Better by design: A Yamaha TRX850 built by an architect

Back in the 90s, the Japanese manufacturers went through a phase of building Italian-style sportbikes. Honda had the SuperHawk, and Suzuki the TL1000S—both 90° V-twins. Yamaha, however, took the 10-valve DOHC parallel twin used in its sport tourers and came up with the TRX850. The critical reception was mixed, to say the least, but these days the TRX850 is appreciated a little more. It’s a good value secondhand buy, and with upgrades to the suspension and brakes, it’s a torquey and fun machine for the open road. Australian Josh Bell is a fan. He’s a 30-year-old architect living in Sydney,...