All Tests – Yamaha SR400 test: the return of the grandmother – On the roadster again …

Yamaha SR400 test: the return of the granny

All Tests - Test Yamaha SR400: the return of the granny - On the roadster again ...

Evicted from the French catalog in 1982, the SR400 reappeared in 2014! With its good old single-cylinder motorcycle, Yamaha intends to vibrate the nostalgic chord of French bikers. Site was able to test it for a day. Contact !

On the roadster again…

The riding position of the Yamaha SR400 will be pleasant for everyone: on the one hand the low saddle height (785 mm) allows the little ones to reach the ground on both sides of their machine, and on the other the saddle being flat and in one piece, older children can move away from the handlebars at will and relax their legs.

No accessories, but two addresses

Featured by Yamaha as "a motorcycle born to be personalized", the SR400 must be able to take the features of a Cafe Racer, a Scrambler, a Bobber, etc. On the Yamaha site, however, only straps, a case and an indicator appear in the list of accessories. battery charge…

"Yamaha will not sell customization accessories directly", we are confirmed at YMF,"but recommend the following specialist sites and ".

For the record, Wrenchmonkees had been called upon for the "Yard Built" project. The Danish designer had taken advantage of the Milan Show to propose. Something to arouse curiosity … and generate sales ?

The clutch lever is a bit hard, especially for a model of this displacement which is super easy to use. In traffic jams, the control even ends up tiring the left forearm, but at the same time it is progressive, which makes it possible to start without difficulty and to move smoothly in traffic..

The small engine is flexible, accepting to resume on a trickle of gas at 2000 rev / min in 5th. However, he is more comfortable and especially more alert on third gear to face the city, its traffic jams … and its excited from the handle in the corner.

Although a bit slow, the gearbox effortlessly maintains engine speed between 2,500 and 4,000 rpm, where you can enjoy the cute – anything small is cute! – torque: 27.4 Nm at 3000 rpm according to the manufacturer’s technical sheet (see last page).

As you might expect, the sound of the stock exhaust is in tune with engine performance. Thus, it is likely that the owner will blame him for being too suffocated while his neighbors will salute his discretion..

The SR400 behaves just as nicely on the cobbled streets of the capital thanks to flexible regulated suspensions, especially the fork which absorbs the majority of the irregularities of the asphalt well. Only the accused speed bumps a little tap in the wrists.

Certainly less creamy than that of the Super Tenere which accompanied it during this outing (read our), the saddle of the small Yamaha helps the two rear shocks to better filter the big shocks. And it is above all its finesse that ends up tiring…

In built-up areas, the efficiency of the roadster is increased by its lightness. Estimated by Yamaha at 174 kg all full, the weight of the motorcycle seems even less when handled, including the engine off. A good point for young A2 licenses, and for their elders tired of handling big and heavy engines.

At low speeds, the SR400 demonstrates equally pleasing agility. The front axle, which does not however engage, makes driving quite obvious. Its short wheelbase, thin tires and reduced turning radius make it possible to twirl from one street to another, or even to "blow" traffic jams….

The other side of the coin appears at higher speed on the road, where the stability of the bike is not exemplary – especially on uneven or tired surfaces. The steering is very sensitive to bumps and holes, which does not encourage attacking.

As a result, the Perfect ME77’s grip is more than enough to get around and never failed during our short – but instructive – winter contact. Only a few brake tests ended up winning the Metzeler…

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