By Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling
Yamaha’s recent release of its brilliant F130A four-stroke motor fills an important horsepower slot in the company’s mid-range, four-cylinder outboard line-up.
The new Yamaha F130A fits neatly between the recently upgraded F115B and the well-established F150A models. Engines in this power range match perfectly with many popular alloy and fibreglass offshore hulls, especially in the 5.2 to 5.8 m class, and are also carving themselves a niche amongst tournament and social anglers interested in setting up high-performance, bass-boat-style sportfishing rigs.
At first glance, it would be easy to see this new Yamaha F130A as simply an upgraded version of the F115B launched last year. Sure enough, the latest release shares the same 1.8 litre, 16-valve, double overhead cam, in-line block as the upgraded 115. But there’s a lot more to that 15 extra horsepower than some minor tweaks and fiddles.
Applying technologies developed for Yamaha’s bigger power plants, the new F130A incorporates a cutting edge fuel injection system, along with state-of-the-art camshaft, air intake and electronic throttle valve technologies that provide an outstanding level of performance in a surprisingly lightweight package.
Weighing in at just 174kg in its long leg version and 178kg as an extra long shaft, this new Yammy is now the leader of its class in terms of power-to-weight ratio, seizing the mantle of the lightest four-stroke on the market today in the 130 to 150hp range. In fact, the new F130A gives most modern two-strokes a decent run for their money in this important arena of power-to-weight.
The new motor’s economy figures are also extremely impressive, typically consuming in the region of 20L of fuel per hour while cruising at a speed of around 25 knots on a typical 5.5 to 5.75 m sportfishing hull. These figures are sure to appeal to keen anglers who regularly undertake long runs in pursuit of their sport.
Somewhat surprisingly, this new Yamaha F130A is not being offered to the American market at this stage, but instead will only be available in the rest of the company’s global network. This radical marketing decision should ensure greater certainty of supply locally, even if this motor proves as popular as Yamaha expects it to be.
As impressive as the new Yamaha F130A is, its release was just one prong of a four-tiered product launch undertaken by the company earlier this year. The SDS Talon high-thrust, shift-dampening range of propellers unveiled to the public at the same time are an integral part of the bigger picture, offering superb performance and very smooth, quiet gear shifts. Less spectacular, perhaps, but just as important are the latest LCD colour gauges (incorporating Yamaha’s nifty variable trolling speed function) and also a brand new control box. Interestingly, these Talon props, new gauges and latest control box can all be retrofitted to older Yamahas as well, all the way down to 60hp.
The new Yamaha F130A outboard, SDS Talon prop, latest LCD gauges and improved control box are indicative of this Japanese company’s commitment to constantly improving, refining and evolving its already impressive product range. Who knows what we’ll see from Yamaha next year?
To find out more about any of these products and the rest of the Yamaha range, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.au.
YAMAHA F130A Engine type: Four-stroke, 16 valve, DOHC, in-line 4 cylinder Displacement: 1,832 cc Bore x stroke: 81.0 x 88.9 Compression ratio: 10:1 Gear ratio: 2.15 (28/13) Alternator output: 35 Amp (27 Amp battery charge) Full throttle range: 5,300 – 6,300 rpm Dry weight: 172 – 178 kg (L and XL legs)