Coolest Sportbikes of the ’90s: 1993 Yamaha GTS1000

[Hugh Janus]

Yamaha put its alternative-front-suspension GTS1000 into production in 1993. The bike was only in the lineup for two years in the US, but survived a while longer in other markets. (Cycle World Archives/)

The telescopic fork has been the standard in motorcycle suspension seemingly forever. But that doesn’t mean that engineers haven’t also been seeking alternatives for equally as long. The early ‘90s were a boom time for modern alternative front-suspension concepts and design for a select few manufacturers. Prior to that, the seed had been planted by, of all people, French Petroleum company Elf, which funded the pioneering development of the Elf e-type hub-center steering and revised suspension system throughout the 1980s. By 1986, Elf racing boss Serge Rosset and rider Ron Haslam found success in Grand Prix racing on the ELF3, which was powered by Honda NS500 V-3 two-strokes. Then boutique-brand Bimota jumped on the bandwagon and brought the Tesi, a (very limited) production bike, to market. In 1993, Yamaha decided to take a crack at the alternative-suspension game with the GTS1000, the first production hub-steer motorcycle from a Japanese manufacturer.

The GTS1000 was a novelty when it came out in 1993, however, beyond the suspension, there were some progressive features like its fuel-injection system. (Cycle World Archives/)

The resulting bike graced the cover of the December 1992 issue of Cycle World. Inside we learned that American inventor James Parker had penned and patented his concept back in 1985; five years later, Yamaha licensed the rights to the design and began work on the GTS1000.

“Much like the Bimota Tesi chassis, the GTS’—called Omega because the main frame and swingarm resemble the Greek letter—utilizes two aluminum plates to sandwich the engine,” said Cycle World. “Unlike those of the Tesi, these plates are cast, not machined, and are connected with welded crossmembers. A pair of steel subframes—one holds the front fairing, handlebars, lighting assembly, and instrumentation, the other supports the tailsection—are bolted to the frame.”

Powered by a modified version of the FZR1000′s DOHC five-valve per cylinder inline-four, the GTS’ mill received different cams, revised ignition timing, and lower compression in an effort to enhance midrange torque. Claimed output was 100 hp compared to the FZR’s 126. The exhaust system also had a catalytic converter, which was rare at the time.

The GTS’ Omega-shaped frame wraps around the five-valve-per-cylinder engine donated from the FZR1000. (Cycle World Archives/)

As suspected, the suspension design received a lot of hype. But the GTS1000 had a long list of unusual attributes for its time. Among those was the fuel-injection system, which was considered “very automotive in design,” according to Cycle World. It used an independently controlled injector for each cylinder and had nine sensors to monitor all the parameters to optimize intake efficiency. Another system, directly tied to the front end, was a braking system that used a single giant 12.9-inch three-piece disc, radially and cross-drilled and vented, clamped by a massive six-piston caliper. The US models included standard ABS.

Although Yamaha wasn’t the first to market with a hub-steer front end, it was the first mass-produced model to be built behind Bimota and its original Tesi. (Cycle World Archives/)

Cycle World editors described the bike’s cockpit in detail. “The GTS is fitted with relatively high clip-on-type handlebars, slightly rearset footpegs, and a wide, flat saddle, offering sporting-yet-comfortable ergonomics to complement its swoopy bodywork. Instruments include a 160-mph electronic speedometer, a fuel gauge, a clock, 10,500-rpm tachometer, two tripmeters, a fuel light, and indicator lights for the ABS system, oil and coolant temperatures, high beam, and turn signals.”

A few months after getting an early look at the bike, Cycle World was invited to ride the GTS in Morocco.

“From the minute you fire it up and get underway, you know that there is something abnormal about the GTS,” said the first ride review in February of 1993. “At low speed, the steering is surprisingly light and very precise, but there’s something in the way the suspension works separately from the steering that lets you know straight away that this is no ordinary bike.

