Yamaha FZ8: The beast wakes up at 6000 rpm

Visually, it looks a lot more inconspicuous in daylight than in the great catalog photos, where it looks downright beefy. In fact, it looks pretty average and inconspicuous next to all the giant machines that are standing around these days. You only discover her true self when you open the throttle, then you feel the devil inside her.
The instrument panel is small and uncluttered but, as Yamaha riders are used to, extremely practical. The digital speedometer is the largest, the reading is lightning fast and sure, you know exactly how fast you're going every time you look at the kilometer and that's very important in today's bus practice. As soon as you drive into the dark, the light gray background changes to a bright bright red, ensuring impeccable readability and speed orientation even in the dark. The round trip counter with a classic pointer goes up to about 12,000 revolutions, which seems a bit surprising for now, but will still be very important, as I shall soon discover. Besides that, you can zip through a small menu by means of two pushbuttons and find out trip kilometers, remaining fuel, and so on. That's it, that's already the entire board instrumentation. Except for the non-existent gear indicator, which I miss, everything is perfect.

Everything else as usual, turn signal left, starter right, ignition key with different key positions for steering lock, etc. One push on the starter button and the engine immediately starts humming. Properly a loss hum, no hum, nothing violent. The seating position is quite upright, similar to an enduro, still slightly tilted towards the front, but always very comfortable, clear and easy to turn. A first throttle is enough and the engine pulls strongly and steadily. The more throttle you give, the more the engine pulls without falling into a pull-through hole anywhere at a certain rpm, a clean linear pull-through. This is perfect engine technology à la Yamaha. Textbook, no chatter, no stalling, a smooth pull of the engine that harmonizes perfectly with the gears. That's what Yamaha riders appreciate about their machines, that everything runs so smoothly and perfectly, without ever having to worry that something might not work perfectly for once.

From 6000 revs the beast awakens
But it really only gets exciting when I turn onto the highway, because before that you can't even reach the touring limit, and now it really gets going. In second and third gear, I open the throttle further and further, and it pulls and pulls without end and ever more bitingly. If it still pulls civilly at 3,000, 4,000, even 5,000 rpm, you can feel how devilishly biting the beast can get under you when it goes against the rpm limit at around 11,600 rpm. From 6,000 revs, things really get going. Up to then, the "naked" pulls cleanly in a linear fashion without a pull-through hole, but from 6,000 rpm, the FZ8 once again unleashes pulling forces as if the devil were pulling on the front wheel, and a wild-eyed alien dwelling in the engine block howls off ever more crazily, this is where its full racing character, the "beast", comes to the fore, after all, the four-cylinder in-line engine comes from the sports series and you slowly but surely become aware of this. At the same time, you also realize that you probably underestimated the FZ8 a bit when you first saw it, after all, when you look at its spec sheet - there is massive power available with 106 hp and 82 Nm at 8,000 rpm - you realize that you are dealing with a sporty machine here. Unfortunately, however, you are also quickly over the permissible Swiss speed limit with it, already in 2nd or 3rd gear you quickly end up between 80 and 140 km/h. The sound also develops accordingly. If the engine starts with a quiet hum, it turns into a light humming, but from 6,000 it definitely turns into a real roar as an expression of the immense tractive force, which becomes so massive that there can be no more talk of relaxed biking. Only the rev limiter puts an end to the brute pulling and the massive howling of the engine, when it starts to stutter and forces you to shift up a gear. To find out what this thing is really capable of, you have to take it to the race track. You can't really drive it on Swiss roads, the power is just too much. I'm really impressed.

Sovereign handling similar to an Enduro
The ride and running smoothness even at high speeds is also pleasant and despite the lack of wind protection, I actually hardly feel any counterpressure on the highway.
Overall, the handling of the FZ8 is extremely pleasant. The upright seating position and the wide handlebars grant the rider handling similar to that of an enduro, comfortable, agile, clear. This makes it particularly suitable for everyday use. From the sidewalk down or over other small obstacles no problem for the FZ8, it has at least 140 mm ground clearance. The flat handlebars ensure high maneuverability, which is particularly in demand during tight steering maneuvers in the city.

Overall, the FZ8 is an impressive everyday all-rounder that works in all situations, whether in tight and nervous city traffic, on winding mountain passes or on fast-paced long-distance rides. High functionality and easy handling are its strengths. Get on, get set, go. But it's exciting and surprising when you discover the sporty engine and experience its pulling power from 6,000 rpm, when you start to wonder about the beast that slumbers under the saddle. The FZ8 combines the handling and seating characteristics of an enduro with the engine character of a sports machine, you have to know that and it becomes clear to you on a ride. Optics is a matter of taste, but I like it best in gray or black, but there are yes factory four colors to choose from.