Again, another blast from the past, but this one's a little older still. Hrmm... October of 2003. Good vintage, that. Authors have been credited with their own work. I'll start it off with my previous intro to the thread, it seems a little more lucid that how I was planning to characterize them, so I'll stick with that.

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Ok, so like me, you are a car junkie. This usually entails reading at least two or three car magazines a month, along with giving looks to cool/ugly cars that catch your eye on the road, and of course, fixing up/breaking your own personal ride.

What I'm suggesting is this: we start a thread wherein we, the board users, post reviews of our own personal cars. But, before you say "Gee, who needs to brag some more?" let me just say that these reviews should be as formatted/spellchecked/unbiased as most reviews that you'd see in any car rag off the newsstand. So this means, not just talking about the highs/lows, but something well thought out, with the intent to inform readers as to the merit of the car, from which they can judge whether they desire it or not.

Now, in saying <unbiased> I mean, don't forgive your car its faults. Pretend that rather than being a used car, your vehicle is actually a brand new test car just released to the motoring press, and any problems with it will more than likely be inherent in the production version. If that means criticizing Subaru for selling a car from the showroom with biodegradeable CV joints, than put that in there.

Ok, I'm off to my alter-ego of not smoking crack at a public University, but after that, I'll post a review as an example, if nobody's gotten there first.

And last but not least, Make it a Good Read!

Thanks,
Simkin  

<originally posted by Simkin on 10/24/2003>

Long Term Test Car: 1993 Subaru Loyale 4WD

While certainly not the most stylish of our long terms test fleet, this little wagon from Subaru is redeemed only by its practicality. The few features that make this such a useful family hauler (large capacity for storage with the wagon, 30mpg) are more than outweighed (in my opinion, shared with my colleagues) by its not so polished areas.

Chief amongst these, is a rather anemic powerplant, the flat 4 produced by Fuji Heavy Industries, putting out an uninspired 90bhp @ 5500rpm, with an equally unimpressive 110tq @ 2750rpm. With the light weight of this car, those numbers translate into a very average 11s sprint to 100kph and a (claimed) top speed of 165kph.

Where this car is really a let down, however, is the 4WD system, capable of being engaged at speed via a pushbutton. To begin with, when this was functional, it put such a strain on the engine, that revs had to be kept to at least 3000rpm just to keep from stalling, not to mention the increase in the turning circle. However, nearly 6 months into our long term test, the 4WD system refused to engage, and the dealer Mechanic was unable to repair it. Removal of the '4WD' sticker from the trunk was the only action taken, although it is a feature that will certainly not be missed.

Handling wise, the light weight of this car enables it to be tossed with relative confidence, although it does have a strong tendancy to understeer, with only the slightest hint of oversteer coming after a very quick lift off of throttle in mid corner. The power steering has a very quick ratio, with the short wheelbase contributing to a turning radius of approximately 2 lanes, a real boone for parallel parking. An undiagnosable problem with the p/s pump relegated our Loyale to the land of manual steering, but even un-boosted, it wasn't an armful to turn, and still quite communicative.

Brakes were adequate for panic stops, but would certainly not fare well if pushed often. Pedal feel is quite linear, although impending lockup is hard to judge. Keep in mind, that because of Subaru's "Hill-holder" system, the hand-brake only works upon the front wheels, thus ruling its use out for rally-purposes. The suspension is quite firm, and ride height at 21cm is quite good, although previous models equipped with air suspension had nearly 30cm of ground clearance. And yes, just in case you were wondering, there is a proper skid plate under the engine to prevent all but the most ham-fisted of ameteur rallying from breaking any of the important bits.

The major complaint regarding the drivetrain is that for some reason, both CV joints, within a month of each other, failed, and of the replacements, only one is still functioning. Other mechanical faults include a failing rear windshield washer motor, and an electrical gremlin that decreases the life of the headlight bulbs.

