HUBBA HUBBA!
Quirky, strange, polished, these words can be used to describe Yamaha’s GTS1000A – a hub centre-steered oddity.
In these days of instant gratification there’s an ever increasing obligation to assess stuff, well, instantly. But the modern way of drawing a conclusion from first impressions definitely isn’t advised with Yamaha’s GTS1000. No, understanding this bike needs a considerably lengthier term. My run on this one came a bit out of the blue. I’d nipped along to the HQ of the Yamaha FJ Owners Club in Wiltshire to meet boss Phil Hacker. The plan was to test a selection of his bikes, but I hadn’t really expected to get to sample the hub centre-steered 90s classic. When I did get aboard it, I almost wished I hadn’t. For all its fascinating technology (which made us all think it was ahead of its time in 1993), I couldn’t help but sneer in disapproval. Okay, so it still stands out, but what a huge and heavy motorbike! Any supposed advantage of the funny front-end, helping to isolate the suspension from braking forces and maintain consistent chassis geometry, seemed purely academic. The GTS just felt like some dated, overweight has-been (a bit like me). I reckon there’s little point in featuring any clever techy stuff if what it’s attached to seems so basically flawed. No wonder the bloody thing had
“The GTS is an alternative sort of bike, which needs time to appreciate and then to savour. There’s quite a bit to get your head around – not only that front-end! So, it’s unfair to sum the bike up after one quick spin.”
failed completely and sold in very small numbers (just 300 in 1993 alone and the web shows just six in the UK). Let’s face it, if you can’t get the design basics right then there’s no chance of creating success. Mind you, I’d wager costing nigh-on ten grand was by far and away its biggest turn off all those years ago. As I was to discover, the GTS is an alternative sort of bike, needing time to appreciate and savour. More and more minutes and miles are essential to give a chance of delivering a fairer, fuller and more accurate assessment. There’s quite a bit to get your head round, and getting to grips with it all isn’t a quick deal. Quite naturally the fork-less bike is bound to feel quite unlike stuff of a more usual design. There’s a different sensation to the steering and front suspension, and one of the reasons it’s unfair to weigh the bike up with just a quick spin. What I did give the thumbs up to soon after the off though, was the engine. The detuned FZR1000 motor is super-usable and a real asset to the bike. I’ve become less and less of a fan of revvier inline fours in recent times, but the grunt of this one had me singing its praises virtually from the first time I opened the throttle. Its claimed peak power of just 100bhp doesn’t sound like much to shout about, but the combination of the softer cams, smaller bore intakes and header pipes, along with a lower compression ratio, all help the motor to deliver its impressively strong low rpm and midrange drive readily and usefully. The Yamaha only has five gears, but could probably cope with even fewer thanks to how broadly spread the power and torque is. It’s an unhurried and very flexible friend, and just doesn’t need lots of revs and gear changes to reliably gain and maintain pace. Just as welcome is the engine’s sophisticated and super-smooth feel. Add in a very linear style of power build up and it’s impossible not to like. It’s just the job. A few words of approval for the GTS’S fuelinjection system are well warranted too. In short it works seamlessly with no quirks to tolerate or have to ride around. For a set-up as old as this one that really is saying something. Back in 1995, injection on bikes was still in its infancy, especially on Yamahas. The time spent going for a quick run out in the country with a bit of swifter riding to get some decent pictures in the bag helped me develop a greater liking for the 1000. I have to admit it really does leave a lot of its weight behind once you get going and become more accustomed to it. And as soon as you realise all the GTS needs is a little bit
more muscle to get it to go where you want, the extra effort comes a lot less consciously. Even so, after an hour or so in the big seat, perhaps concentrating more on photography than bike appraisal, when Phil asked me what I thought of his bike I admitted I’d really need to ride it quite a bit more to give him a fair answer and Phil was gracious enough to let me ride on into the evening, with him and good mate Gordon coming along. As they got kitted up, I had a closer look over the Yamaha’s architecture. There’s no arguing it’s got an unmistakable appearance. Few bikes have as striking a design as this one. Now whether you approve of it or not is up to you, though I’m personally happy to give it the nod. I’ll admit I like it more from the right hand side, with the fully exposed front wheel dominating proceedings. It certainly looks very clean, uncluttered and futuristic. By comparison, the more cluttered workings of the hub-centre steering and suspension arrangements when viewed from the left are nowhere near as tidy, even if they are eye-catching. Even so the huge front laid-down shock, and massive single-sided swingarm attached to the ‘Omega’ shaped frame are so substantial in size, they give the impression they could handle any level of pounding from any degree of road imperfections. I can’t be quite as complimentary about the rear end of the GTS, especially the massive and most unsightly hugger which looks more like some industrial guttering. But overall, I reckon the Yam’s aesthetics are kind on the eyes. In fact, with a bit of restyling here and there, I’d say it could even look like it was made yesterday. Eventually, the three of us set off towards Wales for an evening run in the sun. Accompanied by Phil on a GSX-R1000 of 2005 vintage and Gordon on a slightly younger Kawasaki ZX-10R, it was going to be interesting to see how the GTS would compare to the considerably more modern stuff. The roads chosen by Phil were scenic, twisting, undulating, grippy and empty: this route over to Wales had the lot. With more time and a chance to focus more on the bike itself, I started to feel increasingly at one with Yam. Sure there’s a bit of vagueness from the front end compared to a forked bike, but just like a lot of more recently built
BMWS with alternative front suspension arrangements, a bit of experience goes a long way to developing trust. There’s still some dive when you jump on the brakes hard, but it’s nowhere near as pronounced as it is with teles. A little weird though this might seem to begin with, it’s not long before your head’s tuned in and all feels well. What does take some understanding however, is the freedom the front shock has to deal with bumps even when you’re loading up the front tyre on the brakes. Instead of a lot of the suspension travel being used up leaving little left to cope with any bumps, the less loaded shock deals with the lumps and humps beautifully. It’s like riding on freshly laid Tarmac all the time. Just as much of a bonus, is the hub centre steering set-up letting you charge harder into and round the initial stage of corners with a much better chance of the tyre remaining mated to the road. Give yourself a chance to explore what it can offer, and you’ll dare to push on over battered roads with a lot more confidence than ever before. It like it’s just not bothered by any pressure, remaining unaffected by either hard braking or rough surfaces. I liked it. Admittedly it took a bit of time to feel that way, but approval did come in due course. Love for the motor just grew and grew. It’s just so ‘real world’ and can be relied on to give you what you need simply by twisting the throttle. Accelerating in the dependable way it does really helps the GTS to make excellent, drama-free progress. Cutting pace is similarly non eventful with that big six-piston caliper controlling the speed of the weighty beast well. Brakes have come on a long way since 1995, but even so, being able to use more of what’s available at the end of the bar lever thanks to the compliance of the front shock remaining consistent however hard the stoppers are used, the set-up is more than good and safe enough to deal with harder rides. Surprisingly, the ABS arrangement does a laudable job too. It’s not at all intrusive and even when I did overdo things deliberately to check its action, when it was triggered it re-applied pressure almost immediately. It’s reassuring to know you can rely on it. All told, with the balance and usability of the chassis and engine, running