This was my first trip around Cadwell Park on an EXUP. I purchased it 2 weeks earlier and knew a little of its history. After a busy 2 weeks going over it, everything checked out. A road bike only track day seemed the ideal way to give it a good shake down, so off I went.
A Greasy Track
It was a cold damp morning and the track was greasy so it wasn’t ideal. Everyone started slowly, but there were still a lot of red flags. People just get carried away I guess. All the morning sessions were broken up by red flags. I dont think I got more than a lap or 2 out of each one.
It did get warmer eventually. I finally got a few faster laps in by the end of the day. Skip to the end of the video if thats all you want to see, but don’t expect racing. I say faster, but im no Rossi, just an old fart enjoying a fantastic bike and learning a little about what it could do.
A Standard FZR 1000 EXUP
This bike is pretty much bog standard. It is fitted with a Micron end can, but that is it. So it is a closer representation of what the original motorcycle was all about than most. It had been owned by one of the guys from Sprint engineering and was a credit to them. It had obviously been well looked after.
The first time I sat astride a Yamaha FZR 1000 EXUP, It felt Huge, Long, ungainly, hard to manoeuvre and heavy. I walked away, but 3 days later after a long think, I went back to buy it. That was the start of my love affair with this monster of a bike.
Bike Of the Decade
The FZR1000 EXUP was voted best bike of the 1980’s on 3 continents. It was so far ahead of the game other manufacturers went back to the drawing board. In many ways I would say it was the first Hyper Sports bike. It ushered in true race bike performance in a motorcycle built for the road.
The genesis 5 valve head allowed the engine to rev higher by balancing the overall valve weight. So intake and exhaust valves all weighed exactly the same. Power was immense but it was the exhaust power valve that created an unbelievable surge of midrange power.
A Lasting Legacy
Despite many efforts, for the next 25 years, the chassis stayed predominantly unchanged through all the massive power increases. That has to tell you something.
Without this motorcycle the R1 and the whole family of YZF motorcycles may never have been born.
Enjoy the ride everyone