With classic bobber styling, the 2020 Yamaha Bolt and Bolt R-Spec straddle the blurry line between retro and contemporary cruisers.The Bolt pair get an air-cooled V-twin powerplant, mixed with EFI and an overhead cam in each cylinder. There’s a belt drive, but no ABS, even as an option. The stylish round taillight is an LED, and the simple dash has an LCD readout.Bolt
The Bolt is the more vintage-styled of the pair, with wire-spoke wheels and a plain pair of shocks. The Bolt R-Spec moves things forward a bit, with cast alloy 12-spoke wheels and higher-performance piggyback-reservoir shocks. Both Bolts have tubeless Bridgestone Exedra tires, with a 19-inch front wheel and 16-inch rear.Bolt R-SpecRiding the Bolt and Bolt R-Spec couldn’t be easier. The motor offers plenty of torque, and enough power to handle freeway action. The solo seat height of just over 27 inches makes the Bolt brothers accessible to those with long or short inseams. The mid controls and high-mounted swept-back handlebar provide ergonomics comfortable enough for all-day rides.Read our Yamaha Bolt Review.
2020 Yamaha Bolt and Bolt R-Spec Specs
ENGINE
Type: 60-degree V-twin
Displacement: 942cc
Bore x stroke: 85 x 83mm
Compression ratio: 9.0:1
Valvetrain: SOHC, 4vpc
Fueling: Twin-bore EFI
Cooling: Air
Transmission: 5-speed
Final drive: Belt
CHASSIS
Frame: Double cradle
Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable 41mm fork; 4.7 inches
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This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
