FJ1200

Introduced for the 1986 model year, this Yamaha big-bore sport-tourer was an enlarged evolution of the FJ1100 and became one of the company’s most respected long-distance performance motorcycles. Yamaha positioned it as a high-speed touring machine with strong all-around road ability rather than a pure supersport, and it quickly built a reputation for durability, stability, and real-world versatility. Over its life it was refined several times, including chassis, suspension, braking, and bodywork updates that kept the formula competitive as the sport-touring class evolved. A notable 1991 update added an ABS-equipped FJ1200A version for some markets, reflecting Yamaha’s effort to keep the model current while preserving the original air-cooled inline-four character. The nameplate is remembered as a classic of the era: large, smooth, fast enough for serious touring, and rugged enough to earn a long-lived enthusiast following. It was later succeeded by Yamaha’s newer generation of big touring motorcycles.