Inside, this econo-wagon is fairly spartan, with only an AM/FM radio and heater, without power windows, locks, AC, or even cup holder as an option. The front bucket seats are fairly supportive, although the lumbar support for the driver's seat is more torture device than practicality. Seating is ample for 4, with a lap belt for a 5th passenger in the middle, although only a child would be comfortable straddling the transmission tunnel's prominent hump down the middle of the car. With the rear seats folded down, the wagon is able to accomodate suprisingly large objects, even being sufficient for two grown adults to sleep fully stretched out.

Overall, the Loyale has been a fairly reliable car, although with its minor mechanical issues, a tendancy to rust, underpowered engine, lack of creature comforts, and pervasive road noise, it would probably not appeal to those seeking either an exciting or stylish ride.

Pro: practical, easy on gas, ubiquitous styling
Con: mechanical issues, acceleration, not well equipped  

<originally posted by Simkin on 10/26/2003>

First Impressions: 1989 Chrysler Daytona

At first, I had just assumed that the ignomy of driving a poorly constructed and ill concieved domestic coupe would be balanced by the grunt of the small block V8 rumbling under the hood. Well, I was suprised, albeit not for the better, and certainly not for the last time that day.

This coupe from Chrysler/Dodge is powered by a wheezy 2.5L fuel injected 4 cylinder, but with only a purported 100hp to propel this 1400kg wedge, performance is, in the parlance, lame. 100kph comes and goes eventually, and the very tall final gear ratio, heavily favouring economy, might enable the Daytona to reach 170kph or more, although where you'd find a long enough stretch to hit that is another matter altogether. Sharing many of its underpinnings from the disgrace of an econo-box, the K-car series, even doddling around town is a chore; the absence of torque and a slushbox with the temperament of a hyperactive pekinese both make slow speed commuting something to be avoided at all costs.

One of the few things that has been carried over from American land yachts of yesteryear, has been the heavily overboosted power steering, giving all the feedback and sensitivity of a drunken frat boy, though perhaps acting at a far greater clip. How Chrysler also managed to get that 'riding on leaf springs' feel to shine thru is something of a mystery, and definitely something that I could live without; you never manage to escape the sense that you are driving down the road in a lay-z-boy.

Inside, things go from bad to worse. The driver's seating position appears suited to someone with apelike arms, stubby legs, a short torso, and no neck. Even without passengers in the rear 'seats', rear 3/4 visibility is amazingly hampered by the C pillars that look more architectural than automotive; this is downright dangerous, as coupled with the slowness of this car, you'll be needing to keep an eye out the back for all of that overtaking traffic. The driver's seat is supportive, but very wide, with the only device for holding the driver during hard turns being the seatbelt, or possibly the steering wheel. Even though this car is meant as a 2+2, the back seats are only useful to children, and only if they're under 5' 2", as the roof of the car slopes down to remove all pretentions of headroom.

Interior fit and finish is as expected, poor, with the vinyls and plastics of the 70's making a suprise comeback; the upholstery has all of the comfort of a well-worn welcoming mat. For reasons unknown, window controls are on the center-saddle console, such that the act of rolling up or down the power windows requires yogic manuevers just to get past the auto gearlever.

For all of the size and heft of this vehicle, it is remarkably ill-appointed. The engine is not adequate for the weight, the suspension makes driving in anything but a straight line feel like a roller coaster ride (in a bad way), the interior is probably the worst thought out (if it was even thought out) that I have ever encountered, and to top it all off, it looks like a wedge shaped K-car.

Pros: not a convertible, so it would provide a good makeshift home
Cons: The seats are so uncomfortable that you'd probably prefer sleeping under a tarp in the rain.  

<originally posted by revolvolution on 10/28/2003>

k. without writing a book:

2003 Sentra Spec V $19,200 after options, but of course you never pay that price when there's a Nissan store in your dealership group

first impressions: reminded me of a better version of my modified 16V jetta. the HSLD suited my driving style well (though it'll never replace a RWD, which is as natural a feel as they come) and the price was right. so i bought it. never had a Nissan before.

the suspension is firm already, and it felt fine on the autox course. highway ride was a bit floaty and uncontrolled though; 894 in milwaukee just north of the airport comes to mind for those who've been there. lots of curves and at speed, the center of gravity felt too high to instill confidence. not to mention it rivaled my truck for ground clearance. eibach pro-kit springs helped; they designed them w/ the stock dampers in mind and don't make the car stupid low.

the engine could use some work. the torque is nice, there's not alot of pukendie at the top end but if the car could just rev 400rpms more, you'd see much lower timeslips from bolt on cars.

it's been 9500 miles and 7 months, and it's taken this long for the car to grow on me. i still think it's the best car for the dollar amount. there's tons better cars out there; you decide how much money you want to spend. if i wanted to part with more, i'd have got a wrx.  