“The engine starts cleanly and easily, and pulls briskly from below 3,000 revs to the 10,500 rpm redline. The engine, although restricted to 100 hp, is smooth and willing, blessed with an abundance of usable power and torque. This isn’t a bike that oozes brute power in the same way as a ZX-11; this is refined, nonthreatening, usable power. Enough power to have the GTS indicating 155 mph on a couple occasions.

“But top speed isn’t really what the GTS is about. It’s about sport-touring, and for that you need fine handling and lots of midrange power. Up in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, with the desert far below, the GTS was in sport-touring territory. The motor, especially between 5,000 and 8,000 rpm, is a beauty, with bags of power and torque that enable you to storm along at an impressive rate.

“If the steering at low speeds felt precise and neutral, at higher speeds it started to feel quite strange. There is a distinct reluctance to turn into a corner, and to get the GTS to turn-in requires more physical effort than you might expect. Once you’ve overcome that initial reluctance, however, the GTS can be picked up or leaned farther with much less effort.

“The other thing we found unsettling about the GTS was that once cranked into a turn, we weren’t at all sure what was going on beneath us. When you’ve spent your life riding motorcycles with a telescopic front fork, you pick up data from the bike and react accordingly. With the GTS, the signals are different, unfamiliar. …the handlebars seem very remote from that contact patch between the front tire and the road. There’s an awful lot of metalwork and ball-joints between the two, and with the suspension working independent of the steering, the whole feeling is one of isolation.

“Despite the slight vagueness of the front end, the suspension worked very well, and it is something of a revelation to be able to trail the brakes right to the apex of a turn without upsetting the suspension and steering.

“But if the handling and braking take a bit of getting used to, the GTS is easy and familiar in every other respect.”

In conclusion we said: “It exudes class and style, and with its optional hard bags, should be an accomplished sport-tourer. The front end takes some getting used to, but it seems to work well, and the engine is smooth and capable. Apart from the front-swingarm suspension, the GTS is really fairly unremarkable in every way—except for the price.”

If you didn’t know what you were ogling, the GTS1000 looked like any other sport-tourer of the era. But for those raised riding telescopic-fork-equipped bikes, it was radical. (Cycle World Archives/)

As for that price, it was set at $12,999, very expensive for a Japanese motorcycle at the time. But it also packed a ton of innovation and features that were well outside the early-’90s norm.

Still, as the review noted: “For the same money, you can buy almost anything on two wheels, from a full-dress tourer to a state-of-the-art sportbike. Sure, it’s classy and exclusive, but it’s really no better than a ZX-11, a CBR1000, or any other liter-sized sport-tourer. What you are paying for is a fancy front end. If you like it, that’s fine; if you don’t, then it’s not.”

The model survived until the end of the millennium in Europe. It wasn’t so well received in the US, however, and was only sold for two model years.

1993 Yamaha GTS1000 Specifications

MSRP:	$12,999 (1993)
Engine:	DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	1,002cc
Bore x Stroke:	75.5 x 56.0mm
Compression Ratio:	10.8:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Fuel System:	EFI
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate
Engine Management/Ignition:	TCI digital
Frame:	Cast-aluminum w/ tubular steel subframes
Front Suspension:	Single shock, fully adjustable
Rear Suspension:	Single shock, spring preload, rebound damping adjustable
Front Brake:	6-piston caliper, 328mm disc w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	2-piston caliper, 282mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 5.5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	130/60-17 / 170/60-17
Rake/Trail:	24.0°/3.9 in.
Wheelbase:	58.9 in.
Ground Clearance:	N/A
Seat Height:	30.0 in.
Fuel Capacity:	5.3 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	637 lb.

Source

[skyrider]

A guy once raced one of those at the TT

[boboneleg]

Way ahead of it's time, a lot of bikes were used as 'tech experiments' in the '90's (anti-dive forks anyone ?), not all of it was good.  The GTS was too radical for the buying public but those peeps that had them really rated them. The downside was that they were really heavy.