A Higher Standard

A HIGHER STANDARD

CW PROJECT

A little money and a few hours yields an improved Yamaha Radian

ONE OF THE BEST FEATURES OF Yamaha's Radian 600 is its lack for features. It does not have engine-enveloping bodywork, nor a complicated suspension system, nor a liquid-cooled, high-tech powerplant: It’s just a simple, standard-style motorcycle with all of the basics. Which means the

Radian is reasonably priced and its owner can easily customize the bike to fit his personal tastes and financial resources.

And that’s exactly what Cycle World did with our test Radian. As delivered, the bike’s most-obvious problem was its rather harsh suspension, especially at the rear, which suffered because of the dual shocks’ light rebound damping. A call to Progressive Suspension netted a pair of gas-charged shocks, complete with dual-rate springs, and a set of progressively wound fork springs.

Installing these components consumed about three hours, mainly because it wasn’t a bolt-on proposition. The fork springs were only a minor hassle to compress into the Radian's fork tubes, but installing the shocks proved particularly frustrating. The top mounts were simple once the proper shock-eye inserts were selected (a variety of shock-eye bushings are supplied with the shocks), but the bottom shock bushings were too wide for the Radian’s mounts. After spreading the lower mounts with a pry bar, the lower shock eyes

slid into place, but installing the mounting bolts was difficult due to the reshaping of the mounts.

Mounting hassles aside, though, the suspension changes definitely improved the Radian’s ride. The $160 shocks and $56 fork springs allowed the bike's wheels to move more compliantly over small bumps and ripples, enhancing around-town comfort. The suspension modifications also kicked the Radian's high-speed handling up a notch, allowing faster speeds through bumpy turns and giving the rider more control.

Having sorted out the suspension, we turned our attention to wind protection. A sport fairing from Yamaha ($ 107 at dealers) helped deflect bugs and road grime. The black Yamaha quarter-fairing was nicely finished, and bolted on easily, thanks to its clear installation instructions, but no one here really cared for its styling.

So. we ordered Rifle’s Superbike fairing. Larger than the Yamaha fairing and with a taller windscreen, the Rifle is available in black, white or silver for $219. Options include two

windscreen heights, 15-inch or 18inch, either available in clear or smoke tint.

Our black Rifle had the 18-inch, tinted screen, which did a good job of deflecting air, though one of our shorter riders complained of slight buffeting. The fairing’s 17-inch w idth provided a fair amount of torso protection, as well. The Rifle is superbly finished and came with a variety of mounting hardware, which made installation a fairly simple, one-hour job. A clear headlight cover is also furnished with the package, but the instructions warn that it may be illegal in some states.

Other changes to the Radian were purely cosmetic. Removing the passenger grab rail helped streamline the rear of the 600, which seemed to have too many angles competing with each other. And cutting away part of the bright plastic covers that hid the outside carburetors, then painting the remaining pieces black, eliminated some unwanted frill. Yamaha accessory engine guards ($24.95 at Yamaha dealers) added a splash of chrome and should help ward off damage to the engine in the event of a tip-over.

Adding accessories to the Radian and eliminating some of its glitter has been fun and relatively inexpensive. The Yamaha is now more comfortable and more competent, and, even including the price of the additional equipment, it's still one of the lowestpriced 600s on the market. El

SUPPLIERS

Suspension components

Progressive Suspension 1129 G Ave.

Hesperia, CA 92345 619/948-4012

Fairing

Rifle

P.O. Box 1857

Paso Robles, CA 93447

805/239-4235