Yzf750

YZF750

YAMAHA'S REPLIRACER REENTRY VEHICLE

"WIN ON SUNDAY, SELL on Monday,” is an old NASCAR battle cry that has moved a lot of Monte Carlos, Thunderbirds and Luminas out of dealer showrooms. Motorcycle-makers know this sales strategy, too, though from time to time some seem to forget it.

Take Yamaha, for instance. From 1990, Yamaha won one AMA Superbike championship and two Daytona 200s with the OWOl Superbike, yet in that same time frame there was no street-going counterpart. Riders in search of a 750cc repli-racer had two choices: Kawasaki’s ZX-7 or Suzuki’s GSX-R750.

That’s all changed with the introduction of the YZF750R, a streetbike that forms the basis for Yamaha’s factory-backed Superbike effort in the U.S. for 1994. The YZF is also eligible for AMA 750cc supersport competition, marking the first time in the series’ history that a competitive Yamaha will enter the fray.

We’ve seen the YZF before, at least in limited-edition form. Yamaha brought in 15 so-called SP versions last year for AMA homologation purposes. When CW track-tested the SP (see “The New 750cc Superbikes,” March, 1993), we came away impressed. And when Yamaha recently invited members of the press to Roebling Road Raceway near Savanna, Georgia, for a taste of what the 1994 YZF750R has to offer, we were equally impressed.

Yamaha has outdone itself with the YZF’s shift mechanism. Gear changes are as slick as a bar of Ivory held in greasy hands. Even the upshift from first to second passes through neutral in a muted fashion, devoid of the mechanical thunk common to most bikes. Due to its street-riding intent, the R-model does away with the SP’s close-ratio gearbox and balky flat-slide carbs. The R’s lower first gear and CV

Mikunis make pulling away from a stop at low rpm a breeze, while its taller top gear keeps engine revs and subsequent vibration lower during freeway droning. Above 7000 rpm, the level of engine vibration passing through the bars, tank and footpegs is on par with other repli-racer Foursnoticeable though not intrusive-but when short-shifted, the YZF motor purrs so smoothly it would do a touring bike justice.

Suspension fitted to the YZF-R was taken directly from last year’s SP model. The ride has a feel of qualitytaut but smooth over small bumps and rollers-though sharp bumps are fully felt through the bars and seat. Both ends are adjustable for spring preload, compression and rebound damping. Steering remains as it was with the SP: lighter than the ZX-7 but displaying a tendency to shake its head a bit while driving hard out of bumpy turns, something we experienced with the SP at Willow Springs Raceway last year. Another SP problem uncovered at Willow was the exhaust canister touching down in turns. This problem never surfaced at Roebling Road, a track that, like Willow, is mostly composed of righthand comers. Until we fully test the YZF-R at Willow, it’s hard to say whether the cornering clearance has tmly been improved on the new bike.

Likewise, while the power of the R-model’s engine felt competitive at Roebling, final evaluation will have to wait for our upcoming road test complete with dyno, drag-strip and top-speed performance numbers.

The YZF will need to be good, because it’s not going to be inexpensive. Suggested retail will be $9799, a considerable $1700 more than both the ZX-7 and the updated GSX-R, though on par with the low-volume, race-oriented Kawasaki ZX-7R and significantly less than the yet-to-bereleased and highly exclusive Honda RC45, mmored to ring in at $25,000. How the YZF will fare on the racetrack and in the showroom this year remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: After years of dormancy in the 750 class, Yamaha is back in the business of racing what it sells and selling what it races. -Don Canet