1994 Yamaha GTS1000 ABS review
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- A little present to myself. The Yamaha GTS1000A. Bought new for about 10k in 1994, only one owner from new and 10,000 miles. I've always wanted to try one of these, here goes...
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They should get this back into production with a shaft drive would make a great tourer
A review by an adult, how refreshing!
I ran one for 40,000 miles. Bought it used 20,000 miles to commute UK to IOM. Incredible machine so stable. One of the few bikes I could commute on and then hack around the mountain course, braking into bumpy bends holding a perfect line the old tank could hold its own with sports bikes. Yes you are dead right once you have ridden the GTS you never come across another machine that is so stable.......but so heavy! Once your moving its fine and deceptively quick to change lines. BTW build quality exceptional and remove the covers below each handlebar for the most amazing blast of hot air that means you can tuck and ride in summer gear all winter round as the radiator is where the head stock should be.
Up date dec 2022 ha just come back to this video after being gripped by the Electric bike revolution riding a Zero SRF oh and aquired a Hercules W2000 rotary since I first posted this, clearly Im nuts and only like stuff thats weird and yes Im not interested in any of the rinse wash and repeat thats on offer out there but Id have another GTS anyday.......genius machine.
I love the older Litre bikes, I have a Thunderace, these bikes are absolutely stunning.
@RoadcraftNottingham, went for my first real out of city commute today, and thanks to some of your videos twas an enjoyable day, and 270kms of winding mountain roads in far North Queensland Australia, I'm still in one piece! Cheers mate!
Great review Russ.
Vyrus, an Italian company, are manufacturing and experimenting with center-hub steering and Bimota also released a few models that implemented CHS, cost the price of a few kidneys however. Anyway telescopic forks will always win out in the looks department.
Really enjoyed this video, as the bike is amazing. Glad the new owner is a biking enthusiast & well known legend. Wishing you many happy hours riding this beauty.
I really like your classic bike reviews not many people do them ;) keep up the good work
I still remember getting one for a loaner back when they couldn't sell them, but it was lovely to ride once it was moving.
Blast from the past! I remember this bike mainly because of a TV ad here in the States that will go down in history as the most concentrated Nineteen Ninety-Three that has ever been made :) Apologies for not discovering this video sooner!
Congrats! I remember when that bike came out, it was pricey. Great find!
Thanks for the road test, Russ. That is 'right up my street' Love it!
About the same weight as my Cbr1100xx, which I have absolutely no problem with, and in fact prefer it when on a 4-lane huge truck infested freeways, maintaining about 90 mph.
Great vid. A few comments based on my 15 years of ownership. There may be something wrong with your brakes as the GTS brakes are phenomenal. One of the outstanding features of the bike. Has recorded 89 feet stop from 60mph, still a record as far as I'm aware. Sure the play and feel at the lever is not like a modern bike but that big 6-piston calliper and 330mm ventilated disc combined with the solidity of the swing arm connection to the frame, provides just amazing braking when you are hammering. Two things you did not mention at the beginning when talking about the ground-breaking technical aspects - ABS and 5 valves per cylinder. The std fairing screen causes a LOT of buffeting. Can be fixed. The OEM Dunlop tires were atrocious and did not endear the bike to the magazine bike testers. Handling is much improved with modern sports tyres and 120 profile front instead of 130 original fitment. Beware, handling is very sensitive to worn tyres, steering gets very heavy. But with new tyres it's very neutral. Bottom end and midrange torque is excellent IMO. Roll on times are very good. The thing is so smooth it is easy to run the revs down so low that it will not pull well but this is rider error.
That is beautiful! Bloody love it!
man that is one cool bike! thanks for the great video!
I remember when it first came out there were lots of positive comments about the hub centre steering, but also disappointment over the 100bhp engine and the chain final drive. Like the proper sports-tourer that it was, it should have been fitted with Yamaha's excellent shaft drive.
like the filming technique, good inserts, would have like more from other bike. keep up good wrk
I don't remember seeing this model before. Nice Bike; interesting front suspension!
