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 Yamaha - 1000 Morpho
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Photo ou archives : F-M. Dumas
218

Capacity : 1000
Model : Morpho
Production : 1990 -
Category : (R) Street Bike

Yamaha

Morpho (Prototype) – 1990

Looking to the future

 

At the end of the Eighties, sport bikes had become inaccessible. The average enthusiast simply couldn't lay his hands on one of these hyperstyled chunks of misplaced ingenuity. As the decade ended, escalating prices and lack of consumer interest had plunged the Japanese and American two-wheeler markets into disarray.

 

Searching for a Style

Feeling the ground shift under them, the major manufacturers desperately searched for a successor to the super-sport bike, for some concept that would start a new fashion capable of reversing the situation. Rarely have so many advanced studies and prototypes been created behind closed doors in the design studios.

 

Matching the Rider's Mood

At the 1989 Tokyo Show, Yamaha unveiled the Morpho, designed for them by GK Dynamics. While this "glimpse into the future" was still aggressively sporting, the idea was that it should be capable of responding to the mood of its rider, with handlebars that could be raised or lowered and adjustable seatback and footrests. Morpho's frame was a massive cast- aluminium beam with the silencer incorporated in the engine cradle. The carefully coordinated pastel color scheme was a chic contrast to the usual bright primary colors used on sports bikes.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1003cc four-cylinder four-stroke

Power output: over 110 hp

Valves: twin overhead camshafts

Fuel system: quadruple carburetors

Transmission: chain final drive

Suspension: (front) leading arm with hubcenter steering by bellcranks; (rear) swinging arm

Brakes: (front) ventilated disc; (rear) ventilated disc

Wheels: cast aluminum

Weight: 700 lb.

Maximum speed: over 190 mph

 

Morpho was an attempt to redefine the spoils bike. It gave a pretty good idea of what the machines of the early 21st century might look like.”

 




Le fichier Moto Passion réalisé par François-Marie Dumas réunit près de deux mille photos accompagnées d'un historique très complet des machines présentées.
Il sera progressivement mis à jour ici et toute information complémentaire est la bienvenue sur info@moto-collection.org.

Cette documentation unique, qui constitue sans doute l'encyclopédie la plus exhaustive jamais écrite sur l'histoire de la moto, a été réalisée avec l'assistance de nombreux spécialistes dont principalement Didier Ganneau, Christophe Gaime, Mick Woollett, Jean Goyard, Bernard Salvat, Christian Rey, Yves Campion, Helmut Krackowizer, Michael Dregni, Michel Montange, etc. que je remercie ici.

Disponible sur demande :
- Les fiches originales sur papier
- Les photos et archives signées de mon nom en haute définition ou les documents originaux.
Me contacter sur info@moto-collection.org pour les conditions et droits d'utilisation.