The Evolution of the FZR400

The bikes pictured were Japanese domestic-market models. Notice that our 1988-90 US-market FZR400 was their '86 model with some minor updates.
Scans taken from the book Bike Best Collection Yamaha 1955-1995. This may not be 100% accurate, but it will give you a rough idea.
I don't read Japanese, so don't ask me to translate.

1984: FZ400R debuts.

1985: FZ400N, a "naked" FZ400R debuts.

1986: FZR400 debuts. This was what we get here in the U.S 1988-1990.
1986: FZ400R continued from 1984.

1987: FZR400R. Note differences compared to '86.
1987: FZ400R. This time with full fairing.

1988: FZR400. Updated yet again. Different frame, swingarm, bodywork, FAI, etc.

1989: FZR400R. Updated AGAIN!! Visually, the bodywork and swingarm were different. This was also the same year OW-01 debuted.

1990: FZR400RR/FZR400RR-SP. Totally different (no surprise).

1994: FZR400RR-SP. I think the FZR stopped evolving since '90. Sometime between 1991-93, the horsepower limit on Japanese-market 400's dropped to 53ps (HP)

1997/98: The FZR400 was not in the Japanese market buyers guide. Not sure what happened since it was still on Yamaha's website during 1996/97.
However, the FZ400 was back.

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