Am proudly the owner one of these beutiful monstrosity... :-)
In the day when a friend bought one new, we used to take the .... and laugh because it was such an expensive monstrosity (that still admittedly went well around corners) I only bought it to play on for a while then sell but have decided to keep this baby for myself. It has such an addictive personality. You'll know how that feels no doubt?
I remember looking atthis in my dads motorcycle magazines from days gone by. I think the weight would put me off but what fantastic design. I like the look of the old bmw tourers as well ! built like a tank;)
Happy Birthday. Love the bike!
Congrats on a great bike! I love it!
Very nice bike)
And video, of course)
amazing watching the front wallow up and down like that, almost looks like the cam was directed on the back wheel.
Just great to see older motorbikes on the road. This "vintage" technic is proofed by age. Not all new things are better then old. Greetings from Holland.
Seen this so many times Ros & it stands out because the design was revolutionary. People or the MC press forget the boundaries it pushed. Hopefully, look forward to you doing a few more video's of it & some engineer in Yamaha or elsewhere see the benefits of progressing with the design in an affordable 21st century motorbike. We are allowed to dream.
I think it is so funy when a person complains of a streetbike only having 100 hp
Like a car person complaining about having 'only' 450 hp.
buzzbbird 😂 definitely.
Hi, if it wasn't from stumbling across your road craft clips ,I would have never have known about this bike :)
I HAVE ONE. ITS THE SAME YEAR, GREAT BIKE
You're obviously the bloke that beat me to this one on Ebay a couple of weeks ago!
great review and another bike to lust after too cheers :)
I'm pretty sure I just saw one of your videos on a rude tube advert! The one where the tree falls on the instructor! Congrats :)
Interesting bike! I'll keep an eye out on the streets of Nottingham :)
great video.very experienced rider:)
Nice review! Great Birthday present! Always liked the GTS and was a bit baffled when it disappeared. As for it's looks, compared to other 1000cc sports tourers of same age it does not fare too badly.. Kawa GTR1000, ZX-10, Honda CBR1000 and even the early Pan European all had the look of having a bathtub somewhere in their early ancestry.
Always hoped Yamaha would develop it into the Morpho II prototype.. (search for Yamaha Morpho here or dailymotion for vid might want to turn down music..)
Bloody lovely!!! Such a beautiful thing and a Yamaha too! Love the single sided swing arm as well. I have a Yamaha cruiser (Stratoliner S) and love the quality and retro look and the way it handles on the road...I bet this thing drives smooth and firm! Congrats and if you ever want to sell it, let me know! Cheers!!
Beautiful bike!
Watched all vids, subscribed. Your are my idol. Learned alot Thank You!!
I'm jealous! ;-) so pleased I can be of help. Ride safe.
Great ride. I'm still on the fence about motorbikes atm. Last bike I had was a Honda 50 but I used to ride it around the back yard until I passes my car test and never got around to doing bike stuff.
I saw once hub center steering on a scooter but forgot what make. Interesting concept.
Interesting film. I think the bike looks great in a butch kind of way. I rode the Bimota Tesi 1D with hub centre steering back in the '90s for the purposes of a magazine article. The steering did exactly what you expected it to do, it was neutral and well-planted but a racer probably wouldn't like it because you couldn't really feel what the front wheel was up to. The Ducati 851 engine made its presence felt by the fact that it did nothing below about 5,000 rpm, and then took off like a scalded cat. It was a nice bike, I found lying on the tank to be the most comfortable riding position. Like all alternatives to telescopic forks, cost would probably inhibit the return of hub centre steering. Otherwise I'd like to see it on a new GTR1400 (with cruise control this time). Cheers!
I actually dig the looks.
What a strangely attractive bike!! Great review as ever.
And poor Barry... Now, forever known as "Tree Man Barry" :-)
nice review and it looked great too.
I was walking around York a couple of days ago and saw one of these "monstrosities". I was wondering how many were out there. Looked nice & clean, it might have been even this bike, the colour matches.
Interesting vid! I remember these coming out and they were considered a bit of an oddball even then. Performance Bikes did an article on one that someone raced at the Isle of Man, or it might have been one of their project bikes. I'll have to have a look through my bike mag collection...
