Yamaha FZR question

What year did Yamaha stop using steel frames (painted silver) and switch to real aluminum for the FZR series? Anyone know?

As far as I know the FZR 600 and 1000 always had steel frames. The FZR 400 was always aluminium. A 600 engine will fit in a 400 frame.

I had an '88 FZR 1000, aluminum frame

FZRs always had aluminum frames. The FZ had the steel frames. Once the R came out it was aluminum

FZ: 1986-1989 FZR: 1989-

I had two FZR600s and both had steel frames. I had a FZR400 with a Aluminum frame. Not sure what the 750s had.

Rusnak_322 wrote: I had two FZR600s and both had steel frames. I had a FZR400 with a Aluminum frame. Not sure what the 750s had.

vazbmw wrote: FZRs always had aluminum frames. The FZ had the steel frames. Once the R came out it was aluminum FZ: 1986-1989 FZR: 1989-

This is precisely why I ask the question...

That is interesting. Maybe it depended on the displacement. It has been so long ago it is hard to remember, but I had an FZ 600. Yamaha then came out with the FZR 600. One of its big selling points was a the delta box alum. frame and the ExUp exhaust system. Maybe, just a guess depending what year and displacement, Yamaha rebadged the FZ as an FZR before swapping out to alum. frames

from Wiki - "The Yamaha FZR600 is a sports motorcycle produced by Yamaha between 1989 and 1999. It was the successor to the FZ600 and was replaced by the YZF-600R. It had a steel Deltabox frame and swingarm, similar in appearance to the alloy Deltabox frame introduced three years earlier on the 1WG FZR400"

I stand corrected. Here is more info about the big bore FZR: http://www.nydesmo.com/yamahaFZR1000.html As someone said earlier the 400 is was always aluminum. Everything else seems to have been steel.

Rusnak_322 wrote: from Wiki - "The Yamaha FZR600 is a sports motorcycle produced by Yamaha between 1989 and 1999. It was the successor to the FZ600 and was replaced by the YZF-600R. It had a steel Deltabox frame and swingarm, similar in appearance to the alloy Deltabox frame introduced three years earlier on the 1WG FZR400"

In reply to vazbmw:

Wish I could get definitive word on the 700/750 models.... I know the 750R version available at the same time as the FZ700 was aluminum.

1987 FZR750RT was definitely aluminum as mine was. All FZs were steel. All FZR except 600 were aluminum.

4g63t wrote: 1987 FZR750RT was definitely aluminum as mine was. All FZs were steel. All FZR except 600 were aluminum.

That sounds right to me. There was never an FZR700 made (well, these days there is now a completely different bike with that name), but there was an FZ700 (tariff-beater version of the FZ750). The FZR750 was a homologation special with lots of fancy racing kit like full aluminum frame, titanium con-rods, etc etc...couldn't keep up with the RC30 on the track though, so it was quietly dropped. I'd love to have one, they are the last example of Yamaha's flirtation with 5-valve heads.

I'd like to find my FZR750RT again #295 Way more rare than my ELR.

Part of my confusion was probably the fact that once I had an FZ600 I was only looking at the 750's and up.

4g63t wrote: 1987 FZR750RT was definitely aluminum as mine was. All FZs were steel. All FZR except 600 were aluminum.

On a whim I searched Fazers and found a buncha them cheap on CL. Gotta wonder, funky styling aside, if something like that might make a decent commuter. Wonder what the Suzuki version of that would be... A 750 Bandit with a first gen GSXR mill?

That 750 Bandit was pretty nice. Don't know about the Fazers though.

SlickDizzy wrote:

4g63t wrote: 1987 FZR750RT was definitely aluminum as mine was. All FZs were steel. All FZR except 600 were aluminum.

That sounds right to me. There was never an FZR700 made (well, these days there is now a completely different bike with that name), but there was an FZ700 (tariff-beater version of the FZ750). The FZR750 was a homologation special with lots of fancy racing kit like full aluminum frame, titanium con-rods, etc etc...couldn't keep up with the RC30 on the track though, so it was quietly dropped. I'd love to have one, they are the last example of Yamaha's flirtation with 5-valve heads.