<originally posted by JcanRacer on 10/30/2003>

First and Last impressions of Mitsubishi&#8217;s 1993 Montero


When management of Jcan Industries received this test model in 1994 it was a preconceived notion that it would perform similarly to all previous &#8220;Sports Utility Vehicles&#8221;. Imagine our surprise when our worse suspicions were proven correct.

New this year is a revised 3.0L V6 gasoline power plant (in our test vehicle, mated to an automatic transmission) that puts out a Monstrous 151 horses at 5000 rpm! Also new this year is the replacement of rear drums, yielding 4-wheel disk braking.

The vehicle performed well in city traffic, the A/C worked well when it wished to co-operate and the clearance gave the impression of invincibility on the roads. With the height advantage and stock 16&#8221; rims with 75 series tires, driving this suv often felt like driving a cloud. A drunken cloud at that, since body roll was evident from our first attempt at overtaking. City trim acceleration was less than impressive, perhaps due to the 4200lbs curb weight of our test model. Duly noted, we were beaten at nearly all redlight challenges by grandmothers and children driving automatic Honda civics. Stopping power provided by cracking disk rotors yielded many prayers to local deities and comments from fellow road users.

On off-road conditions the Montero handled well in 4wd mode and only once decided to stop for an extended break in a local mud pool/bath/spa. The tractor which passed our editorial staff was only too happy to leash us with a steel chain and guide our car back to its senses. Later on in the test years of the Montero, a young editor by the name of JcanRacer found himself &#8220;accidentally&#8221; 4wd-drifting the 4 ton SUV/beast at 40mph on a wet gravel road. He vowed never to test the road-holding ability of the vehicle again under such sloppy conditions.

On the track, the &#8220;suv-that-could&#8221; hushed the audience within an amazing 14 seconds. The test driver, commenting on this 0-60mph run, said it was the most interesting acceleration test he had ever done. When asked for a top speed and time taken to reach it, the driver reportedly slipped into insane laughter and dementia.

Unfortunately our extended test drive of the Montero came to an abrupt halt in the summer of 2003. A relative of upper management (code named &#8220;my uncle&#8221 realized too late the Montero&#8217;s lack of maneuverability when attempting an unexpected high-speed 180 degree turn on an abandoned highway. Eye witnesses say that our vehicle went out with a bang as it rolled over 3times with the grace of a ballet dancing elephant. The driver and the &#8220;accident inducing squirrel&#8221; were both unharmed, yet the squirrel was sadly unavailable for comment. Test car&#8217;s current status: retired.

Pros: excellent grocery getter, duty as group taxi for drunk party goers was sufficiently realized. Ride height provided sense of immortality.

Cons: too heavy, woefully inadequate engine output, inefficient 4wheeldrive, does not corner well at high-speed (by that we mean over 30 mph).

Bottom line: its not fast, nor does it outperform economy boxcars. But if you are a fan of quirky Japanese SUVs Jcan Industries rates it a ten for you.  

<originally posted by Simkin on 10/30/2003>

Special Features>
Horizontal Disintegration: 1982 Toyota Tercel

As most readers know, older cars generally live in several distinct categories: (1) Little old lady cars - yes, that 1972 Nova has been driven since new by here, and it still hasn't seen WOT (2) Student Cars - Poverty decided this choice, and lack of funds dictates economical driving; Praying to deities that nothing breaks (3) Beater - I got it on the cheap, and now it must die.

Being that the owners in the first two categories are prone to ... extending ... the life of their used autos for much longer than the manufacturer probably intended, we'll give them a miss. Just don't blame us if that ex-granny mobile still has the stock drum brake shoes.

