Yamaha’s sporting line of motorcycles grows with the introduction of the new 2011 Yamaha  FZ8 street bike; a streetfighter-style machine that offers European styling and a conventional riding position with a sporting engine and chassis character. At an MSRP of $8490, it slots in directly between the FZ1 and FZ6R, Yamaha’s two current streetfighters.

Beneath the 4.5-gallon fuel tank lies a liquid-cooled and fuel-injected 779cc Inline-Four. The engine uses the same cases as the pre-crossplane crankshaft-equipped Yamaha YZF-R1, but gets an entirely new crankshaft and top end. The engine operates with a conventional engine firing order, unlike the current R1, while the powerband has been specifically tuned for the rigors of urban riding with more low-to-mid rpm torque output.

Each piston slides within a cylinder that features a 68.0 x 53.6mm bore and stroke. Fuel is squeezed at a 12.0:1 ratio and the bike uses a 16-valve cylinder head, actuated by dual overhead camshafts. Power is transferred back to the rear tire through a manual cable-actuated clutch, 6-speed transmission and chain final drive.

2011 Yamaha FZ8 Specs
Engine: 779cc liquid-cooled Inline-Four, 16-valve
Bore x Stroke: 68.0 x 53.6mm
Compression Ratio: 12.0:1
Fuel Delivery: Fuel-injection
Clutch: Wet multi-plate, cable actuation
Transmission: 6-Speed
Front Suspension: Soqi 43mm inverted fork, 5.1 in. travel
Rear Suspension: Soqi shock absorber with adjustable spring preload; 5.1 in. travel
Front Brake: 310mm disc, 4-piston caliper
Rear Brake: 267mm disc, 2-piston caliper
Front Tire: Bridgestone 120/70-17
Rear Tire: Bridgestone 180/55-17
Curb Weight: 470 lbs.
Wheelbase: 57.5 in. Length: 84.3 in. Width: 30.3 in.
Rake / Trail: 25 deg. / 4.5 in.
Seat Height: 32.1 in.
Fuel Capacity: 4.5 gal.
MSRP: $8490, Raven

The engine is suspended within a black cast aluminum frame mated to a swing arm of the same composition, with its handling emphasis put on moderate-speed agility. Front-to-rear weight bias is claimed to be 51/49; suspension includes a 43mm inverted fork and a spring preload-adjustable shock absorber.

The FZ8 rolls on 17-inch cast aluminum wheels that feature a 5-spoke design. The wheels are paired to Bridgestone Battlax BT-021 sport touring tire in sizes 120/70 front and 180/55 rear. Braking components consist of a pair of 310mm discs clamped by 4-piston calipers up front and 267mm rear disc with a double-piston caliper out back.

I know what you're thinking: How much different could a Ducati be from a Honda? But I've got to tell you, last year's Desmosedici, the GP9, was completely different from anything I'd ever ridden, as far as the feeling I got from the bike and trying to find its limits on the racetrack.

Now, however, having ridden the new GP10, I can honestly say that I'm really starting to enjoy this bike.

I won't lie: Last year was tough. We made a change within the team after just three or four races because, as a team, we were going nowhere. We weren't communicating well. The guys were good, hard workers—sharp engineers. But they weren't my people. We brought in Juan Martinez as my crew chief, and he got everything calmed down. Juan has a lot of experience and he's a leader; that's one of his strong points. Now, I feel a lot more at home.

I've never doubted my skills. If you doubt yourself and stop believing, then you're never going to get out of that hole—you're done. Sure, it wasn't fun at times last year. I wasn't doing a good-enough job. But I never thought, "Wow, I'm not going to be able to do this."

I could see my teammate, Casey Stoner, doing it correctly. Yeah, he's the only guy in the world who's ever been able to really ride that bike. But I knew we could do it. When I would overlay my data with Casey's, there were always places on the track, certain sections, where I was just as quick. But there were always one or two places where I really struggled, where I couldn't find the answers, and I would lose a second or a second and a half per lap.

Last year, I had a lot of bad luck. At Qatar, in the first qualifying session of the first race of the year, I had a big crash. Then we went to Japan and I got taken out in the first lap. Misano, in Italy, was probably my worst race, as far as a letdown. Sitting on the grid, I was the most excited that I'd been all year. I was finally enjoying riding the bike and working with the team. As far as outright speed, that was the fastest, the closest to the front, that I had been all season. I even passed Jorge Lorenzo in the pre-race warm-up. Then, bam! At Phillip Island, a track I'd waited all season for, I got knocked off in the first corner. Man, I know it sounds like an excuse, but when you get taken out on the first lap on three different occasions…

Indy certainly was the highlight of my season. It was my home Grand Prix and my only podium of the year. That saved my job. Ducati saw progress and seemed to want me back, and I wanted to be there. Also, Lorenzo didn't come to Ducati; he re-signed with Yamaha. I had a couple of other good options going, but I didn't want to give up. That's not my style. I'm committed to making it work, to be able to say I could ride a Ducati.

Casey and I rode the prototype for this year's bike—the GP10—in Valencia, Spain, after the last round of the 2009 season. So the first test of the year this past February in Sepang, Malaysia, wasn't my first time on the bike. I would have liked to have been faster—I ended up eighth-quickest—but I was able to get up to speed quicker than in the past and was more consistent.

I get caught up in lap times just like anybody else. But, really, there's a lot more going on—who's doing those laps with a tow, who's got the fuel turned up, who's running what tire and who's banging out laps at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on used tires when the temperature is in the triple digits.

The big thing for everybody this year is the engine rule change: six engines for 18 races? That's crazy. Even Red Bull Rookies Cup kids go through more engines than that. It's going to be a big, big test for the engineers and manufacturers.

Ducati's new engine—specifically, the big-bang firing order—is our biggest deal. I like this engine. The torque off the bottom, the way it puts the power down, is certainly smoother, more controllable, and the bike is more rideable; it's easier to find the limit.

There's not a big difference with the first touch of the throttle. From about 10 to 60 percent throttle, coming off corners, that's where it's smoother. Now, it's easier to control wheelies with the throttle. Once the wheel comes up, you can just knock back the throttle a little bit and ride it out. We haven't really lost any top speed, either; at the first test in Malaysia, I was fastest in the rain.