RETRO REBOOT

Yamaha already has the perfect engine for a TRX reboot, so we say ‘do it!’

Yamaha’s TRX850 rebooted.

The 1994 Ducati 916’s success in World Superbikes, combined with its stunning good looks and a riding experience only a V-twin could deliver, helped to make it the iconic bike it is today and highlighted the fact that none of the main Japanese manufacturers at the time had a sports V-twin in their range. Both the Firestorm and TL1000S were three years away and Yamaha didn’t have a liquid-cooled V-twin motor, but it did have something that ‘felt’ like one... the 1995 TRX850 nabbed the parallel twin from the TDM850, put it in a trellis frame and gave it a 270° crank that mimicked a V thanks to its off-beat power delivery. Designed to take on Ducati’s air-cooled 900SS, the TRX may not have been a great seller at the time, but today it enjoys a cult following. With the crossplane-crank MT-07 parallel twin in the Yamaha range since 2014, perhaps Yamaha could find another use for the engine…

ENGINE

The original TRX boasted a humble 80bhp, most of it delivered in a slightly lethargic linear manner through its five-speed gearbox. The latest MT-07, although 150cc down, is only a few bhp behind. With a bored-out version of the MT-07 engine we could expect to see an easy 110bhp at the back wheel with 65lb-ft of torque. These numbers alone aren’t special until you factor in the light weight of our TRX reboot as a whole. A two-into-two exhaust system (with one outlet in the bellypan and another under the tail unit) helps maximise power gains.

BODYWORK

We’ve kept the TRX bodywork on the conservative side as opposed to the angular, fussy designs the Japanese are so keen on nowadays. The headlights are a mix of R6 and R15 (a bike from the Indonesian market, go check) while the tank and tail have echoes of a modern YZF-R1. If the collector box and sump gubbins is too unsightly for you, then there’s always the bellypan option – available as a Yamaha official extra of course!

CHASSIS

For sportsbike performance we’ve chosen a beam frame design based on the R6 and a trellis sub-frame as a nod to the original TRX. A braced swingarm sits at the back to handle the extra power while big 320mm discs and radial calipers handle deceleration duties. Overall this should give the new TRX plenty in the handling and braking stakes. We’ve even fitted pillion pegs this time… cmm