1988 Yamaha FZR1000

1988 Yamaha FZR1000
Miles: 9,854
Clean Title
Detroit Area
$10,500

SELLER
Immaculate condition.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s finest production sportbikes of its era.
Totally stock and unrestored (except steel-braided brake lines and clutch cable, and maintenance items)
Bought from original owner last summer.
Plastics are pristine.
Brand new tires.
Brand new OEM brakes.
Brand new oil and oil filter.
Needs nothing.
Title clear and in my name.

RSBFS
Red is contemplating a road trip to Detroit…

We have posted many FZR1000’s over the years, but not many are 1988 low miles with a blue color scheme. Tad’s past musings are worthy of resurrection, “Having spoken with a couple people about the Yamaha FZR1000 of the late 80s and early 90s, I’ve gotten the distinct impression that, however competent it may have been, it really wasn’t cool in the way the Suzuki GSX-R1100 was. I think someone went as far as to say they were kind of the “nerdy” choice, at least among ballistic superbikes, so it figures I’d be into them.

It is a bit ironic that the FZR would be considered less cool than the GSX-R, considering that it was a much more advanced machine in many ways. The big Suzuki was a bit of a dinosaur, with an effective, but relatively primitive double-cradle frame, while the Yamaha was built around their light and very stiff aluminum Deltabox design, the first time the concept had been applied to a liter-plus bike.

Both bikes offered a broad spread of locomotive thrust, and did just fine with five-speed gearboxes, although the FZR managed to be as fast as the GSX-R, while giving away displacement to the Suzuki. And even though the GSX-R, originally eschewed liquid-cooling as a weight-saving measure, still ended up being pretty portly. The original 1987-1988 version of the FZR1000 used a 989cc version of Yamaha’s Genesis five-valve engine, although it lacked the EXUP valve that would become another of the FZR’s signature features. Five-valve technology has proven to add additional complexity for minimal returns and isn’t often seen anymore, but the engine’s steeply-canted design and under-tank airbox set the standard for sportbike packaging.

I think ultimately, the FZR was a victim of its own success. The Genesis was smooth, powerful and possibly a bit too refined. People generally don’t buy big sportbikes because they want refinement, or because they need them. It’s the same mistake Yamaha made with their RZ500: Suzuki’s Gamma was wilder and woolier, and stole the RZ’s thunder. Here, the Gixxer’s bad-boy reputation means that it’s an appreciating object of lust, while the Fizzer can be had for relative peanuts.

For now anyway…..The FZR may never achieve the desirability of a GSX-R1100 but, given how the values of all bikes of this era seem to be on the rise and how scarce really clean examples are, now’s the time to jump in if you want to recapture your youth or just want a very cool, versatile retro ride.”

Hear! Hear!

Good luck to the buyer and seller!