Yamaha XJR1300 :
- Yamaha XJR1300:
- Price: £6,349
- EngineType: air-cooled, DOHC,16v, inline-four
- Displacement: 1402cc
- Claimed MaxPower: 107bhp @7,800rpm
- Claimed MaxTorque: 77ft/lbs @6,600rpm
- Cycle PartsChassis: Steel tube doublecradle
- SuspensionFront: 43mm telescopicforks, fully adjustable
- Rear: twin piggy backshocks, adjustable for preload and rebound damping
- BrakesFront: Dual 298mm discs,four piston calipers
- Rear: 267mm disc,twin-piston caliper
- Rake/Trail: 25.5°/100mm
- Wheelbase: 1,500mm
- Dry weight 232kg(493lbs) :
- Insurance group 13:
- Issuetested: September 2003
- Yamaha Motor UKon 01932358000 :
- www.yamaha-motor.co.uk:
The YamahaXJR1300 has been around for about tenyears now (its engine nigh-on twenty). And bar the capacityincrease from 1200cc to 1300cc in 1999, it hasn't really beenupdated that much, so it feels a bit older and more agriculturalthan its rivals. In saying that, the Yam is still a bloody goodbike, and there are many who actually like its undevelopedrawness.
The motor is a good example of this. It's quite rough when tickingover and never really loses that harsh edge when it's spun up abit. Though spinning it up isn't really a precondition for going alot faster. And to be honest if you didn't rev it past 5,000rpmyou'd still make some pretty serious progress – isn't that atotally alien concept to most 600 riders? But the throttle responsefrom the big air-cooled lump is so bloody impressive in themid-range, it feels unnecessary to rev it any harder.
Less impressive is the XJR's chassis. You can make some fairlydecent progress down a back lane if you're in the mood. But youhave to put a fair bit of effort in to make it happen. The narrowbars don't offer the usual levels of assistance wider versions doon rival bikes, and the Yamaha just feels much heavier and longerto manoeuvre quickly and responsively. And though its raison d'etreis to mimic bikes of a previous era, it feels a little bit tooauthentic to be judged like a modern version.
The suspension doesn't help by feeling old and unsophisticated(even though it has Ohlins stickers on it), but at least the sharpR1-derived brakes compensate to some degree with their impressivestopping power. Style-wise you could argue the XJR looks the mostback-to-date of the big naked bikes on the market these days. Theair-cooled and carbed engine instantly gives it a seventies look,and the bulky look overall adds to its macho appeal. As guesttester Chris Moss says,“The Yam's a big, butch bruiser that canfeel as though it was actually built thirty years ago – no surprisegiven its old-tech design. But that's precisely why many peoplereally like it – it reminds them of their youth.”
That may seem harsh – maybe it is – but check out the ownersforum here andsee what we mean!
The superbike scores
Engine
89%
Chassis
90%
Brakes
92%
Styling
92%
Overall
92%