The Rumors Are True! Yamaha's Twin Is In.
THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! YAMAHA'S TWIN IS IN.
ROUNDUP
YAMAHA'S LONG-ANTICIpated TRX850 has been spotted in Europe and Japan. A U.S. Yamaha spokesman says the bike might be sold here. Eventually.
For now, Yamaha will sell 2000 of the Ducati-like machines in Japan while it evaluates the bike's sales potential abroad. The TRX could be sold elsewhere as early as next year, but there's no word as to when it might reach our shores.
"We are looking at the feasi bility of bringing the bike into this country," says a Yamaha spokesman. "The bike is a vi able addition to the U.S. line up, but we have to look at what its price would be."
No price has been released, but photographs suggest Yama ha has worked to keep costs low by sourcing components from other models. The steel, trellis-style frame is new, but the 10-valve Twin, for example, is based on the TDM85O engine. A redesigned head, larger carbs and a new exhaust report edly boost output from 76 to a
claimed 83 horsepower. A 270degree crankshaft is fitted, de signed to create the feel of a 90-degree V-Twin. Front suspension, a 41 mm
Kayaba fork, is borrowed from the frontline FZR400RR SP, and is adjustable for compres sion, rebound and spring pre load. A fully adjustable Ohlins shock is fitted at the rear.
Lights and gauges are from the FZR600, and the fairing is based on that of a domestic market 250.
All this comes together in a package with a claimed dry weight of 397 pounds, 12 less than Ducati's 900SS SP.
Robert Hough
REVISED V-MAX, FZR1000 COMING IN 1996?
W hile the TRX85O heralds a new approach for Yamaha, the com pany is also revising two of its most popular big-bore models, the V-Max and FZR1 000.
Details are sketchy, but something is stirring in V-Maxville. European sources say tire makers have been told the 1996 V-Max will have a 15-inch front rim, which is three inches smaller than the current unit.
A U.S. Yamaha spokesman would not confirm the report, but he did say, "The V Max is an important model in our lineup,
and we will continue to make improve ments and changes to the bike."
Yamaha Japan officials have told In Moto, an Italian magazine, that the FZR1000 will also receive improvements and changes. The official said that in stead of adding power, or building a 900cc version, Yamaha will reduce the bike's weight and make the ergonomics more comfortable than those of Honda's CBR900RR.
A U.S. Yamaha spokesman responded by saying, "We are not prepared to tell you what the 1996 FZR1 000 will be like."
