Genius Genesis!

This machine is one of those bikes that seems to get regularly overlooked by riders looking for a larger machine.

For a number of years, CMM had a ‘Project FZ750 Superstock’ series running when our very own Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish got a track version sorted, something closely resembling his stock racer from 1985/1986. We’ve also had special versions of this model featured on several occasions and, while this shows a hard-core of support for this worthy four-cylinder sports machine, arguably, the FZ hasn’t had the popularity of its peers from the 1985 model year. These machines were most notably Suzuki’s GSX-R750F, RG500 square-four two-stroke, Honda’s NS400R two-stroke triple, and even Yamaha’s own V-Max… Of course, the FZ’s nemesis could be seen to be the GSX-R, which was 30-35 kilos lighter than the FZ, even if, at 100bhp claimed, it was around the same power.

And yet much of what was pioneered in the FZ750 Genesis stayed in the Yamaha sporting family for decades, or was even copied by the competition. Oh yes, on launch the FZ750 was noted for a raft of technical achievements and advanced thinking, but sadly within a few years it was considered an also-ran. In the UK at least the three-quarter litre Yam found itself almost totally eclipsed by faster machinery and principally by Suzuki’s GSX-R 750.