Yamaha Radian
Yamaha Radian
NEVER HAS ANY MOTORCYCLE changed so much by changing so little. Yamaha’s Radian is the incredible changing standard. Back in 1984, the Yamaha FJ600 was the king of the middleweight sportbikes. It "had the motor and the handling to dominate official box-stock racing as well as any other kind of less-official racing that it might get into. Then the FJ disappeared, leaving the Radian as its closest living relative. In 1986, the Radian was a budget bike, and it used the same engine and a round-tube frame similar to the old FJ’s. But its motor was considered outdated by then, and the Radian seemed destined to be a commuter for the rest of its days.
Now come the Nineties, and the Radian is suddenly one of the new standards. The sportbike-turnedbudget-bike has become a budgetbike-turned-standard. And, weirder still, in this third life, the Radian is once again a performer.
Of all the motorcycles gathered in our standard-bike extravaganza, the Radian has one of the sharpest-feeling motors. Its quarter-mile ET of 12.32 seconds makes it the quickest of the group. Of course, compared to a modern 600cc sportbike, such as Yamaha’s own FZR600, the Radian is a real dog. so how good the aircooled, 599cc, eight-valve motor looks depends upon the company it keeps.
Compared to the other standards, the Radian chassis feels rather small.
It has one of the most-cramped seating positions, and our larger riders wasted no opportunities to gripe about that fact. And beyond that, the motorcycle looks small. Its wheelbase, at just under 55 inches, is a touch on the short side, but not enough to account for the overall impression of smallness. That feeling comes from the narrow handlebar, the slender seat and the small fuel tank, as much as anything else.
Another common complaint centers around the twin-shock rear suspension. It's not very good. The ride is bumpy and harsh no matter where you adjust the spring preload. There are a number of aftermarket companies that love the Radian because of this.
On the plus side, the bike is an excellent handler on tight roads. There, the small-feeling chassis is an asset and the Radian is a confidence-inspiring handler. It has good ground clearance, excellent steering and powerful brakes. The Radian might be a standard bike these days, but it still can’t avoid letting some of its sportbike heritage show through.
And its days as a budget bike aren’t over, either. The machine retails for $3699, which means that, in addition to being the most powerful of these 10 bikes, it is the second-least-expensive (the price champion is the Suzuki GS500E).
SPECIFICATIONS
Yamaha Radian
$3699
Of course, when the Radian was introduced back in 1986, it sold for $2399 and was virtually the same bike. Now, that doesn't mean that the Radian is a bad deal now-far from it. You'd be hard-pressed to find as much performance for the dollar.
But, man, was it a great deal back then.
