Along with the 2010 Yamaha FZ8, Yamaha Europe has finally officially released the 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS. The 800cc cousin to the FZ8, the Fazer8 gets the obvious anti-lock brake treatment as the name implies. Drawing on styling cues from the larger FZ1, the FazerOcho distinguishes itself by what lies beneath its exposed motor. As was rumored, the Fazer8 borrows from the FZ1’s 998cc motor’s stroke length, making up the smaller displacement with a smaller bore diameter (68mm down from 77mm).
Previous Fazer owners will probably find the Fazer8’s near 485lbs of wet weight as an unwelcomed change from their more slender 600cc counter-parts (450lbs wet), which this bike now replaces. However the Fazer8’s 50% more torque (Fazer8: 62lbs•ft, FZ6: 46lbs•ft) on tap should help quiet the restless souls who have just seen their favorite motorcycle discontinued.
Like the FZ8, the Fazer8 carries many elements over from both the FZ1 and FZ6. However while the FZ8 gets a nose job, the Fazer8 retains the bird/moth/grasshopper head of a front fairing. New for 2010 is the obvious addition of 310mm front disc brakes, which are grappled to a rolling stop by the new ABS system on board. This is done to not only help the bike stop better on uncertain road conditions, but it also seems that Yamaha is trying to segment the market between the two models.
While the FZ8 is geared more towards the performance enthusiast meets street hooligan, the Fazer8’s marketing material is clearly aimed at the sport-tourer inside all of us, making the Fazer8 the proverbial Swiss Army knife of the motorcycling world. The ABS brakes seem to play up this role, and position the bike as an “any situation” rider. Time will tell how that works out for the tuning fork brand. European pricing starts at €8,690, and the Fazer8 comes in white, blue, and black.
