Quick Ride

QUICK RIDE

YAMAHA TT600 Great bike, but made of unobtanium

BLAME IT ON BELGARDA, the company that imports Yamahas into Italy. Belgarda's brass determined that customers wanted something different in a dualpurpose mount. So the company conjured up the Belgarda Yamaha TT600.

The bike’s engine is the same found in the TT and XT600s sold here from 1984 through 1989, and so is its frame. This well-proven foundation is fitted with a KYB upside-down fork and an Öhlins rear shock. Brembo brake components and an aluminum YZ-type swingarm round out the package.

Street-legal hardware is minimalist. A license bracket and tumsignals are small and tuck out of the way so they are hardly noticeable. The gas tank is plastic, not steel, yet Belgarda says it meets emissions and safety standards. There is also a horn, brake lights and a very effective muffler. Battery? What battery? There is no electricstarter, and the bike runs all lights straight off its magneto, just like an off-road bike.

But no worries. A kick gets things turning. The big Single is deceptively smooth, with what feels like a tractor flywheel stretching each power stroke on to the next. The motor feels reluctant to rev, yet in side-by-side acceleration runs with a Kawasaki KLX650, the Yamaha would outrun the KLX and had a topspeed advantage besides. That means it’s also faster than a Honda XR650L.

The chassis is well laid out and also very comfortable, thanks in part to a pleasingly low 35-inch seat height. The rear brake is awesome and the front gets the job done. Tires are Pirelli Rallycross, basically a long-wearing knobby with DOT approval.

So far, so good. Things get just a bit difficult in the suspension department, however. The fork is a little harsh, and both front and rear suspension systems go through their respective strokes too easily. But the fork and shock are just like the ones on Yamaha’s motocrossers, and getting them to work like the motocross equipment is just a matter of tinkering with valving and springs.

Because the TT600 has an engine-forward, front-oriented weight bias, it isn’t as easy as you’d think to loft its front wheel. You’ve got to work for your wheelies. The flip-side, though, is that because of that weight bias, the TT goes exactly where you point it. Also, sliding the light rear end is just that much easier.

If the TT600 has a truly insoluble problem, it is the bike’s overall weight. Nevermind that it looks light; actual dry weight is 328 pounds, enough to make it an unruly beast in tough terrain.

Unfortunately, this is all just a bit academic, no matter how good the TT600 is-and it’s very good indeed, in spite of its considerable weight. The TT600 remains unavailable in the U.S. The bike you see here is one of three specially imported by Henderson, Nevadabased Desert Only Yamaha for the personal delight of the dealership’s owners at a cost of about $6500 each. Will Yamaha decide to sell the ItaloJapanese dual-purpose bikes here? Not likely, but we can always hope. -Jimmy Lewis