YAMAHA TZR50 (2003 - 2004) Review

The Yamaha TZR50 is an act of brilliant folly but tempting nevertheless.

• Read: top 50cc scooters and mopeds

A screaming, old-school, supersports, 50cc sixteener, with all the bluster, mayhem, carnage, testosterone and manicness that implies. Being Japanese the Yamaha TZR50 is fairly durable too, though it can’t match the performance of its European rivals.

When it comes to handling, there’s few machines sharper than a sports 50 – but then there’s few so uncompromising, cramped or uncomfortable either. But if all you wanna do is cause mayhem round mini roundabout and town centres, there’s few better than the Yamaha TZR50.

Like many in this class the Yamaha TZR50’s motor is a full-on madcap screamer with all the fun and durability that implies. In truth the Yamaha TZR50's a fairly run-of-the-mill yet state of the art liquid-cooled reed-valve two-stroke single. Rev the nuts off your Yamaha TZR50 and it delivers nigh on 60mph. But it needs looking after, too…

The Yamaha TZR50 is fairly standard and trustworthy Yamaha fare. Don’t go looking for any gilt and glitter but you won’t need to worry too much about thrashing it through winter and back either. That said, the Yamaha TZR50 still needs cleaning and looking after.

The Yamaha TZR50's not cheap and something of a rarity on the used market, too, so you better have deep pockets. But if you're in the market for this kind of bike and you (or dad) favours some Japanese style reliability and durability, the Yamaha TZR50 is the only one that comes close. Find a Yamaha TZR50 for sale.

The Yamaha TZR50 is nothing to write home about and yet still enough to impress more than a few ra-ra skirts outside the local McDonalds. The Yamaha TZR50 has decent spec brakes, suspension etc, racy clocks and styling and enough kudos to pull the knickers off a sixth form schoolgirl.