Featured In the May 2020 Issue of Roadracing World:
The mid-1980s were exciting times for the motorcycle industry. Honda and Yamaha were in a sales war, each trying to out-do the other, resulting in great technical advances finding their way to the dealer showrooms.
“Transition” was the best description of the AMA road racing scene as it morphed from Formula One (a.k.a. F1, or GP-type) machines to street-based Superbikes. Good arguments could be made for both classes: An F1 Honda RS500 cost $26,000 and was complete and competitive; a street 750 cost about $4,600 and could need about $12,000 worth of factory kit parts, plus assembly, and may only last a couple of races. But the supply of F1 GP-style 500s was drying up and factories wanted to showcase their streetbikes on the racetrack, so 750 Superbikes prevailed!
In 1985, Yamaha stepped into both the sales war and the new era of road racing with the radical FZ750 …
—Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1986 Yamaha FZ750R 0U45, by Mick Ofield
1985 didn’t go Yamaha’s way, so the Iwata firm took aim at the 1986 Daytona 200. The factory built an incredibly special 0U45 FZ750R for the race, put an equally special Eddie Lawson on board, took pole and walked away to the win. It’s all in the May issue of Roadracing World! Available at Cycle Gear and other motorcycle retailers.
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