‘87 YAMAHA
FZR 1000
Yamaha FZR1000 Genesis lays claim to “ultimate road machine“title
Yamaha‘s line leader for 1987 is a sensational newcomer. The FZR1000 Genesis, a machine that can, quite justifiably, claim to be the most sophisticated, most technologically-advanced motorcycle currently available for road use.
lt is the embodiment of Yamaha‘s progressive thinking that has unequivocally established the company as one of the world‘s leading four-stroke engine manufacturers. A new concept, introduced two years ago with the highly-successful FZ750 Genesis, links engine and chassis development programmes so that each positively affects the other.
Central to this concept is an advanced-specification, steeply inclined, four-stroke engine; this lay-out we call “Genesis“.The weight distribution is such that it actively promotes good handling as well as allowing the use of state-of-the-art chassis engineering by virtue of its configuration.
In the case of the Yamaha FZR1000 Genesis, both the engine and chassis represent the highest level of motorcycle development.
The four-cylinder engine is an enlarged version of the 20-valve FZ750 Genesis unit that has proved its capabilities with worldwide racing success... including the famous Daytona 200.
This well-proven basic power unit is installed in an aluminium “DELTABOX“chassis originally-developed for Yamaha‘s World Championship-winning Grand Prix machines and the YZF75O “Genesis“endurance racers. Suspension, wheels and brakes are also constructed to the same Grand Prix standards, so that the obvious horsepower capabilities of the FZR1000 Genesis can be used with the full confidence that handling and safety aspects are totally compatible with the speed potential.
The package is completed by a full fairing with aerodynamics that have been tested and proved to increase both air penetration and machine stability at the high speeds it is capable of. Dual headlights and frontal air intakes in the fairing emphasise the endurance-racer heritage of the FZR1000 Genesis. Yamaha have set out to do one thing with this machine. To prove that the highly-advanced four-stroke engine development with Genesis concept, genuinely marks a new beginning for motorcycle design thinking. Optimum performance from engine, chassis, Suspension and brakes result from the “Genesis concept“and the Yamaha FZR1000 Genesis is a superb example of what can be achieved.
The successful FZ750 Genesis pointed out a new direction for supersports motorcycling. The Yamaha FZR1000 Genesis confirms that this direction was no dead-end street.
‘87 YAMAHA
FZR 1000
Yamaha FZR1000 engine close-up:
Base unit for the FZR1000 Genesis engine is the now-familiar FZ750 Genesis 20valve, parallel four-cylinder, four-stroke. The FZR, however, is far from being just a bored-out version of this double overhead-camshaft motor with its characteristic Genesis lay-out: 45-degree forward inclined cylinder block. There are numerous other modifications to the FZR1000 designed specifically to match its larger capacity. Most obvious difference is still, of course, the increase in size. To arrive at the capacity of 989cc, Yamaha have expanded both bore and stroke of the FZR. Its vital statistics are a 75 mm bore x 56 mm stroke, compared to the 68 x 51,6 mm measurements of the FZ750.
Bigger Valves:
All five valves in each combustion chamber are increased in size, to flow the greater amounts of fuel demanded by the bigger engine. The triple intake valves go up from 21 mm to 23.5 mm in diameter, while the two exhaust valves are expanded from 23 mm to 25 mm.
To maintain the correct combustion chamber shape with these larger valve heads, the valves are set at narrower angles in the cylinder head. The centre intake valve is now set at 9-degrees and the two outer ones at 17-degrees. Exhaust valve angles are 13-degrees.
Both camshafts have modified profiles and are driven by an automatically-tensioned cam-chain.
Big-Bore, Downdraft Carburettors:
Feeding in the fuel/air mixture is a bank of four BDS37 Mikuni carburettors (3 mm larger venturi size than those on the FZ750 Genesis). As on the smaller FZ, the 450- inclined cylinder block and well spaced top chassis members allow the use of true downdraft carburetion. The inlet tract is so straight and unobstructed that it is possible to see the piston crown through the carburettor throat when the inlet valves are open! This, plus the gravity effect on the ingoing mixture, makes for the bestpossible cylinder filling from a normally-aspirated engine. lt‘s one of the major benefits deriving from Yamaha‘s “Genesis“design and 5 valve technology.
Lighter Pistons and Con-rods:
Inside the engine, the pistons, rings and connecting rods are all-new and even lighter than last year‘s 750cc components! This cuts reciprocating weight so allowing the engine to rev quicker with improved throttle response. One thing that is common to both FZ750 Genesis and FZR1000 Genesis is the engine‘s bore centres. What this means is that the FZR is no wider than its smaller cousin, making it - without doubt - the narrowest bike in the l000cc class. Maintaining the same bore centres was achieved by using “siamesed“bores in the bw pressure alloy cylinder block casting, with inserted cast-iron sleeves. This keeps the block as narrow as possible and minimises heat distortion, and it sits on a new, metal gasket to ensure better sealing with the crankcase.
‘87 YAMAHA
FZR 1000
Oil-Jet Piston Cooling:
To reduce piston temperatures, a new oil-jet system has been incorporated into the crankcase. These jets direct a continuous stream of fresh, cooling oil to the undersides of the pistons.
Oil is circulated through the engine by a dual-rotor pump and an oil-cooler is standard equipment.
Also assisting in maintaining the liquid-cooled FZR Genesis unit at an even temperature is a radiator 25 mm wider than the FZ750 component. Air is directed over it by a thermostatically-controlled, electric fan that is 10 mm larger in diameter than its FZ750 counterpart.
Digital Ignition Control:
The electronic ignition that sparks the FZR1000 Genesis engine is digitally-controlled and operated by a microprocessor. lt delivers a superhot spark, and has a preprogrammed advance control that matches spark timing to the engine‘s ignition advance requirements. The ignitor box also includes the control unit for the electric fuel pump.
Finally, exhaust efficiency and overall power are both improved by the use of a racing-pattern, 4-into-1 exhaust system.
Strengthened Transmission
The extra power and torque of the big engine are dealt with via a five-speed transmission that has had gear pinion sizes increased to cope with the strain. Nine clutch friction plates (one more than on the FZ750 Genesis) are employed to deal with the FZR1000‘s massive power on take-off, and a stronger 532 size final drive chain is used.
Summary:
From these details, therefore, it becomes clear that, although the FZR1000 Genesis power unit is a bigger version of the FZ750, Yamaha engineers have taken great care to maintain perfect combustion chamber shape by narrowing the valve angles and have made sure that in both engine and transmission aspects, the reliability of the FZ Genesis engine is in no way compromised by the extra capacity and higher power output.
Yamaha FZR1000 Genesis rolling chassis close-up:
The most obvious and significant item as far as the FZR1000‘s chassis parts are concerned is the “DELTABOX“frame, fabricated from aluminium sheet into an incredibly-strong box-section.
This frame was originally developed for the YZR500 factory Grand Prix road racers and has played a part in Eddie Lawson‘s two World Championships (1984 and 1986) and countless Grand Prix wins for Lawson and the legendary Kenny Roberts. lt has also been employed for the fearsome YZF75O “Genesis” endurance-racer to which the Yamaha FZR1000 Genesis bears such a striking resemblance.
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