- Smooth power delivery
- Enough grunt not to have to change gears often
- Comfortable riding position
- An easy bike to manage
- A good all-rounder
Yamaha recognised the need to fill the gap between its high-spec 1000cc FZ1 and the new price-conscious XJ6S Diversion, resulting in the mid-sized 800cc Yamaha FZ8-N, and the half-faired FZ8-S.
The FZ8-N isn’t the fastest bike on the block, but it’s the overall package that makes the bike special.
Holding the throttle on that bit longer will have the narrow 779cc four-cylinder powerplant freely running up to its 11,500rpm redline, although not anywhere like the YZF-R1.
You’ll find there’s no such thing as a power curve – the fuel-injected motor is so linear that I couldn’t pick-up any power increase whatsoever, anywhere in the rev range. Although this has the advantage of making the bike more predictable, it can trap an inexperienced rider into thinking they’re going slower than first thought.
The FZ8-N has good volumes of the torque I found lacking from the 600cc XJ6S Diversion, with enough stomp in any gear to avoid having to change down to make a quick pass. I didn’t have to constantly worry about my road speed versus engine rpm and which gear I was in, and this resulted in a more leisurely ride.
The six-speed transmission worked a treat going up and down the box. First gear seemed to be quite tall, as did third and fourth. The grunt of the four valves per cylinder engine coped well enough for the bike to pull cleanly out of corners in the lower rev range, and just as cleanly when the motor was spinning at say 10,000rpm.
Super-soft front forks and a slightly harder sprung rear shock also contributed to that leisurely feeling, which was okay up to my medium riding speed point. Faster than that and the bike pitched forward far too much during harder-end braking, and generally lost a level of feel I’d like to see retained in any medium to large capacity motorcycle. However, the 211kg (wet) FZ8-N kept its wheels in line when I rode over several multiple mid-turn ripples at medium speed, so not all was lost.
If I wanted to take those ripples at high lean angles the suspension wouldn’t cope as the front wheel would fully compress the forks on the third or fourth ripple, leaving little travel left to soak up any which may follow. All just because the 43mm inverted forks are very soft with a non-adjustable spring rate or damping wise, which would also help it over those ripples much better, if fitted.
If you like the fast lane, buy a pair of stronger fork springs and put 15 or 20 weight fork oil in the forks. Go for 15 first and try that. It’ll handle like a new machine and should steer into the corners more predictably, too.
Despite the soft front end, the high bars enhance the turn-in effect for what is already a fast bike to enter a corner on, and it is very stable, largely thanks to a generous 1460mm wheelbase. Helping matters will be the long and sturdy alloy swingarm, which has the pivot almost in the middle of the bike. The net result is a machine that has good latent stability while being a breeze to corner on using the leverage of the high bars.
You can adjust the rear spring rate to better suit your riding style, or if you carry the extra weight of a passenger.
One important difference I noticed was the half faired FZ8-S has a pair of neat and practical rear side rails for your pillion – excellent for holding onto, or to your load bungy off. The front seat was nice although the fuel tank splayed my legs apart a fair bit.
Our Waikato Yamaha FZ8-N had a few extras like the $305 GYTR frame sliders with cool FZ8 markings, as is the $45.50 tank pad. The stubbie GYTR carbon R6 muffler sells for $661.39, which also requires a $125 stainless steel adaptor.
I really enjoyed my time on the Yamaha FZ8-N. The $16,349 price tag is quickly forgotten once you arrive at the first corner. Some folk live for the “naked” look, however, for all practical riding, it’d be far better to pick up the $17,679 faired FZ8-S version.
See the Yamaha FZ8-N for sale.
Compare the FZ8-N to other models here.
Specifications
Engine Inline liquid cooled four-cylinder
Capacity 779cc
Bore x stroke 68 x 53.6mm
Compression ratio 12.0:1
Power rating 106.2hp @ 10,000rpm
Torque 82Nm @ 8000rpm
Fuel management Fuel injected
Transmission Six speeds
Fuel capacity 17.0 litres
Chassis Alloy frame
Seat height 815mm
Weight 211kg, wet (FZ8-S, 215kg)
Wheelbase 1460mm
Front tyre 120/70/17 Bridgestone Battlax BT021 sport touring
Rear tyre 180/55/17 Bridgestone Battlax BT021 sport touring