Shed some light on this!

[Harvy]

Take a look at this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/YAMAHA-MOTORCYCLE-HALL-OF-FAME-COV-1983-FJ1100-/330954676710?pt=AU_Transportation_Collectables&hash=item4d0e6f99e6&_uhb=1

Note the year and the colour scheme.


Harvy

[rktmanfj]

I've seen what looked like the same pic elsewhere online, also identified as an '83.

EDIT: After looking around, I didn't find it where it was posted before, but it is here:

http://www.albatrosmt.narod.ru/temi/oboi/Yamaha/Yamaha-FJ1100-1983.jpg

PS: I also found a cool pic of an FJ1200 powered Isetta, too.   

[Flynt]

That's nice...  can anybody here photoshop a '92 to look like that?  Mine's not unique enough!  

'83 appears to be outside US.  There's a guy in Australia that has one.

Frank

[Arnie]

Didn't we discuss "year" and how its defined in various countries recently?

Australia defines "year" as the date of manufacture.

US (seems) to define "year" as model year.

And for a variety of reasons, manufacturers or importers have differing model lineups and color schemes in any given year.
My neighbor had a bike that was the twin of my FJ1200B, yet his was titled as a '90 because it was built in '90.
It has the same rubber mounts, the same color scheme (including pink stripe) and same trapezoidal shape  headlight as mine.  What "year" is it?

Arnie

[Flynt]

good point...  I was thinking model year.  The FJ was introduced in the US as a '84 model year, but you could have even bought one in the Fall of 1983.

Frank

[baldy3853]

Harvy
Don't know about the colour scheme but it appears everybody has different colour schemes, what is usual here is not else where, remember Mr Yamaha brings out the new models in the October of the previous yr, so the 84's actually hit the market in October 83 and the build date would be month/year so would read 10/83.
Arnie is right his neighbour may have bought a bike stamped 10,11,12/90 and the authorities note it as a 90 model but in fact its a 91 model.
Baldy

[aviationfred]

To bring this conversation to current Yamaha models. The new Yamaha Bolt 950 is available here in the US and is flagged as a 2014 model. It has been available since June.

Fred