike, but laid out to be comfortable for larger riders. The seat is just 30 inches high, and the footpegs are low and forward. The largest problem concerns the 2.5-gallon fuel tank. You see, the bike is so much fun to ride, you forget to stop for gas. Kengo Yagawa