This smarmy little git used to howl past my Kawasaki GPz550 like I was going backwards. Just to rub salt into the wound, it was only a 250! A grey import known as the Yamaha Phazer. A neat little four stroke four that revved to 18000 with a lovely snarl and was light enough to throw around like a 125. It was good, no doubt about it, aided along by one of those nutters who learnt to ride on a Suzuki GT250 with a loose swinging arm. I could've cried into me fish and chips, the number of times I was burnt off. Only on the longer straights did the GPz have any hope of catching him.
After a few months he notified me that the bike was up for sale - fifteen hundred notes for the 1986 cycle would clinch the deal, about 15000 miles of hard charging on the clock. Would he take my GPz in exchange - piss off! After a bit of running around I came up with the dosh and the bike was all mine.
Peak torque’s made around 12000 revs and power at 15000 revs, though the engine keeps running way beyond that (non-standard jets and can on the rusty four into one). That means using the gearbox ail the time. Luckily, the gearbox was still slick and it was the kind of hustle that I’ve always enjoyed. Nothing like a fast foot and large grin, the clutch could be ignored without the box feeling like it was about to explode.
Power wasn't excessive, I suppose, 45 to 50 horses, but the bike was so light, not much more than 300lbs, that it flew along far faster than its capacity and power output might suggest. A real giant killer. Backed up by solid stability from upgraded suspension and a set of newish Avon radials on the sixteen inch wheels, which were covered in corrosion and white rot.
The small wheels weren't twitchy but did respond to the smallest of inputs - after a week I seemed to be controlling the bike with my mind rather than muscle. I could see how the slow turning GPz didn’t have a chance. Tee hee! A slight tug of the buttocks was all that was need for fast changes of direction.
Unlike the import replicas, the FZ was also well thought out with regards to its riding position and long distance comfort. The 12 litre tank was good for 150 miles, which was matched by the saddle (a far from trendy bright and dirty red, but you can’t have everything, can you?).
Fuel was jolly good at 60 to 70mpg, doubtless helped along by the freer flowing induction and exhaust mods - it was a lean running thing until it'd had ten minutes to warm up. Once, when fuel was running low in the deserted Scottish highlands, I rode for eighty miles at 40mph, the engine giving an astonishing 80mpg!
The half fairing was moulded as part of the petrol tank, still looked modern but didn’t give an excess of protection to my hands or upper body. A little bit more plastic here and there would've made all the difference - maybe! Its aerodynamics were good, though, acceleration not tailing off until 110mph was on the clock, with a once in a lifetime reading of 130mph... usually 120 to 125mph, though the clock’s probably a bit optimistic. The fairing was blitzed by vibration at 11000 revs, which may have affected the speedo.
The one area where the bike was let down was the twin discs out front. No doubt when new they were the business but time and mileage had left them very naff. Little feedback through the lever, a jerky action when used in anger (and, no, the steering head bearings weren't shot) and not that much power under high speed stops. The discs were so thin they rang every time I used the brake in anger and the calipers were all gunged up.
In other words, a pretty typical set-up on an aged Yamaha. I wandered around the breakers trying to match the discs and calipers up with something else, only got lucky when I found another Phazer being broken. The engine had blown up rather than it crashing into something so the chassis was in good shape. Expensive, though, for the complete brake set-up £125 including the wheel.
The improvement in braking was minor but I felt much better about pushing the bike hard; there’s nothing like thinking the discs are going to break up to bring in some severe restraint. One friend had his FZ600’s disc explode on him, bits of shrapnel going off in all directions but no-one was actually injured. What with ancient drums cracking up and discs exploding old motorcycles can be pretty big horror shows.
The nearest I got to that kind of excitement was a stone flicked up by a car in front. Whacked the headlight, which promptly exploded. As it was night, the sudden loss of light had me straining my eyesight and dropping a load. Luckily, I used the car’s tail-light as a guide to where the road was going until I could pull over. 40 miles from home in the middle of the countryside with no fucking lights. I got home eventually, not doing more than 10mph, almost being back ended by too many cars to mention.
The whole headlight was gutted out... and spares were disturbingly rare. I bodged in a bit of perspex and a reflector meant for a GPz500S. Bodged being the operative word, about two tubes of sealant needed to fix it in position. The stock light was powerful enough for 80mph cruising, the replacement good only for 40mph down unlit country lanes. A quick way to ruin my eyesight and took me back to my learning days on an ancient CB125.
The motor itself, despite revving to unruly heights, didn't need much work. Oil and filter changes every 2000 miles. I checked the valves every 3000 miles but they never needed any attention, well bedded in! The carbs could be a bit finicky, either staying in balance for about 5000 miles or needing several sessions every few hundred miles until they settled down again.
This was.a critical aspect of the bike, get them slightly out and there was a big glut of power below 12 grand and the harsh acceleration did a runner - the bike was easy prey to dross like rat Superdreams. Vacuum gauges were compulsory, none of this doing it by ear nonsense. The only minor problem I had was a perished fuel hose, which cut the motor out and covered it in petrol. Surrounding cagers found it amusing judging by the barrage of horns. It could've gone bang but didn’t. The only hassle was that it left me stranded ten miles from home and when I went to fix the new hose on to the tap, the latter fell apart!
Another round of bodging followed. Although some of the grey importers stock parts, both new and used, they are rare for the more obscure bikes like the FZ250. This was the biggest downside of owning the Yamaha, as it was otherwise an exciting machine to ride, had great handling and could burn off much bigger bikes. It was also comfortable and easy-to ride in town - just so long as you liked to use the gearbox! I still have mine with 33000 miles on the clock.
Bill Gray