I
was first introduced to the Yamaha Seca II by my MSF instructor
who recommended one to me based on my 6'2" height, buggy
whip build, and accompanying 34 inch inseam. The Seca II will
not easily accommodate those with short landing gear.
The
Yamaha Seca II definitely fits the description of beginner bike.
It's 400lb dry weight and 50 horsepower mill provide the novice
rider with a forgiving, modestly powered motorcycle with a riding
position that, in spite of this motorcycle's sporty look, is
remarkably upright and comfortable over short to medium range
rides. (For those 200+ mile trips, the reader is referred to
Corbin who makes an improved seat for the Seca II.) Underneath
that key locking seat, you'll find a tool kit next to the battery,
two helmet holder hooks and a small storage space under the
tail of the motorcycle with enough room in it to hold your disc
lock and maybe a pair of gloves.
The
half-naked look to the motorcycle satisfies the requirements
for a bit of fairing which offers a bit of wind protection and
the desire to see all that delicious machinery. While the SecaII
can come equipped with a sub engine fairing, I have removed
mine due to improved ease of access during oil changes and,
perhaps more importantly, a massive crack in the subcowling
due to an interaction between the motorcycle and a sizeable
rock.
For
those of you considering the Seca as your first bike, it is
important to point out that this motorcycle is a faired bike,
and, as such, if it is dropped or damaged, you will be forking
over SERIOUS dollars for a new upper fairing (upwards of $500)
for any damage that is purely cosmetic. Should you inspect a
bike looking for damage from previous misadventures, scratches
on the upper fairing and mufflers will be the give-aways. Also,
the forward signal lamps (on my 1996 model) are rigidly mounted
and will be bent following a drop. The rear signal lamps are
resiliently mounted and can bend somewhat in the event of a
drop.
Braking:
An
enormous single disc brake up front and a smaller one in the
rear provide confidence-inspiring, on-demand stopping power.
In the three years I've been on the bike, the stock brake
lines have become a bit elastic (as all standard brake lines
do) and as such have become more mushy, but the lever travel
is extensive and so, even with a touch of mushiness after
all these years, there is still great strength in the brakes
with regular flushes and bleeding of the lines. In the course
of buying and refurbishing a used motorcycle, the novice rider
is well advised to try to replace older brake lines with braided
steel brake lines which are much more rigid and are sure to
deliver braking power more reliably over a longer time period.
Engine:
The
Seca II has a 599cc air cooled inline 4 which has a "manly"
sound to it (not my words, honest) as compared to the chainsaw
throated Rebel or the lawnmower note of the BMW F-650GS. The
overall engine noise will not detonate all the car alarms
in a city block radius, and is a relatively quiet machine
to operate in the big city as compared to, say, the potentially
thunderous throbbing of a large bore V twin. There are advantages
and disadvantages to an air cooled engine: The lack of additional
plumbing to route coolant around the engine and the absence
of a coolant level to keep an eye on contribute to the ease
of maintenance. The cost comes back in terms of performance
which does suffer under extremes of operation.
Considering
the displacement of it's engine, the Seca II doesn't really
put out much power. This fact can become painful considering
that insuring your bike is done, in many cases, based on how
much the engine displaces, and the bigger the numbers are,
the bigger the premiums tend to be. Fuel economy is less than
spectacular but comparable with most other beginner bikes.
These power and economy issues stem from the simplicity of
the Seca II's two valve per cylinder design coupled with it's
almost miniature carbueration. Again, simplicity and ease
of maintenance are favored over performance. The ease of maintenance
is further evidenced by the shims for valve adjustment which
are all located on top of the cylinder heads. When it comes
time for valve adjustment, no extensive exploratory surgery
will be required.
Performance
could be improved, and Yamaha has developed other engines
of comparable displacement but with additional complexity
which are less asthmatically carbuerated, fuel injected, liquid
cooled and/or have multiple valves per cylinder. These enhancements
draw out much bigger horsepower at the rear wheel, but with
the added complexity there are just that many more things
to break if you ask me. If raw power is not your key motivator
in purchase of your motorcycle, the Seca II may probably be
for you. The engine does require an extensive warm up period
at startup, especially in the cold of New York autumns and
early springtime.
In
spite of all of the engine's shortcomings above, you should
know that I have personally operated this motorcycle at 85mph
indicated (in an escape maneuver on the NYS Thruway trying
to get away from an overspeeding semi) with room to spare
before the redline in 5th gear.
Riding/Handling/Feel:
Slender
in it's head-on silouhette, the SecaII can be heeled quite
far over in turns before you scrape any motorcycle parts on
the asphalt. (I have never done this experiment.) This svelte
profile also makes the SecaII an ideal city bike and I have
been known to make progress through congested Manhattan streets
where gaps in stopped traffic tend to be small. Out of the
city, the bike is competent as well. It's center of gravity
is high enough to make rapid flicking through corners a bit
of a workout, but the low curb weight of the machine ensures
that your workout will be light. The rear suspension in the
SecaII is adjustable offering varying degrees of pre-tension
on the rear shock. This can be changed to lower the bike somewhat
and make the ride a touch more cushy, or raised for passengering
and a more firm ride. Shifting gears on the Seca is a dream
with a positive, light feel to the gearbox under your left
paw. Importantly, the friction zone on my particular motorcycle
is very, very narrow. One might even call the clutch "grabby".
This could be a matter of simply having the clutch adjusted,
but is noteworthy nonetheless. I would have to say that for
the novice rider, this clutch issue is the most difficult
item aboard this motorcycle to manage.
Vibration:
Given
the inherent smoothness of an inline four over other engine
configurations, this motorcycle is, not surprisingly, smooth
over a the entire range of speed and tends to thrum along
with minimal vibration. Interestingly, all noticeable vibration
completely vanishes at 65 mph in 5th gear for reasons that
an engineer will have to explain to me some day. An outright
buzzing sound can emerge from the fairing attachment points
where fasteners have become loose. At higher speeds for longer
highway trips, I have lost fairing bolts attributable to vibration
at the higher (and therefore unmentionable) speeds at which
I was riding. After losing my third fairing bolt, I ended
up fashioning my own rubber washers and installed them at
all fairing attachment points. This modification has not only
silenced all buzzing in the motorcycle, but I have also not
lost a fairing bolt since!
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Rider
Review: 1999 Yamaha Seca II