Clearer of trends and pioneer of Japanese custom vagueness, Yamaha returns to the sources with a modern incarnation of the 535 Virago: Yamaha 950 Bolt. A sporting custom in the Yamaha range, one had not seen that since not regretted 1700 Warrior. But this time, it is more on the gauge and the weight that the engineer’s house worked that on the cubic capacity and the fire power…
Yamaha the USA benefited from the opening from Daytona Bike Week, Friday, March 9, to introduce new Star Yamaha 950 Bolt. For recall, Star is division custom of the three tuning forks in North America, whose catalog counts a large score of models. Yamaha Bolt, as it will thus be called on our premises, is a custom intended openly to go on the flowerbeds of Harley-Davidson 883 Iron.
The Yamaha Bolt again takes the twin-cylinder out of V of 942 Cm3, injected and cooled by air, of the XVS 950 Midnight Star. But this engine, torque than powerful – 7.68 daN.m with 3,000 tr/min for 54 ch. with 6,000 tr/min – comes to be placed within a framework doubles cradle equipped with two classical shock absorbers. The transmission remains as for it faithful to the secondary belt: large more for the fans of the kind, generally refractory with the maintenance generated by a chain.
Thus rigged, Yamaha 950 Bolt invests a crenel forsaken by the manufacturer’s general practitioners: that of the light, sporting and accessible custom. To allure amateurs of the nervous and handy twins, the Bolt will be able to hope on a weight contained (247 kg in functioning order, are about thirty least that Midnight Star and a fortnight less than one 883 Iron) and a compact gauge, well far from the “Conceited Servant boy Replica” to which accustomed us the Japanese since the Nineties. Side look, one forgets chromium foil and one greets the effort of sobriety of the designers Star. Here thus which should fill the last fans of late the XV535 Virago?
In the United States, Star 950 Bolt is announced 7,990 $ (net of tax) that is to say approximately 6,150 €. A version “R-Spec” equipped with Ohlin’s shock absorbers to separate bottle is also available to the catalog against 8,290 $ (approximately 6300 €). Questioned on the subject, Yamaha France did not wish to come to a conclusion about the availability of the Bolt in the Hexagon. But considering the current destitution of the range custom of the brand, however pioneer of the kind, one frankly hopes to see unloading this pretty innovation with the French catalog…