Today, our unsuspecting victim is a flat (weathered) black 1982 Toyota Tercel Hatchback SR-5, replete with pinstriping and the little eagle along the door sills. Pushing an unknown amount of power from a compact 1.3L 4 cylinder Carbuereted engine, and transferring it to the front wheels via a 5spd manual, this hatch is certainly not going to win any awards in a straight line. Taking a look under the car, however, provides us with just the inspiration that we needed. Not as much what is attached under the car, as the clearance between the car and the road itself. We shall now deem this car, the official Rally Tercel.

Our first thoughts were to use this car as a volunteer car to make pace notes for the upcoming local rally, but studious officials declared our car both "An eyesore" and "Totally unfit to drive either on road or off."

Undeterred, we decided that we really didn't need any kind of sanctioning body anyhow, and that they'd probably want us to stop playing our Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits tape before helping them. 15 minutes later, we had found a nice windy stretch of gravel road that was not being used for any of the rally SS stages, and so after one pass for recce of wildlife/trees and onlookers/cops we decided to make a pass at speed.

Getting the little hatch up to a proper clip to do ass-out gravel drifting proved a little tiresome, as the tach took painfully slowly to move around to its 7000rpm (or was it 5? oh well) redline, but with the taller gearing, we were able to hit 80kph in 2nd gear. Once we were going as fast as the co-driver/half-druken friend/cameraman deemed safe, we attacked the fast transitions. The short wheelbase and relatively low center of gravity allowed the Rally 'Cel to swing its tail out on every single corner, with only the merest flick of the wheel. Also contributing to this amicable rally demeanor were the very small, very skinny, p155/85R-13 All Season tires, which were nearing the end of tread depth on the rear tires (we rotated the fronts just before our shakedown run).

Sliding was predictable, and as long as the engine was kept in the high revs, the front went where it was pointed. The rear could be kept out by judicious use of the handbrake, which could be applied gradually or just pulled full on for a quick 180. Suspension components weren't checked prior to this debauchery, nor were brakes, seats, gas, oil, tires, life insurance policies...

The only two field repairs necessitated were: Exhaust hanger replaced with heavy guage fencing wire after a quick romp through a water hazard on the course; A Natural-Composite seat support was added to the driver's seat after the reclining mechanism failed.

Having failed to destroy the Rally Tercel through backwoods shenanigans, we decided to see how it fared with a little AutoX. The only local lot sizeable enough, and removed enough from the watchful eyes of Joe Copper was a local church, and it was fortuitously not a Sunday. After placing out a course of several misappropriated cones, I decided to set the course record quite high so that my subsequent runs would be very demanding. After a 3500rpm clutch drop, the car one legged it into the first turn, but again using the handbrake, I managed a sharp 120 degree turn, with the car pitching heavily from side to side. After completing the first run of the course, a (poor) decision was made to allow the cameraman to attempt the same course, resulting in the Tercel plowing off course and into a concrete parking block. Block 0 - Tercel 1. The block had somewhat rearranged the front bumper, but in the process, it had been knocked over and cracked.

Discretion being the better part of valour, a quick departure was in order. On the return to the home garage with the Rally 'Cel, the road holding capabilities of the car were tested with a full on handbrake application at 60kph on a long banked corner. This resulted in the car facing the opposite direction, in the opposite lane, and several quite irate passengers. Also, a strange lag had developed in the engine.

Days later, the lag had progressed into full blown stalling of the engine, even at speed, necessitating at least 3/4 throttle at all times, even whilst decelerating. This made for quite interesting commuting, and eventually the car was deemed unfit for human consumption.

Final Thoughts: Old tech, well built, a good place to learn for both newcomers to cars, manual transmissions, and rally racing, providing that nobody's around to catch you in the act.

*Please don't try this at home folks, we'll probably be litigated for even printing this stuff. -ed  

<originally posted by ffejmastaflex on 4/14/2005>

96 Geo Metro Lsi

When buying a new car, a few important factors need to be taken into consideration:

1. Do you ever hope to attract a member of the opposite sex?

2. Does the vehicles seating provide adequate adjustability to make the most out of interior space and ergonomics, and is this space adequate for copulation?

