- 'Beluga' in Japan and Canada
- 'Riva 80' and 'CV80' in the USA
- 'City CV 80' and 'Beluga' in Europe (sometimes sold as a 'Hercules' rather than a Yamaha)
The CV80 was sold in Canada from ’82 - ’87 and in the USA from ’83 - ’87. With it’s 1982 introduction in Canada, it (and it’s 50cc Salient sibling) became the first modern Japanese scooters to be sold in North America.
Performance:
For the first few years, the CV80 was extremely slow for an 80cc, slower than even a modern 50cc 4-stroke. It's competitors (i.e. Honda NH80 and Vespa P80X) produced considerably more power. Early CV80’s (pre ’85) top out at an okay 36 mph but it take forever to get there. I once rode on my stock ’83 CV80 alongside my brother who was on his Honda Aero 80 along with a passenger. Despite having two bodies on the Aero 80, they were still blowing by me up hills and off the line. It was humbling how much slower the CV80 was. The main reasons for the CV80's anemic performance are the restrictive exhaust system, tiny carburetor and tall gearing that didn't let this engine rev. It seems that Yamaha went overboard when they tried to make this scooter docile and friendly.
Part way through the CV80's model life, it seems Yamaha realized they had overly restricted this scooter, so they made a number of revisions that dramatically improved the performance. Yamaha changed the 13mm carb to a 16mm carb, replaced the exhaust with sort of an expansion chambered design and they introduced a new cylinder, head, variator, reed cage and intake manifold (and more). These revisions were implemented at different times in different countries. Europeans seem to have gotten these changes for the 1983 model year, while USA customers didn't get them until the '85 model year. In Canada, it seems that Yamaha implemented these changes gradually over a few years ('84-'85).
For any owners seeking to make their CV80 faster, there does seem to be some fairly easy ways to improve the performance including retrofitting the improved parts, tossing in lighter rollers and installing aftermarket exhausts and bigger carbs. Speeds of 50-60mph are attainable fairly easily. For more on this read:
http://cv80.phpbbweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=5&mforum=cv80
Electrical System:
The electrical system is another weak point of the CV80. The electrical system is rated at a mere 48 watts of 6 volt power at max output (which occurs at the redline). When you consider that the headlight is 25 watts, the dash lighting is 15 watts and the taillight is 5 watts, that means you’re using up 45 watts just riding along. So if you apply the brakes (25 watts), use the horn or flick on the blinkers (17 watts x 2), your demand is dramatically exceeding the available supply. The result is borderline dangerous. If you’re riding a curvy road at night and you hit the brakes for a corner, the headlight dims so dramatically that you’re left almost in the dark. Even worse is slowing down for a turn where you apply the brakes and flick the blinkers on. It’s pretty ugly. Another problem is that the electric start almost never works because the electrical system are starter motor are both so weak. Even with a brand new battery you’ll only be able to use the electric start once the scooter is warmed up.
Style:
The CV80 was initially intended for the Japanese market and thus was designed to meet only Japanese safety rules. Accordingly, when Yamaha decided to sell this model in Europe and North America, they needed to make changes to the blinkers and/or taillight. With the exception of Sweden, the integrated front and rear blinkers did not meet regulations in the rest of the world, so Yamaha opted to externalize the rear blinkers and widen the front blinkers with an ugly plastic appendage. The front blinkers are still available from Yamaha Japan for about $38 each. I ordered myself a set and they're great! The picture to the right is my CV80 with the Japanese blinkers.
For more on this read:
http://cv80.phpbbweb.com/viewtopic.php?p=820&mforum=cv80#820
Fortunately for European owners, the integrated rear taillight (pictured below) was apparently okay to sell there, but North American owners got stuck with a cheap external taillight as well. Owners of North American CV80's can retrofit the flushmounted taillight (and internal blinkers) if they can source one from Europe or Japan. Here is a guide on the process:
http://cv80.phpbbweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=47&mforum=cv80
Any North American owner who retrofits this taillight (and any European owner) can activate the internal blinkers following this guide:
http://cv80.phpbbweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=52&mforum=cv80
In addition to these safety changes, Yamaha also deprived North American owners by giving them a useless front gear slot instead of the nice lockable and large glovebox (shown above) provided in the rest of the world. The gear slot North American’s received is virtually useless, due to its small size and it's fondness for cracking and breaking. You can retrofit the glovebox if you can find yourself a European or Japanese one but this isn't easy. I’ve never seen one on eBay, so you’d likely need to get a European acquaintance to find you a used CV80 and strip these parts for you.
