The Yamaha TZ125 '03 is a factory racing bike produced by Yamaha. It only appears in Tourist Trophy.
Colors[]
There are four colors available for this bike, they are unnamed in-game:
- Red/White
- Yellow/White
- Blue/White
- Silver/White
Description[]
When you look at the considerable history and results of the various production racers that have come out of Yamaha Motors, like the TZ250 and its larger cousins, the TZ350, TZ500 and TZ750, its obvious that the TZ125 models have experienced a certain degree of misfortune.
First, the 1973 air-cooled, parallel-twin-cylinder TA125, which was based on the earlier AS3, was outdone by the Honda MT 125, which appeared in 1976 with its Motocrosser CR engine. The 1979 liquid-cooled, single-cylinder TZ125 developed in response also failed to win sufficient rider support and, in the end, was simply unable to rival the Aprilia RS125R that debuted in '81.
However, a new TZ125, prototyped in 1993 and marketed from 1994, changed all that in an instant. Its liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine employed a single-shaft balancer to reduce vibration, a vertically-split crankcase combined with a cassette-type transmission, and a compact engine design. With steeper steering head angle than its Aprilia rival, the TZ was also given a long swing arm, a long wheelbase, and modern dimensions, and it left a major impact as soon as it debuted, even capturing the All Japan Championship title in 1993.
Naturally, the TZ continued to evolve, with engine performance enhancements and improvements to chassis balance from better swing arm stiffness and upgrades to both the front and rear suspensions. And this 2003 model builds on that foundation.
Yamaha then incorporated its YPVS exhaust device, and the requirement of using a half clutch at under 8,000 r.p.m. is standard for this class. In contrast to the rival RS 1995 from Honda being reborn with modern dimensions, the TZ based its appeal on its traditional riding tastes and characteristics that effectively use the rear suspension's long travel to ride this bike like a large-displacement machine. With such differences existing between the two models, it's indeed quite interesting that the TZ and RS both remain the two great motorcycles of this class.
Acquistion[]
| Game | Method |
|---|---|
| Tourist Trophy | Complete the bike's Challenge Mode event: 3-lap Pass - Tsukuba Circuit |
Trivia[]
- The TZ125 is the motorcycle with lowest displacement in Tourist Trophy. Tied with the Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125 (including the SPL., Red Bull, and Shifter variants), only the Racing Kart 100 (as well as the SPL./PDI Racing Kart 100 variant) and presumably the Racing Kart Junior have lower engine displacements in all of Gran Turismo series.