3. Do you need a modern car or something with driving characteristics more closely associated with a horse drawn buggy?

4. Are you sure you want a car and not a riding lawnmower?

These are all pertinent areas of interest when aquiring any new vehicle. But if you don't really have a budget and are simply being given a first car by your sisters boyfriend, as he can no longer bear the indignity of driving an automatic Geo Metro egg shaped thing, what do you do?

First off, you desperately try to ignore those important questions you were asking yourself before. You don't really care; it consumes gasoline and has a steering wheel, and will presumably transport you and five or six illegal immigrants. First impressions are defnintely lasting impressions. The interior of the car can most closely be equated to a smoothed over Lego construction by retarded kids. Plastic of the cheapest quality covers everything but the seats and floor. Thankfully Geo has not yet conceived of an I-drive system of its own, and the comfort controls are simple and actually very well laid out. The heater is excellent, as the 1 liter 80 HP 3 cyl. engine is approximately 5 inches from your knees. The AC is thankfully non-existent, as the 1.5 HP it would rob from the serpentine belt would be sorely missed.

Oh, how sweet the sound of blown out low grade Korean sourced speakers. And yet the "premium" CD/ Cassette stereo still manages to fill the little car with very loud noises, and with careful tuning of the equalizers, is barely listenable.

The 3 speed auto teamed with a 80 HP 1 liter 3 cylinder is actually just ballsy enough to propel the 1800 lb. machine from stoplight to stoplight.  0-60 comes in a hair-rasing 11 seconds.  The real fun comes when the catalytic converter is torn off the car thanks to an off road test inspired by 23 or so bong loads. The car has truly been liberated with its new free breathing exhaust. With careful mathematical deliberation, we decided that it would probably be smarter to manually shift the car from L to 2 to D in the pursuit of maximum performance. The torque converter is all to willing to comply, as 65 lb ft. of torque is actually rather negotiable. With extensive testing and trial runs, shifting from 1st to 2nd occurs at 28 MPH @8,500 RPm. The serious fun begins when stretching the 2-3 shift to a mind bending 63 MPH @ 8,700 RPM. When coupled with the cat-less exhaust and its accompanying raw angry Geo 3 cylinder scream, this powershifting technique yields a satisfying 0-60 in about 8.5 seconds. Many unsuspecting Civics are lost at the lights.

Steering is non-boosted and thusly very communicative, although a bit of a handful with one broken arm thanks to skateboarding. Mild understeer is prevalent at almost all speeds. But in the winter months, trips to the local snowboarding hill on curvy slow backroads can be much fun with a careful application of the e-brake. Practice makes perfect, and an empty parking lot and 15 minute midnite sessions will quickly hone your skills.

Overall, the Metro is very rollable and can be a lot of fun when seriously abused. Thanks to the talents of a gymnast girlfriend, the Metro proved to be a worthy love den. It has a raw old-school spirit and begs to be driven 6 feet into the ground, where it is now resting in peace.  

<originally posted by spiritturbo on 4/19/2005>

It was a Saturday morn like most others. Filtered sunshine, temps in the mid 40's and no wind to speak of.  I was en route to consider the purchase of a car held in high esteem by many knowledgable tuners. The renowned DSM. A FWD 1990 Eagle Talon TSi to be exact. The ad for the car said much: ACT clutch, intake, stainless braided brakelines (woohoo, huh?), boost controller and an SPI boost guage. It told me two things; the car belonged to someone young, and that it had been beaten severely. None the less, the ideas of a vaunted 4G63 in my control was apealling, 350 potential horsepower tintilating, and styling like none other nearly irresistable. That and the fact that my car had been stolen, well, I was in need of a means of transportation.

Enter the Talon TSi. Initial impressions were average, even lukewarm. First inspection of the car's exterior was pretty good with the exception of the wrap-around three piece decklid fin, a unit well showing it's age, complete with weathering and an attempted waxjob that left the finish worse than before. The body, however, was good and the paint nearly flawless. A second drawback for me was the 4 inch butt cannon of a muffler. It was large and polished, and in all reality hung a little lower than I cared to see, but noise would be the main issue for now. It was what I expected and ultimately hoped for; minor cosmetic deftects I could use for bargaining, yet quickly correct all the same.

