Yamaha's Euro-Only Sportbikes For '96
YAMAHA'S EURO-ONLY SPORTBIKES FOR '96
ROUNDUP
YAMAHA IS BUILDING sportbikes, but not for us—at least not for now. Four new models will be sold in Europe for ’96, while Yamaha USA concentrates its promotional efforts on the Royal Star mega-cruiser.
“We have not in any way, shape or form abandoned the sportbike market,” asserts a Yamaha USA spokesman. “Unfortunately, it takes longer for our bikes to go through ERA testing, so Europe gets the models first.”
Leading Yamaha’s new sport fleet is the YZE1000R Thunder Ace, replacement for the able-but-aging FZR1000. At a claimed 436 pounds dry, the big-gun YZF may not “outlight" the Honda CBR900RR, but in unrestricted form it pumps out a claimed 145 horsepower, almost 20 up on the featherweight CBR.
In the 600 class, an all-new
YZF600 with fully revised chassis and uprated motor should give Yamaha the base it needs to go after Honda’s CBR600F3 and Kawasaki's ZX-6R-both on the supersport race circuit and in the showroom sales wars. At presstime, neither photos nor specs were available for the 600, which may be saddled with the unfortunate Thunder Cat moniker in Europe.
Fans of sport-Twins will be saddened to learn that the Ducati-esque TRX850 won’t be coming Stateside next year, if at all. At a projected price of $8500-plus, it would be too expensive for American tastes, says Yamaha. A curious comment coming from a company that has no qualms about selling a $14,000 cruiser in 1996.
Also powered by the company's 270-degree parallelTwin, also not destined for the USA. is a revised version of the TDM850. A sales smash in Europe, the TDM met with a lukewarm reception in the U.S. when offered for sale in 1992-93. The 1996 version is torquier, runs a shorter wheelbase, gets largerdiameter fork tubes, is equipped with radial tires and has redrawn bodywork.
So, short of packing bags and moving to Europe, what are U.S. Yamaha sportbike fans to do? Be patient-the YZF1000 and YZF600, at least, arc in the pipeline.
“As far as timing is concerned, we don't know for sure, but it won’t be that long, most likely within the next year,” says a company spokesman.
David Edwards
