1999 Yamaha FZR600 - Used Or New

Whether parked at your local bike night or rolling down the strip, Yamaha's FZR 600 is a sportbike that receives little attention. But even though the buzzy middleweight doesn't hold much cache when judged against newer, more powerful machines like Yamaha's own R6, let us hip you to an inside secret-the FZR is one capable, quick and reliable motorcycle. Any doubters need only respect the fact that Yamaha's original design was so well-conceived that it made the FZR available for 11 full years, which is a dinosaur's age in the constantly changing world of high-performance streetbikes. Between its 1989 launch and its removal from showrooms in 1999, the FZR remained largely unchanged and, by 1994, was Yamaha's best-selling sportbike-proving just how right the engineers at Yamaha got things the first time out.

Better yet, the FZR was conceived as a "budget" sportbike to compete with Suzuki's entry-level Katana 600, selling for nearly a grand less than the more popular YZF600R and later, R6 models. This cost-cutting means used, good-condition examples can be had for anywhere between $1495 and $3000, and insurance-always an issue for younger riders-is also dirt cheap. So what's it like to ride and own?

With its somewhat box-shaped gas tank and large tailsection, the FZR 600 has classic, square-jawed 1990s sportbike styling, which may or may not be to everyone's taste. But lurking inside that benign-looking bodywork is Yamaha's ballsy Genesis five-valve-per-cylinder engine featuring 32mm Mikuni downdraft carburetors. The FZR is equipped with both ram air ducts that actually work and Yamaha's much-loved EXUP, or Exhaust Ultimate Powervalve, which helps create additional torque at low rpm. The EXUP makes it possible to pass cars or slower riders without too much downshifting of the six-speed gearbox, though the EXUP valve can falter and often needs to be replaced on older models. This can be expansive to fix, but as factory-installed gadgets go, it's well worth the potential expense.

Like all four-cylinder 600s, the FZR has a powerband that saves its excitement factor for the upper echelons of its 11,500 rpm rev range. But that's not exactly a problem on a bike with a light feel and easy steering. When first introduced in the late 1980s, testers raved about the FZR 600's nimble handling, light weight and Deltabox (Yamaha speak for really stiff, steel perimeter frame) chassis. The machine would wheelie if you were willing to twist the throttle hard enough, and at just about 450 pounds full of high octane, this bike changes direction faster than a fart in a wind tunnel.

Those 599 cubic centimeters of displacement are good for around 80 horsepower and 45 foot-pounds of torque; in the right conditions, riders can see a genuine 145 mph on the speedometer, which is damn skippy for a middleweight sportbike designed back in the day.

Grabby, 298mm front rotors coupled with front and rear suspension that's fully adjustable help make the FZR 600 a good, cheap way to learn one's way around track riding. However, longtime owners say replacing the rear shock is a must, especially if the machine in question is an early model or showing 20,000-plus miles on the odometer. Likewise, the .45 kilo front fork springs are considered weak by modern sportbike standards, though they can be easily replaced with stiffer (1 kilo) aftermarket units that will cease fork dive under braking.

The FZR's popularity among amateur roadracers has translated into shed-loads of engine upgrades, from new carb jets to big-bore kits that will boost the FZR 600 into a fire-breathing 750.

Customizing an FZR 600 is a bit of a challenge as it's not the sort of motorcycle that owners spend big bucks on; a free beer to the first SSB reader who spots one with a wide-tire kit or an extended swingarm. Then again, those broad, flat-sided fairings are just begging for custom paint, and stripped of its factory bodywork, the FZR makes a bitchin' streetfighter stuntbike.

You won't get the parking-lot kudos available to riders on the latest Yamaha sportbikes with an FZR 600, but a capable rider will hang with bigger bikes on the right twisty road where the FZR's light weight and telepathic steering are an advantage. Plus, the money you'll save on purchase price and insurance will leave you smiling all the way to the bank.

For some, this may be a motorcycle that's about as out of fashion as a pair of brown suede Hush Puppies, but its long production run means there's plenty of aftermarket upgrades available. A quick search through eBay and several FZR 600 Web sites revealed a treasure chest of aftermarket bolt-ons for this machine. Several exhaust specialists including Vance & Hines, Muzzy and Yoshimura still provide full exhaust systems and slip-on canisters that help unleash a couple additional horsepower for the FZR 600, though full systems eliminate the EXUP valve, sacrificing a few bottom-end horses for a few ponies in the stratosphere of the rev range.