Yamaha FZ8 on sale in Summer 2010

The much-anticipated Yamaha FZ8 and Yamaha Super Tenere will be going on sale this summer according to Yamaha insiders.

Yamaha is working hard to promote both bikes with heavily-disguised images showing parts of both bikes and a recent silhouette of the Super Tenere showing the Yamaha R1-style front lights.

Yamaha officially unveiled the front light of the FZ8 a few weeks ago but there is no further information coming from Yamaha officially.

A Yamaha insider said: “The FZ8 will be seen later this year along with the Super Tenere which will be a good thing for increasing interest in new bikes and these bikes will hopefully stir up some important sales in 2010.”

Unofficially the FZ8 is thought to have a smaller capacity version of the 998cc four-cylinder motor from the FZ1 – itself based on the five-valve Yamaha R1 engine from 2005.

The FZ8 will be replacing the smaller-capacity FZ6 models as a sporty middleweight naked, leaving the XJ6, XJ6 Diversion and the new-for-2010 XJ6 Diversion F to cater for the novice and all-rounder markets.

It’s main rivals will be the BMW F800R, Honda Hornet 600, Triumph Street Triple R and the Aprilia Shiver 750.

The Super Tenere silhouette shows boxy off-road-style panniers, reinforcing Yamaha’s hints that the bike will be going head-to-head to with the BMW R1200GS, rather than aiming at Ducati’s more road-biased new Multistrada 1200.

Super Tenere technical highlights we already know about are:
– 3-mode ABS
– shaft drive
– linked brakes
– switchable engine maps
– ride-by-wire throttle
– traction control
– side-mounted radiators.