Yamaha Unleashes Bulldog V-Twin!
YAMAHA UNLEASHES BULLDOG V-TWIN!
ROUNDUP
IF YOU THOUGHT YAMAHA had nothing more up its sleeve than the new Road Star Warrior super-cruiser, think again. Just as U.S. product planners were pulling the wraps off early-release 2002 models under the lights in Las Vegas (with guest-help from ESPN Sportcenter’s wisecracking Dan Patrick and Kenny Mayne), the striking new BT 1100 Bulldog was taking centerstage in Europe.
What’s a Bulldog, you ask? At first glance, the V-Twin-engined machine appears to be a sort of crossbreed-equal parts Buell Lightning XI, Ducati Monster 900 S and Triumph Speed Triple. One CW staffer even christened it “a modern XV920,” noting similarities to Yamaha’s quirkily styled standard of 1981-82. Upon closer inspection, however, the BT 1100 more likely targets BMW’s new RI 150R Roadster.
Like the Beemer, the Bulldog is air-cooled and shaft-driven, with triple-disc brakes and an upright riding position. Claimed output from its V-Star 1100sourced, 1063cc, 75-degree VTwin is 64 horsepower at 5500 rpm with 65 foot-pounds of torque at 4500 rpm. The Roadster, however, puts out 75 bhp at the rear wheel. Also, it’s fuelinjected and benefits from a six-speed transmission. The Yamaha is carbureted and has only five cogs.
Which is why it won’t be coming to the U.S. “It’s not a huge, high-horsepower bike,” explains a Yamaha spokesman. “It’s something Belgarda Yamaha in Italy put together. They thought there might be a market for it in Europe. It has a low pricepoint, uses existing technology and is intended mostly as an entry-level model. We don’t think there’s a market for this bike in the U.S. Think about it: 506 pounds and 64 horsepower? Boooring.”
Amsterdam-based Yamaha product-planner Oliver Grill doesn’t see the BT 1100 in quite the same light. “It has the ideal powerplant for ‘torque surfing,’ ” he enthuses. “The Bulldog has a wide range of uses, from sportriding on smaller roads to longdistance touring.”
And there’s more performance on tap, says Claudio Consonni, BT 1100 project leader. “With some modifications to the air cleaner and carburetors, we can quite easily realize even more power, should the market require this.”
Engineer Hiromi Yamamoto coordinated the project between Japan and Italy. “More than twothirds of the Bulldog’s parts came from Italy or other European suppliers,” he says. “It has a few unusual design features, like the tube-type backbone chassis and cast-aluminum swingarm.”
The rest of the chassis, however, is standard stuff, from the 43mm conventional fork and linkage-type rear suspension to the 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels shod with 120/70 and 170/60 radiais. As for the front brakes, four-piston YZF-R1spec calipers pinch floating 298mm rotors. Wheelbase measures 60.2 inches and seat height is 31.9 inches.
Global Design’s Bart JanssenGroesbeek headed the Bulldog’s styling. “A naked motorcycle like the BT 1100 is one of the most interesting projects for a designer,” he says. “We wanted to combine modern technology with pure shapes and materials. The headlight, for example, has a traditional round outline, but is completely modern in its construction.”
Belgarda has built other models, most notably the dual-purpose TT600 and sporty SZR660, but the Bulldog is its first big bike. No doubt, there will be more. Question is, will we ever see any of them stateside?
Matthew Miles
