Yamaha FZ 400R

FOR A CHANGE, THE MOTOR ISN'T THE MESSAGE

For many motorcycles, it's the engine that leaves an indelible impression, that engraves itself into memory. How could you forget the yowling CBX Six or the quaking torque of an XR1000? That'd be difficult, but it's all too easy for the inline-Four engine in Yamaha's FZ400R to slide from mind.

That's not to say the FZR doesn't leave its imprint. After riding it, you're filled with wonder that any motorcycle can steer so precisely, so positively, and you're left with a new standard for motorcycle handling.

A spec sheet doesn't give a clue that the chassis, not the engine, is the center of interest for the FZR. The engine has all the trendy features: 16 valves, liquid cooling, a large bore combined with a short stroke. But in practice, the engine isn't impressive. It pulls well at low speeds, goes slightly flat in the middle, then picks up again at the top of the rev range. It's a perfectly usable powerband on the racetrack, but more midrange would be welcome on the street.

Looking at the chassis doesn't fully build expectations, either. The frame is reminiscent of the FJ1100's, with rectangular steel tubes wrapping around the sides of the engine instead of over the top. Tire sizes are the same as for the other 400s (16-inch front, 18-inch rear), and steering geometry is only slightly quicker (26-degree head angle and 4 inches of trail).

Whatever the difference, however, it tells you that it's there the first time you whip the bike through an S-bend. The chicane at the end of the front straightaway at Sugo Circuit, for instance, can be taken at around 80 mph on a good streetbike. It requires hard braking, then a quick flick to the right and a hard flop to the left, with no time for a gradual transition. Every other motorcycle we rode at Sugo was work through the chicane, but the FZR sailed through so easily and precisely it left us wondering why we weren't going faster.

This magical handling hasn't come without a few penalties. The FZR does, after all, have a sticker on the side that says "Pure Sports." The seat is thinly padded, if well shaped, and the suspension is stiff enough to make the wheels chatter on a bumpy road. Steering lock is about half that of other streetbikes, so a simple task like turning around in a driveway can be a chore.

Still, we're willing to forgive the FZR far worse than these minor defects in exchange for handling that rivals that of GP machines.