The YZ and WR thumper motors are both 5 valve. Yamaha calls that head design the 'Genesis', IIRC.

Curmudgeon wrote:

SlickDizzy wrote:

4g63t wrote: 1987 FZR750RT was definitely aluminum as mine was. All FZs were steel. All FZR except 600 were aluminum.

That sounds right to me. There was never an FZR700 made (well, these days there is now a completely different bike with that name), but there was an FZ700 (tariff-beater version of the FZ750). The FZR750 was a homologation special with lots of fancy racing kit like full aluminum frame, titanium con-rods, etc etc...couldn't keep up with the RC30 on the track though, so it was quietly dropped. I'd love to have one, they are the last example of Yamaha's flirtation with 5-valve heads.

The YZ and WR thumper motors are both 5 valve. Yamaha calls that head design the 'Genesis', IIRC.

The "Genesis" is actually their term for the frame design that lays the engine down near-horizontal; the FZR600 is a Genesis bike even though it's a 4-valver. I didn't know the YZ & WR were 5-valve heads though, you learn something new every day!

Really I always thought Genesis was the 5-valve head: Genesis

Another Genesis link

Image of the head here

SlickDizzy wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote:

SlickDizzy wrote:

4g63t wrote: 1987 FZR750RT was definitely aluminum as mine was. All FZs were steel. All FZR except 600 were aluminum.

That sounds right to me. There was never an FZR700 made (well, these days there is now a completely different bike with that name), but there was an FZ700 (tariff-beater version of the FZ750). The FZR750 was a homologation special with lots of fancy racing kit like full aluminum frame, titanium con-rods, etc etc...couldn't keep up with the RC30 on the track though, so it was quietly dropped. I'd love to have one, they are the last example of Yamaha's flirtation with 5-valve heads.

The YZ and WR thumper motors are both 5 valve. Yamaha calls that head design the 'Genesis', IIRC.

The "Genesis" is actually their term for the frame design that lays the engine down near-horizontal; the FZR600 is a Genesis bike even though it's a 4-valver. I didn't know the YZ & WR were 5-valve heads though, you learn something new every day!

Got to chime in again. The three FZRs that I owned were all 4 valve but had Genesis stickers on them.

Look at the tail of this FZR600

That would be accurate. The Genesis head came out in 1984 on the Yamaha FZ750. Oh and nice looking bike. I loved the FZR's but never got one. Went from the FZ to a Suzuki Katana 1100

Rusnak_322 wrote: Got to chime in again. The three FZRs that I owned were all 4 valve but had Genesis stickers on them. Look at the tail of this FZR600

Seems like Yamaha's marketing at the time couldn't keep it straight - the "Genesis" is advertised as a frame concept on the FZR400/FZR600 (again - 4-valve heads) but as an engine on the FZ750/FZR750/FZR1000. Also, the Genesis snowmobile engines are not all 5-valves according to Yamaha EU.

FZR600 info

The four-valve Yamaha FZR600 engine was slanted forward in the frame. This was the basis of the Genesis frame concept, and helped to lower the centre of gravity and help centralise mass.

Nice bike. Yamaha was "messing" with us big time. You guys rock with your FZR knowledge, and I still want and FZR 600

SlickDizzy wrote: Seems like Yamaha's marketing at the time couldn't keep it straight - the "Genesis" is advertised as a frame concept on the FZR400/FZR600 (again - 4-valve heads) but as an engine on the FZ750/FZR750/FZR1000. Also, the Genesis snowmobile engines are not all 5-valves according to Yamaha EU. FZR600 info

The four-valve Yamaha FZR600 engine was slanted forward in the frame. This was the basis of the Genesis frame concept, and helped to lower the centre of gravity and help centralise mass.

so if Wikipedia is correct, the FZR and YZF models had steel frames but they don't indicate what the YZF-R6 frame is made of...

I LOVED my FZR, it was my first bike...I had the Vance and Hines edition, super rare and I wish I had never sold it!!!! For those of you unaware of this edition, its BRIGHT pink and BRIGHT yellow