Finally arriving in the US shores for 2011, the Yamaha FZ8 is a true-naked sportbike, unlike its older and younger brothers that feature half fairings, the FZ1 and FZ6R.
Powered by a 779cc liquid-cooled inline four, Yamaha says the FZ8 has “smooth power delivery and gobs of torque in the low to mid rpm range, but this engine also lets loose with eye-opening horsepower when the revs climb toward redline.”
Included in the Yamaha FZ8’s motor is technology directly from the R1 and FZ1, including forged aluminum pistons, fracture-split carburized connecting rods, and ceramic-composite-plated cylinders. Clearly oversquare, the FZ8 has a wide-ratio 6-speed transmission to match engine’s performance character.
Yamaha says: “This bike simply excels both in the morning commute and on that spirited weekend ride on a twisty back country road.”
The 2011 FZ8 carries a MSRP of $8490, and is only available in one color: Raven Black.
Click motorcycle thumbnail to expand. Right click motorcycle wallpaper to download.
Benda motorcycles are beginning to make a ripple on US shores with four intriguing and competitive models, courtesy of its partnership with Keeway Group. We were impressed with the Napoleonbob 500 and have now gotten our gloves on the persuasive, entry-level 2026 Benda Chinchilla 300, with its modest MSRP of $4999. It would be difficult to design a more welcoming entry-level cruiser than this easy-handling, visually appealing boulevard bobber. Editor Don Williams and Associate Editor Kelly Callan discuss the Benda Chinchilla 300 and how it actually rode for them.
* * * * *
Our guest this episode is Jesse Merriman, Chief Technician for Jeremy McWilliams at the Arch Motorcycle racing project. Arch Racing was founded by Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reevs to compete in the Moto America Super Hooligan race series. Teejay Adams chats with Jesse about the Arch motorcycle and the challenges of extracting the absolute most from an air-cooled V-Twin racing engine and custom chassis.
* * * * *
Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
We use cookies and browser activity on this website
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Advertising helps us keep our content available for free, so adjusting your ad blocking settings will help us.
We appreciate your support!
i
How to Allow Ads on This Site
Depending on your setup, ads may be blocked by a browser extension, VPN, antivirus software, or other application. Here are some common ways to allow ads:
Browser Extensions (e.g., Adblock, uBlock, etc.)
Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar.
Look for an option like "Don't run on pages on this site" or "Pause on this site".
Save the change and refresh the page.
VPNs with Ad Blocking (e.g., NordVPN, Proton VPN, etc.)
Open your VPN app.
Go to settings or features.
Disable any ad blocking or tracking protection features.
Refresh the page.
Antivirus Software or Other Privacy Tools
Check for web protection, ad filtering, or browser privacy settings.
Click the power button to disable it for this site.
Refresh the page.
Not sure what's blocking ads? Look for tools with privacy or filtering features, or check your browser extensions. We only use respectful, non-intrusive advertising.