Entering the Talon was not necessarily an easy chore for a guy with a built 5'11'' frame. The tilt steering wheel was mandatory, and entry of the vehicle required positioning of such wheel at it's uppermost height.  Even then, sliding between the wheel and seat was a pinch, but bearable.

Having firmly seated my hindparts in the fabric seat if ound the seat itself comfortable and supportive. With hip, back, and shoulder bracing the stock seats impressed me as any could with a promise to keep driver and machine as one, though it could use more lumbar support. Instrument layout was average to good, although the interior did not show as well as the exterior did. The driverside A-pillar moulding was missing and the car was, indeed, clean, but clean for 15 years old, showing it's age in the form of minor stains in the carpet and a 2 inch tear in the seat. Although th stock stereo unit had been replaced with a midlevel DIN Kenwood CD unit, the owner neglected to install any form of faceplate beneath it, allowing a view of the wire looms within the console. At least the SPI boost gauge seated there attracted more attention than the wires. The interiors upside? A five speed.

A made my way under the hood, and upon examination I found an engine that was clean and well kempt, but bore evidence of hack work by an individual, possibly inexperienced.

Red Flags, no doubt.

Further examination showed the intake was actually a homebrew PVC pipe unit epoxied together, and it included the rough but sealed, installation of a K&N cone filter. The boost controller was also a 5 dollar garage special well positioned on the passengerside strut tower. Checking other components of the engine compartment showed everything clean, in apperent working order and ready for a test drive.

Start up was smooth and it drove out nicely. The clutch engagement caught me by suprise as the grip was firmer than what I had expected, nonetheless, slippage is a word not associated with the vocabulary of the tranny. The engine noise was, indeed, forceful, but low-pitched and bearable, with engine power being what I hoped for, and cleanly delivered. The ride was rough as any sportscar would be, but interior noise was just right. Handling is where this car shines. Taking a cloverleaf at 65 MPH is not something I recommend in just any car, but DSM knew what they were doing when designing this car, and the Talon didn't even think twice. With average Kumho road tires hitting the pavement the Talon took hold and beautifully sailed it's way around the entrance ramp without so much as a creak. Well done.

But time would bring out the car's weaknesses. When the engine was warmed up it began to idle roughly, idling on the brink of a stall, but yet never stalling. Good thing it didn't, as such an offense would have been grounds for an immediate dismissal. The engine did not miss a beat during acceleration or deceleration, but at idle or steady open throttle the 4G63 was somewhat vulgar. It was time for the all-important mechanic shop inspection, where they found a damaged MAF sensor, slight oil burning after long idle (due to valves) but everything else in order.  

It was rough, but ok for my plans. With the car passing my tests and in acceptable condition it was now time for the showdown at the owners corral. He was straightforward in explaing the rough idle and showing me where someone had "hacked" the Mass Airflow Sensor to increase horsepower by 10, but killing the driveability in the process. He also explained that the car belonged to his 17 year old son, but due to the proliferation of speeding tickets was being forced to sell it. The price was decent, though a bit high. I made my case, citing the "need" for a rebuild and age of the car. I made the offer and several days later he accepted.

The car still drives out good. I have already allocated another 4G63 for the building process. Will this Talon TSi be destined to make it's place on the streets of the Northeast?

Stay Tuned.  

<originally posted by Simkin on 4/19/2005>

<Letters of the Technical Pro(gress)>
1984 Yamaha FJ600

Have you always wanted to be at the vanguard of change, but lacked the foresight to see a paradigm shift while it is happening? Well, this author managed to experience just such a nascent technology, when he chose, before all others, a low mileage '84 Yamaha FJ600, as his introductory foray into the world of two wheeled locomotion. Now, you may be asking, how exactly is a 21 year old motorcycle revolutionary? Well, read on, and we shall see, as both the pitfalls and triumphs of the leading edge are laid bare before you.

