From the Archives: Yamaha FZ750

"YAMAHA FZ750 - STILL THE WORLD'S MOST-ADVANCED FOUR-STROKE" was the slogan in the sales brochure that accompanied the model in 1986, the year after its launch. And true enough, because Yamaha was the only one with 5-valve technology, consisting of 3 intake valves and 2 exhaust valves, a technology that Yamaha used right up until 2007 in R1.

With the FZ750 launched in 1985, this was Yamaha's first model to stake a claim to a place in the new class of R-bikes.

The model, with its 5 valves per cylinder, was rolling proof that the engine engineers at Yamaha were able to think ahead. With a dry weight of 209 kg and an inline-four that developed 102 hp at 10,500 rpm, it quickly sprinted up to 140 mph.

With 105 hp, it had 5 horsepower more than Suzuki's trendsetter from the same year, the GSX-R750, but the design of the FZ was still more influenced by sports touring than by the R.

This put it a bit in the shadow of the Suzuki, a model that set the standard for the R-class.

When Yamaha launched the FZR1000 in 1987, it grabbed most of the attention as potential buyers leafed through Yamaha 's sales brochure in search of the fastest model. The FZ was briefly overshadowed by the FZR, but contemporary tests show that the 750n was a potent machine with fine handling characteristics.