06-03-2016, 08:30 AM
I know that these bikes had a somewhat polarizing effect with most riders of the time, but I was a fan, and was fascinated with the technology and the styling.
I bought a new '81 in '82 (or was it an '82 in '83?), and loved it. For the time period, I felt it looked like a cross between a fighter jet, and a Star Wars X-wing. The digital dash was also incredibly futuristic, and way before its time. It was amazingly comfortable, and placed you in what I'd call a "sport-touring" position on the bike. The fairing was greatly effective, and I never felt like I was fighting the wind, even at triple digit speeds.
But the biggest draw was that turbo. When it kicked in - at around 5 grand, if I remember correctly - the acceleration was explosive, and felt far stronger than Yamaha's claimed 90hp. Only my modded FZ1 threatened to tear the grips away from my hands the way the Turbo did, and even with way more power, it didn't come on nearly as violently as with the Turbo.
It was extremely docile at lower speeds, and off the turbo - more like the mere 650 it was, hampered by all the additional plumbing and bodywork. But the power was tractable and smooth, and it felt far lighter than the 560 or so lbs. I think it weighed, even if it was a little top-heavy. A buddy of mine bought one of the first Ninjas in 1984 (900cc), and the two bikes were perfectly matched in speed and acceleration, right up to its 125-ish mph top speed. We proved it time and again, every weekend down Santiago Canyon, or Ortega Highway, or even the occasional freeway blast (all in Orange County, southern CA). His two friends with Kawasaki GPZ 550s that used to tag along on most rides never stood a chance.
I know the Kawi 750 turbo was a faster/quicker, more hardcore bike, but it couldn't match the Yammer for comfort and usability, at least for my interests.
Just loved that bike. Still miss it. Still looking for that A-1 quality example to cross my path that will find a home in my garage...and I hope that just maybe there might be others here who liked 'em as well?
Here's a couple of old shots of mine, illegally parked on the walkway through Central Park in Huntington Beach early on a Sunday morning:
[url=http://s157.photobucket.com/user/mustangfeverrr/media/YamahaTurboCentralPark_zpsyvix1pen.jpg.html]![[Image: d124c81f8c19265ce848b6deecb5e9b2.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201606/d124c81f8c19265ce848b6deecb5e9b2.jpg)
And on a trip to see a Navy buddy of mine up at Moffett Field (near Mountain View, CA):
[url=http://s157.photobucket.com/user/mustangfeverrr/media/YamahaTurbo_zpszhhh9zui.jpg.html]![[Image: d542f710c7d406df7296c77c615fe25d.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201606/d542f710c7d406df7296c77c615fe25d.jpg)
I bought a new '81 in '82 (or was it an '82 in '83?), and loved it. For the time period, I felt it looked like a cross between a fighter jet, and a Star Wars X-wing. The digital dash was also incredibly futuristic, and way before its time. It was amazingly comfortable, and placed you in what I'd call a "sport-touring" position on the bike. The fairing was greatly effective, and I never felt like I was fighting the wind, even at triple digit speeds.
But the biggest draw was that turbo. When it kicked in - at around 5 grand, if I remember correctly - the acceleration was explosive, and felt far stronger than Yamaha's claimed 90hp. Only my modded FZ1 threatened to tear the grips away from my hands the way the Turbo did, and even with way more power, it didn't come on nearly as violently as with the Turbo.
It was extremely docile at lower speeds, and off the turbo - more like the mere 650 it was, hampered by all the additional plumbing and bodywork. But the power was tractable and smooth, and it felt far lighter than the 560 or so lbs. I think it weighed, even if it was a little top-heavy. A buddy of mine bought one of the first Ninjas in 1984 (900cc), and the two bikes were perfectly matched in speed and acceleration, right up to its 125-ish mph top speed. We proved it time and again, every weekend down Santiago Canyon, or Ortega Highway, or even the occasional freeway blast (all in Orange County, southern CA). His two friends with Kawasaki GPZ 550s that used to tag along on most rides never stood a chance.
I know the Kawi 750 turbo was a faster/quicker, more hardcore bike, but it couldn't match the Yammer for comfort and usability, at least for my interests.
Just loved that bike. Still miss it. Still looking for that A-1 quality example to cross my path that will find a home in my garage...and I hope that just maybe there might be others here who liked 'em as well?
Here's a couple of old shots of mine, illegally parked on the walkway through Central Park in Huntington Beach early on a Sunday morning:
[url=http://s157.photobucket.com/user/mustangfeverrr/media/YamahaTurboCentralPark_zpsyvix1pen.jpg.html]
And on a trip to see a Navy buddy of mine up at Moffett Field (near Mountain View, CA):
[url=http://s157.photobucket.com/user/mustangfeverrr/media/YamahaTurbo_zpszhhh9zui.jpg.html]