Congrats on the bike and thanks for again a great video. My Red 1993 GTS is for sale. You u
I wish I'd put more footage in of the front wheel, it's almost therapeutic! :-)
I do want to own one of these someday. Much like the Triumph Rocket 3 the modern one on a engineering standpoint it's very interesting to me. As well as the Honda NR 750. I very much loves motorcycles that are unique and have unique engineered designs that stray from the norm. It's just funny that motorcycle doesn't have much more horsepower than my 1982 Yamaha Maxim and the GTA has a Genesis engine there must be a way to unlock some of that corked power in there.
Thanks. If they came out with a new design I'm sure it would look better now days. I'd certainly consider buying one! :-)
Very interesting video. I didn't realize there were any mass produced front single arm bikes like that. Maybe I just never noticed. I've seen custom bikes made that way still today, but they cost a pretty penny.
I got total feel from the GTS, I can't remember feeling either way with telelever suspension, maybe it wasn't in the front of my mind at the time. Not sure how weight would have affected it but it felt spot on.
I love the GTS
Excellent video.,
Congrats for this useful review. How do you compare it with the k1200rs? They seem similar bikes in a exotic way...
Everything is relative. You say that 250kgs is "ridiculously heavy" but it's a lot lighter than your Pan European, and even a Suzuki Burgman 650, which weighs 280kg, and which I'm a big fan of! Glad you liked it to ride. I think it looks great. (And, FWIW, I did my best to explain the GTS's steering system back in 1992 when the director of Top Gear said "You've got 30 seconds to explain hub centre steering". The whole test is only 2 minutes, including Clarkson's intro and outro and Chris Goffey's road ride!
I had one of these with the panniers in red. Heavy beast, under powered used about the same in oil as petrol but great to ride. Went to the NEC bike show on it and got some right funny looks. Still thinking of getting shot of the diavel for the TV4:)
Nice review. Thanks! Barry violated the Rule of Breath Mints. If someone offers you gum or a breath mint, it is safer to assume you need it. Never turn them down. Ha.
looks very futuristic, quite like it..
Excellent stuff, it was my matw Steve Lindsel from Flitwick Motorcycles that ran it in the TT had reasonable success as I remember.....Steve was convinced the Design would suit road racing. Sadly Steve despite being a Yam dealer for donkeys he never got any support from the Factory so his racing career was self funded. Ollie his son now races & has just got back from IOM......
Great video and it's good to see more from you Russ. I see you were still wearing gloves with knuckle protectors, thought you went off those following your spill? What on earth was the brick Barry had on his helmet, an older version of the Drift?
Happy birthday bud! That's a super nice bike, a little beauty and a little beast :D Please DO NOT take it to the track ;) Glad to see you've recovered nicely, has the Aprilia recovered yet? Take care and God bless!
so your riding a bike made in the same year I was born way to make me feel young
I am surprised to see more of motorcycle youtubers riding and talking at the same time, wich i fear it's not totaly safe !
Popped in to Flitwick MotorCycles yesterday & had a chat with Steve. He still has the original TT Prepped GTS all be it in pieces, he also made a lightweight version using the original chassis. He knew the guy who did the initial testing for Yamaha & said it was a considerably different bike when it hit the showrooms, not for the good. Steve suggests tyre choice & condition play a big part in front end stability on the GTS! if you need any more info give the guys at Flitwick a shout ;)
I like the idea with the front single swing arm. What alloy did they use to manufacture those swing arms? They look really solid and chunky!
P.S What is your friend riding? I'm planning buying some sport tourer/dual purpose as a first big bike. Thinking about the faired Yamaha FZ6 tuned down to 44bhp restriction for the A2. Any suggestions for a bike with the sort of 'good value for money?
Many Thanks
do bikes have single-sided rear swing arms for the same reason or just for aesthetics?
Thanks, I read that a Fireblade at the time was about 7k and the GTS was over 10k so that would have put people off. Also, it isn't the prettiest duckling in the bunch is it? lol. Positive thing now is there's a following for these bikes and an owner's club. Nice to know these won't go down in value.
