On the segment of the sporting roadsters midsize, Yamaha FZ8 was well sold… but it remained less popular than unbeatable Kawasaki Z750, recently become Z800. That’s no problem: to give arguments again to him, Yamaha adopts the colors of Motorcycle GP, polishes its part cycles and re-examines certain accessories. Will optimizations necessary, but be sufficient? Here our verdict.
With a price of launching fixed at 7,999 € (without ABS) at the time of its exit in 2010, Yamaha FZ8 2013 seemed well armed vis-a-vis the bestseller with the French market, Kawasaki Z750 at the head. Unfavorable economic climate, design lack audacity, more aggressive trade policy on behalf of competition… the reasons are multiple, but the plan of the Yamaha manufacturer did not proceed as envisaged.
The assessment is not catastrophic for as much. Admittedly, one is far from the 5,000 annual units discounted by Eric of Seine, but with 3,336 registrations in 2011 and 2,909 in 2012, the roadster of point to the three tuning forks is in top 6 of the hexagonal sales. At the time of our comparative on the category more than the appraisal of French, the Japanese woman with the remarkable versatility shared the first place of the podium with BMW F800R. Beautiful performance
On the commercial plan in 2013, Yamaha wants more for this model of importance: doesn’t the Yamaha FZ8 replace FZ6 to celebrate it, past with more than 250,000 specimens during its long career? But the firm with the tuning forks also wishes to find itself in phase with the last evolutions of Kawasaki Z800 or of Triumph Street Triples 675.
The manufacturer thus proposes an evolution up on which certain points were optimized. Following criticisms formulated in the opposition as of suspensions and of the ground clearance, Yamaha FZ8 2013 obtains a fork unit/adjustable shock absorber. A detail of importance, the exhaust changes its look, just like the coating of saddle and cabochons of indicators. What to revive the flame of the Yamaha FZ8? It is precisely what we will try to draw with light on the small roads from Grad in morning, then on the Ale circuit in the afternoon. Welcome in the Evenness!
Less rebound = more comfort!
Blue Race combining gray checkmate and semi-sparkling blue (Transferring almost with purple with the sun), the Yamaha FZ8 2013 which we discover the amateurs of sporting roadsters in search of originality should like color. It is a beautiful motorcycle whose completion is always developing and could not be easily criticize able in manufacturing. Exit the old pot with the much criticized look: with its classical form, its flask stainless and its yoke of protection of same material, the new silencer presents much better.
To mount Yam hardly poses problem with the common run of the pilots. The saddle is accessible (815 mm), the base of the tank not too broad is well drawn, as for the handlebar and with the footrests, they torrent a position of natural control, where the constraint is not setting. One likes! On the other hand, one likes less the ground on which Denis Bouan (seven times winner of the Motorcycle Tower) chose to take us along for this test.
Graters, very narrow, strewn with salt or snow on the sides: if Yam’ inspires confidence to us, one cannot draw the same assessment from this first part of course. Sometimes smashed, we thus evolve on eggs. Nevertheless on this very particular ground, we already notice an improvement in terms of comfort and handling of the news Yamaha FZ8.
Indeed, first FZ8 retained little in hydraulics in the back, rebounded on the bad coatings. Its new accessory of better quality – presenting a firmer spring and the possibility of varying its relaxation on 20 positions, with an adjustment of origin to the twelfth notch – deletes the imperfection. As a result we imagine the practice of the duet relatively more acceptable.
A behavior out of criticism
On more conventional, homogeneous and practically dry roads, the news Yamaha FZ8 2013 shines for its road behavior. How the old one finally! Its fork goes up in range, having the three adjustments henceforth. However in mode strolls, this vice seems to us a little too much, insofar as the agility as the reading of the nose gear was already strong points on previous grinding. Driving side, one is happy to find the 4-cylinders with the remarkable flexibility.
Able to draw tractor without tears as of the 2,000 tr/min, it offers a good linearity up to 5,500 tr/min, marks a little time up to 6000 tr/min then offer a very good promptness to the entry of its red zone placed at 10,000 tr/min. Impetuous this subsidiary shell, but one can also roll up on a thread of gas without changing report. And it is finally better like that, offering regard to the presence of a transmission always a little hard. Braking, allured him, us by his power, but also its progressiveness. ABS is not very intrusive is very well parameterized: of good omen for a small session tracks. What falls at named point since we arrive now at the doors of the circuit of the mechanical pole?
Silts of the toe-clips!
Few motorcyclists feed their sporting roadster midsize to circuit. What imports: to prove to us the benefits of the evolution of the Yamaha FZ8 2013, Yamaha did not hesitate to offer the Evenness track. And taking into account the state of his coating, where the imperfections and the bandages are numerous, and the Japanese manufacturer could not offer better ground to us to measure his evolution. We thus leave with the adjustments origin. On the fork, compression is fixed on the seventh click, the relaxation on 4; the preload of the spring is on the fourth feature.
In the back, the relaxation remains on 12, the preload on 5. Under these conditions, which we have a presentiment of on road confirms on track. The domesticated back gives more serenity to piloting, with a handling in Net progress. As for the nose gear, it shines for its clearness. The Yamaha FZ8 2013 is light and homogeneous; it is placed with ease as starter of curve and ideally holds its course full angle.
After several passages, we however find that it going up a little quickly on the fast phase shifts. By lowering the compression of the fork and the relaxation to the shock absorber with 5, the small effect of pumping attenuates. The new suspensions are better, but not on the level as of Ohlin’s suspensions of the series R Line tested last year. The assessment remains however positive.
And does you keep it on the ground will tell me? In progress, I will answer you, but not yet irreproachable. Even with nipples of footrests mysteriously disappeared on our motorcycles from test; the catch of angle on circuit was fatal with these small accessories. Let us relativism all the same: the use on circuit remains an extreme case. At least 95% of the Yamaha FZ8 2013 “of the daily newspaper” will never see the least vibrator.
Assessment: Placed well, but not sexiest
Last year, bikescatalog proposed to you a comparative new bike between the three Yamaha FZ8 of the range Yamaha 2012. If these three machines were still with the catalog today, this new Yamaha FZ8 2013 would be interrelated naturally between the standard R-Line model and FZ8. Without price of preferential launching today, the news Yamaha FZ8 is placed at the same rate as the old one: 8,399 € for the standard version, 8,999 € for the model ABS. Vis-a-vis Suzuki GSR 750, with the news Triumph Street Triples 675, even in Honda Hornet 600, the roadster with the three tuning forks announces itself slightly more expensive, but these are obviously not these models that he seeks to dethrone.
In the line of sight Yamaha is held the Kawasaki bestseller whose last variation in 800 Cm3 is displayed all the same with 8,899 €, that is to say 500 € moreover than our mounting of the day. But the price does not do all: Kawasaki Z800 changed look, its part cycles and its engine also evolved. The news Yamaha FZ8 2013 advances arguments, certainly, but remains less sexy and exuberant that it’s green rival. And that counts on this segment!
