Yamaha goes retro with its new SCR950 motorcycle
Scrambling for a piece of the motorcycle sales pie that Ducati and Triumph have created with their retro Scramblers, Yamaha has unveiled its SCR950.
The company’s new old-looking bike, an attempt to create relevance among young urban consumers, is only new on the outside.
Underneath the classic styling -- which includes a vintage-looking gas tank, number plates, fenders and fork boots -- lurks a Bolt. Yamaha’s popular city cruiser supplies a well-tested engine, power train, frame and suspension elements for this new machine.
That means the SCR950 uses the Bolt’s 942cc air-cooled V-Twin engine, five-speed transmission and belt drive. The fork boots cover the Bolt’s telescopic fork -- with the same 4.7-inch travel.
See the most-read stories this hour >>
The two bikes differ in ways that affect the look, the ergonomics and the ride. The SCR gets a 17-inch rear wheel, to the Bolt’s 16-inch, and has a slightly tighter rake and slightly longer wheelbase. (Both have a 19-inch front wheel.) Front and rear wheels on the SCR are spoked. The chopped fenders are steel.
Its wide, retro-styled seat rises to 32.7 inches, well up from the Bolt’s 27.2 inches, for a more upright riding position. The SCR weighs in at 547 pounds fully fueled -- five pounds heavier than the Bolt.
It’s also a little pricier. The 2017 Bolt goes out the door at $7,999, and the Bolt R-Spec at $8,399. The SCR950’s MSRP will be $8,699 when bikes hit dealers in July.
That’s within distance of the 800cc Ducati Scrambler’s $8,495, and the 865cc Triumph Scramber’s $9,400.
Yamaha also unveiled a bigger, brawnier FZ this week, taking the wraps off its FZ-10, a bigger brother to the FZ-07 and FZ-09.
As the SCR950 is built off the Bolt, so the FZ-10 is informed by Yamaha’s YZF-R1. That’s where the FZ-10 gets its engine, suspension and chassis.
The naked liter bike features a titanium muffler, and comes with ABS, cruise control and a four-setting traction control system. Yamaha calls this aggressively-styled sport bike “the ultimate thrill ride.”
The FZ-10 will retail at $12,999 when it arrives in dealerships this month.
MORE AUTO NEWS
Doing some drunk driving, stone cold sober
Car thieves love L.A.: California leads the nation (again) in auto thefts
Cars with potentially deadly Takata air bags are still being made and sold
Twitter: @misterfleming