Thanks matey, yes, Barry's cam is the "Ye olde Drifte" ;-)
Just a point of interest, according to an article on Visor Down this morning "there is but one Yamaha GTS1000 active on UK roads. Wave if you see it."
Great video -- low-mount cam shows how level the center of the chassis stays. Re the ABS, I'd hope you can get that working. I was the guy who rode the red bike years ago. The combo of ABS and the unique front end make for really controllable hard braking. You just hear a rapid chu-chu-chu-chu-chu from the rubber as she squats down. Almost like engaging ABS in a car. -- Paul
how cool is that!
Hi Russ, what would you say the major differences are from a 125 to a big bike? Is the handling much different?
Yet another super review Russ. Apparently, these bikes are were and still are, very heavy on front tyres. They also have reputation for drinking oil, abs units seizing and ignition shorting out. The bike was ahead of it's time, but unfortunately poor sales and it would appear, poor design / build quality led to to a premature end to it's production life. It's a pity that Honda didn't take the baton, it could have been a world beater.
Hello Roadcraftnottingham. I have a Honda cbr 600 f3 1998 and in 6th gear i hear this transmisson whine, Nothing major i hear it in all gears but its abit louder in 6th. is that normal?
That is a beautiful , beautiful , bike. I like the single side swing too , it does seem to make a huge difference , even just looking at the camera. I don't see the little movements you normally notice on the telescopics.
And when you are talking about the 100hp , it doesn't make that much of a difference. The Vstrom 650 , the 2012 version , apparently weighs 214 kg and it only has a tame 60 something horses. Ok , it's a 1000 , but for what you are getting , I think that is about right.
I've always called them shocks and never dampers. Is there a difference? or could it be a different country thing?
does it feel any different from a traditional front end when turning in? with modern material technology they should be able to put out that same suspension a lot lighter and in a more compact package. It would be interesting to see what can be done with that today.
The question on my mine is how does it compare to the BMW telelever set up which came out in 92/93 on the 1100rs.
Does it have the same lack of feel, or does the sheer amount of weight of the swingarm make up for it?
It's advanced thing, he'd overtaken whilst I was overtaking earlier so I thought I'd let him know I was coming. TBH, I don't care if I annoy someone, at least they've seen me. That's what the horn's for. :-)
Great bike
Amazing. I'd love to see how the steering works.
Good video please continuo doing test rides on old bikes it is interesting - also could you ride the Vstrom Suzuki ? I have one and I would like your opinion on it
Just out of curiosity: Would a double swing-arm be even more "planted" or would it simply be redundant and cost-raising?
Only thing that bike really needs is a makeover and unrestricted engine to make it modern.
(I do love that storage compartment)
Definitely an ace museum piece to hold onto like the CX650 turbo. Definite piece of motorcycle history there.
Do you find any similarities with the paralever or tele-lever of the BMWs? I'd imagine this one is a lot more rigid feeling as far as the lateral movement goes.
I remember seeing something made by Bimota with similar tech... pretty cool that it's already been done nearly 2 decades ago! I wonder if it's possible to have both front and rear single sided swing arms too... :)
It will be very interesting to see how you personalize it, tail tidy & new exhaust?
Wow - even looked awesome from this side of the screen. The side go-pro camera showed no bumping around at all - you sure that thing isn't a hovercraft? :)
Roadcraft making it onto rude tube on channel 4, nice one!
How much do these tend to cost nowadays.... when one comes up that is?
He had the brakes serviced before I picked the bike up. Bear in mind I'm used to 2 finger Tuono and CBR600RR brakes so it's understandable there's no comparison. My Pan 1100 brakes on the other hand aren't as good as the GTS
So is it more like, or unlike, the feel of a Duolever?
ONLY DONE 10 THOUSAND MILES!!!??? my 09 street triple R has done more then that! hell ive done more miles then that yamaha i was born in the same year as it! always love your vids man ride safe :-)
very cool
I agree, come away from so many electronics and put some clever mechanics in it's place. Fantastic bike to ride. :-)
Where is the cup holder?
The front looks great. I think it needs SSSA to the back also.
hi great video again, just wondering if you can or could get you hands on a Kawasaki er6f or n and do a review of them possibly cheers