| Manufacturer | Yamaha Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Also called | TRX |
| Production | 1995 - 1999 |
| Predecessor | None |
| Class | Sport bike |
| Engine | 850 cc parallel-twin |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 1,435 mm |
| Dimensions | L 2,070 mm W 700 mm |
| Seat height | 795 mm |
| Weight | 190 kg (dry) |
| Fuel capacity | 18 l |
Manufactured by the Yamaha Motor Company of Japan, the Yamaha TRX, is a motorcycle with a 849 cc 270° parallel-twin engine. The TRX was Yamaha's first big twin sport bike of the modern era. The TRX first appeared in Japan in 1995 and a version for Europe became available in 1996. Although the TRX was developed cheaply from the factory's 'parts bin', using FZR forks & brakes, and a modified parallel-twin engine from the Yamaha TDM850, this motorcycle performs well and has a coherent identity of its own.[1]
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The TRX was designed to exploit the 1990s craze for big twin-cylinder sportsbikes, being aimed particularly at the 900 cc Ducati SuperSport V-twin, whose tubular trellis frame it echoed. However, the TRX's price was high and it sold poorly in Europe, being overshadowed by faster and more sophisticated motorcycles such as the Honda VTR1000, Suzuki TL1000S and Ducati 916. In 1999 Yamaha stopped making the TRX, but the TDM, enlarged to 900 cc, remains in production.[2]
The TRX dry sump engine produces some 84 Nm of torque, and around 80 bhp. Uniquely, the oil tank is not remote, but is integral to the engine, sitting atop the gearbox. This design eradicates external oil lines and provides faster oil warm up. The 360° crank of the original TDM morphed into a 270° crank for both the TRX and for later TDMs.[3]
Compared to the TDM, the TRX is lighter, lower and sportier. Its front forks are conventional telescopics, while the rear suspension is a rising-rate monoshock unit. Owners often replace the original disc brake calipers with superior Yamaha "Blue-Spot" items.[4] The heavy stock silencers tend to choke the output; so any TRX benefits from lightweight cans. The original-equipment Michelin Macadam tyres were of hard-compound and gave poor road adhesion. The TRX affords an excellent riding position, albeit with a rather hard rider's seat. The TRX is essentially a solo machine, so provision for a pillion passenger is marginal: the pillion seat is hard and wafer-thin, the raised exhausts result in very high pillion footpegs, and there is no grab rail.
The 270° ignition sequence in the TRX's is known as the “big-bang firing order”, yielding a motor resembling the sound and feel of a V-twin. In a parallel-twin, a 270° crank allows both a more regular firing pattern than a 180° crank, and less vibration than a 360° crank. But unlike the 180° & 360° cranks, a 270° twin never has both pistons stationary, so crankshaft momentum is always maintained. Also, although the 270° firing interval is not as uneven as the 180° crank (parallel-twin) or 90° (V-twin), the 270° crank avoids being perfectly even; and this is said to allow better power delivery to the rear tyre by giving two fairly close power pulses followed by a "recovery gap" which supposedly helps the tyre resume full adhesion to the road.[5] The TRX was the first[6] production parallel-twin motorcycle to adopt a 270 ° crank, but the idea was adopted for the 2009 Triumph Thunderbird; and this 270° crank may become the norm for large parallel-twins.[7]
In Motorcycle News (MCN) the TRX was described as "the best-kept secret in motorcycling" and a "forgotten gem" which bore comparison with the new Norton Commando 961.[8] The review states: "The TRX It produces less power than sports 600s of the same era, but it’s much gruntier and more satisfying to use thanks to that twin cylinder character".[1]
In a Motorcycle News readers' poll of the “Top Ten Big Twin Sports Bikes",[9] the TRX came joint third, beaten only by the joint winners, the Ducati 916 & 748, with 90%. The TRX was rated at 88% (equal to the Ducati 996, Suzuki TL1000s & Honda SP-1). The TRX beat the Aprilia RSV1000 (86%), the Suzuki TL1000R (84%), the Honda Firestorm (82%) and the Aprilia Futura (80%). The rare MZ 1000S did not feature. MCN declared that "Although ... it's a parallel-twin and a touch on the bouncy side, the TRX is still a cracking bike. It's stable, handles neutrally and feels like a proper sports bike".[1]
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