2010 Yamaha FZ-8

Yamaha release the middleweight naked FZ-8 in two variants, the naked N, and the half-faired S.

Yamaha FZ8

After a well executed marketing campaign that featured “spy shots” and glimpses of the new middleweight naked FZ8, Yamaha have announced its arrival in Australia.

With Suzuki’s GSX-R750 earning praise for it’s all round suitability in the sports line-up between the 600 and the 1000, it isn’t hard to see what the attraction of this 779cc naked would be. Not too big and raw, but with a chunk more torque than a 600. Early press blurb hinted at an all new machine.

What we have got it seems, is basically an FZ-1 with a smaller bore, and a host of refinements. Putting Yamaha’s spec sheets back to back, we see the FZ8 and FZ1 sharing the same length, width, height and wheelbase. Weight is pretty much the same, with only the engine bore size markedly different, even the crank stroke is the same.

How this adds up on the road is hard to judge, as we haven’t ridden one yet. On paper – and ignoring the feeling that this might just be an lower powered version of an FZ1 – the FZ8’s numbers seem to add up to a practical, yet fun ride.

We are big fans of this style of bike for real world riding, and look forward to riding one. It certainly looks the business.

The FZ8-S

The FZ8-N