Yamaha FZ 750

Yamaha FZ 750

"064" was the code name of a machine that the world would never actually see. Still, it is a machine that can't be ignored when we talk about the birth of the Yamaha FZ750. The "064" was a machine conceived purely for the purpose of pursuing new levels of race performance. Its focus was the Daytona 200 Mile Race and the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Road Race and in order to satisfy the regulations for those races, it would have to be manufactured in a production lot of 200 units. In other words it would be what was called a "homologation model."

From the latter half of the 1970s into the '80s, races competed by big-displacement 4-stroke production models were popular in the USA. And in Japan it was an era when the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Road Race was becoming a major event.

At the time, Yamaha's YZR500 factory machine was a dominant performer in the World GP, and in the marketplace the Yamaha RZ250 was incredibly popular. These combined to give Yamaha a strong image as a maker of 2-stroke engine bikes. Although Yamaha offered a lineup of big-displacement 4-stroke models including the XJ750-/900 and the XS1100, these were all in the sport tourer category. But this was a time when both the motorcycle world and voices within Yamaha Motor itself were calling for "4-stroke models that can win races."

This is what led to the birth of the 064 project, an effort to build a pure racing machine with but one aim: to win races. Although the 064 was destined to fall by the wayside for a number of reasons, its successor with the code name "00M" would eventually see the light of day as the FZ750.

When the FZ750 was finally unveiled at the 1984 Cologne motor show it would boast beautiful flowing lines and curves that were the epitome of Yamaha design. At a time when race replicas were the rage in the market, the FZ750 almost looked tame. But, when you looked beyond the exterior you discovered that every thing from the engine at its heart to the bones of its frame were designed for winning races.

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/product-history/mc/1980/fz750/
http://groups.msn.com/YamahaFZ750bikes/messages.msnw
http://www.fz750.com

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