Canada Gets 2011 Yamaha FZ8 and Fazer 8

Introduced in Europe with much fanfare in March, the naked FZ8 and half-faired Fazer 8 have been added to Yamaha s Canadian line-up. Neither model however will be available with ABS, an option offered by Yamaha Europe.

The 2011 FZ8 and Fazer 8 are powered by a 779cc liquid cooled 16-valve inline four engine. Yamaha claims 105 hp at 10000 rpm and 60.5 ft-lb. at 8000 rpm. The engine shares components with the Yamaha FZ1s engine but the pistons, cylinder, cylinder head, cams, valves and crankshaft are new. The six-speed transmission uses a stacked 3-axis gearbox and clutch design inspired by the R1.

The aluminum twin spar frame is straight from the FZ1, with the FZ8 and Fazer 8 offering similar ergonomics. Up front, the new bikes use 43mm Kayaba inverted forks with 5.1 inches of travel, though it is not adjustable. The rear Monocross suspension offers nine-way preload adjustment.

The dual 310mm disc front brake uses a R6-inspired monoblock with four-piston calipers. The rear 267mm disc has a single-piston slide-type Nissin caliper.

The FZ8 has a single headlight with a small bikini fairing while the Fazer 8 has cat-eye dual lights in a half fairing with a windshield.

According to Yamaha, the 2011 FZ8 has a wet weight of 466.4 lb. while the Fazer 8 has a wet weight of 475.2 lb. The FZ8 is available in Canada in Metallic Black for CA$10,499 (US$10,180) while the Fazer 8 is available in Metallic Black or Vivid Purplish Blue for CA$10,999 (US$10,660).

Yamahas U.S. arm has yet to confirm the FZ8s addition to its lineup, but were betting it will come to America for the 2011 model year. Yamaha Motor Corp. will announce some new models over the next few weeks, mostly dirt machines as per usual (such as the recently announced TT-R models). We might get confirmation of the FZ8s arrival then, or perhaps well have to wait until September when the new street lineup is typically revealed.

In the mean time, check out our gallery of the European-spec Yamaha FZ8 and Fazer 8.

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