In the early eighties, Japanese sports bikes came in several flavours: small displacement two stroke machines had their way with those wanting to pretend at a MotoGP career, 500/550cc machines were the entry level to the big dog world of real sports bikes, the 750s and 1000s, but they had too little grunt for the heft that they were forced to carry around. Meanwhile, big displacement bikes, like the 750s and 1000s, were helping owners to accrue points on their lisences, but not on the race track - a heavy curb weight and the skinny tyres of the time conspiring against awesome handling. Into this, in 1984, came the very first 600cc Japanese sport bike, even if now, in hindsight, many regard it as a 'sport tourer'. Posessed of a not insubstantial curb weight - around 460lbs - it was still not much heavier than the 550s, but it was lighter than the big bikes, enough to make a difference. It was the fastest thing on two wheels (with corners taken into account) for nearly 9 months, until a new crop of 600s were brought out by competing marques to play catch up. It remained in production for much longer than the normal production cycle of such artifacts of metal and motion, even though it was quickly eclipsed in both pace and style. It showed the way forward, and today the 600cc bikes are seen by many as the best compromise between straight line speed and agility - suitable for both the novice rider and the ameteur racer.

The air-cooled inline 4 cylinder is narrow in profile, with the only concession to ancillary cooling being a tiny oil-cooler mounted high above the engine. The seating position, by today's standards, is frankly sensible, with the rider halfway between the lazy upright posture allowed by standard motorcycles, and the forced hunch of the modern superbike. This was only the second application of a rear monoshock by Yamaha, but even this early in development, its functionality is apparent, as is its adjustability. In keeping with the trends of the day, the tyres are tall and narrow, looking rather alien in comparison with the immensely wide slicks that modern superbikes are shod with. The electric system is, to be honest, bollocks, but provided that it is still working, is best left alone. The bike was made at a time when alloy was not in heavy useage, but even so, a large portion of the mechanical bits are of aluminium. The frame certainly isn't, though, and this makes a definite impact on the bike's performance. Unfortunately, little concern was given to the mating of aluminium and steel parts, and many fasteners welded themselves into important places.

A sprint from 0-100kph takes somewhere around 5 seconds, although there are issues inherent that make this difficult to repeat. Chief among these, are the gear ratios; they are quite tall, with 100kph being possible in all but first, but they are spaced together so tightly, that 6th gear has the engine turning over at 5200rpm when cruising at 100kph. This does, however, allow the bike to pull quite hard in nearly any gear, at any speed, even though it is only posessed of ~72hp. The top speed is a (by today's standards) laxadaisical 200kph, but with only a partial fairing, the wind at that speed is substantial. One test run to 180kph resulted in a side-mirror actually being rotated back into a more aerodynamic position, much to the rider's consternation. The mufflers, in a 4-1-2, contained a crossover, unfortunately located directly ahead of the rear tyre, all but willing that part to rust, which it had done long ago. The exhaust cans also had fallen prey to the ravages of time and nature, providing little, if any, noise dissipation, pleasing the neighbourhood every morning. Throttle response is immediate, as the link between the rider and the fueling system is merely an elaborate fuel drip (aka a carbueretor) activated by a cable pulled by the rider. The suspension, like the engine, has not aged well in comparison to the bike's appearance. During the course of a rebuild, however, it was noted that the fork seals had gone, so it remains to be seen if this will help bring some civility back to the equation. The brakes, a pair of slotted discs on the front, and a single slotted rotor on the back, provide ample stopping power, nearly overpowering the narrow section width tyres in panic stops. The clutch pull is quite heavy, although it was not as bad before the author decided to rebuild his steed. Gas consumption was not nearly as good as advertised, prompting the rebuild, which yielded little, if any improvement.

A final note: this bike has proven itself to be reliable, quick, and relatively cheap. It is quite simple in design, and thus lends itself to someone who wishes to learn more about the internal workings of anything automotive by taking it apart. The one caveat that the author offers, however, is that they do so with the assistance of a proper Fasctory Service Manual (FSM). Third party manuals are no replacement for FSMs, and many days would have been saved (and probably much money and greif) had such a book been consulted.