Post Sale Update: This GTS sold for $4,450 after 18 bids on eBay…to Bike-urious reader Joe G!
In his review of the Yamaha GTS1000, Mark Tuttle at Rider Magazine starts with, “Remember this bike. If the forkless Yamaha GTS1000 doesn’t prove to be the forerunner of a new era in motorcycle design, it represents a missed cue of colossal proportions.” Oops.
The GTS1000 was full of technology that would not make its way to most bikes for years to come, including fuel injection, ABS brakes, and most importantly, the RADD front suspension designed by James Parker. This suspension was able to isolate braking from damping, leading to increased performance in both aspects, as well as more stability.
Unfortunately, the extra cost required for all this innovative technology was high and consumers weren’t ready for it. The bike was a commercial flop, though it did sell for a few more years outside of the US. Like many poor-selling, technologically advanced bikes, owners are very passionate and have developed communities to keep these bikes alive. Parts are still available for the front end, and the rest of the bike is straightforward enough. Yanked from the FZR1000, the Genesis engine was detuned but still made triple digit power. This bike gives you all the fun of a rare, quirky bike, but without the support-related drawbacks. You can use it everyday, and that’s one of the reasons why Bike magazine called it the ‘coolest of rare motorcycles’ ever made.
Tuttle continued with the following in his review, and I thought it was worth sharing:
“Who will be responsible? The media, if in a rush to sell magazines and impress readers with snooty, unwarranted criticism it fails to accurately test and explain the machine; you, if your mind is closed to change for the better; and the rest of the motorcycle manufacturers, if they don’t immediately improve upon Yamaha’s commendable effort and introduce forkless designs of their own, thereby validating the trend for consumers. If Yamaha has made any mistakes with the GTS1000, they have nothing to do with the execution of James Parker’s simple but ingenious RADD front-end concept, or the solidarity with which the company has promoted and stood behind the first mass-produced motorcycle to incorporate it.”
This example (VIN: JYA4HHE01PA000333) has 26,010 miles on the odometer and the seller rates it a 9.8 out of 10. It’s spent the last few years in the seller’s collection but it was recently serviced with a throttle body sync, new spark plugs, a new battery, new coolant, new motor oil/filter, brake fluid flush, hydraulic clutch fluid flush, and more.
Find this forkless Yamaha for sale in Beaverton, Oregon with bidding up to $3,150