Accessories & Aftermarket Parts:
Unfortunately, no aftermarket parts are available for the CV80 but Yamaha did initially sell a number of nice accessories. Yamaha sold a weird rack to hold a tennis racket (in Japan) and a windscreen and storage box (worldwide). The storage box is particularly nice as it matches the Beluga's style very well and it provides a nice increase in lockable storage. A NOS storage box sold on eBay a year ago for about $50 but generally these accessories are quite rare.
In terms of aftermarket parts no one makes aftermarket parts specifically for the CV80, so you're stuck using universal parts or finding parts from other applications. For more info on what's out there, check out this link:
http://cv80.phpbbweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=5&mforum=cv80
As a former owner of a CV80, this scooter holds a soft spot in my heart but I still have a hard time recommending this scooter over a comparable Honda. Compared to Honda’s Aero 80, the CV80 is significantly slower, gets worse milage, lacks decent storage and has a poor electrical system. The CV80 may very well be the last vehicle sold in North America to use a 6 volt electrical system. Motorcycles converted to 12 volts in the 60’s
So far this writeup has been awfully negative but the CV80 doesn’t deserve that. The CV80 is a charming scooter. It is fun to ride and I think it’s got a pretty unique and quirky (in a good way) look. It’s unfortunate Yamaha opted to remove the glovebox for the North American market because some real storage space would be a big con removed from the list. If you’re interested in buying a CV80 because you love how it looks or because you found a great deal, just get one of the later models and you’ll be okay. It still won’t perform like an 80cc 2-stroke could, but if you pretend it’s a 2-stroke 50cc then it’ll perform okay. The milage is substandard for a scooter but it still beats any car. The electrical system is annoying but if you keep that in mind you’ll be okay. The lack of storage....well that sucks but you can always wear a knapsack.
Pros:
- Vintage Look (if this suits your taste)
- Unique and significant scooter, it’s Yamaha’s first modern scooter.
- Sketchy suspension makes it a blast to ride.
Cons:
- Fuel milage (120km/5L or 60mpg) for the early models, even worse for the newer ones.
- Very slow (early models) or slow (later models)
- 6 volt electrical system
- Virtually no useable storage space (the storage slit hardly fits anything).
Links:
CV80 Riders Forum - A forum specification for CV80’s. Check it out.
MotorscooterGuide Forums - Visit the forum on this site to chat about this scoot.
Unofficial CV80 Owners Guide (RIP) - Amazing CV80 website packed with info. Most of this info is now available in Jeffrey Street's book 'Half a Step Ahead'.
BikeBandit.com - Good for looking up OEM parts and finding out what’s still available
SpeedandSport.com - Good for finding NOS parts to get your CV80 up and running.
CV80Riders.org - My CV80 website with a few videos.
Key Specs:
* Engine: Air cooled, 2-stroke single with auto choke and oil injection
* Starter: Electric and Kick
* Horsepower: 4.7hp (early model) & 6.9hp (updated model) both at 6000 RPM.
* Torque: 4.8ft/lbs (early model)
* Redline: 8000 RPM
* Bore x Stroke: 49mm x 42mm
* Compression Ratio: 6.8:1
* Idle Speed: 1500 +/- 50 RPM
* Sparkplug: NGK BP6HS (early model) or NGK B8HS (revised version)
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 4.7 Litres
* Tire PSI: 14 psi (front) and 22 psi (rear) or 36 psi (rear with passenger)
* Dry Weight: 89kg (original version) or 92kg (updated version).
* Electrical System: 6 Volt
* Magneto Output: 48 watts
* Battery: 6N11-2D
* Seat Height: 29.7”
* Dry weight: 187lbs
* Wheelbase: 47.2”
* Fuel Tank: 1.2gal (4.7 litres)
* Milage: 94mpg (Yamaha’s spec), 60mpg realistically
* Oil Tank: 1.2 quarts, 1.1 litres
* Colors: Chappy Red, Clean White, Crystal Silver
For more detailed specifications refer to:
http://ca.geocities.com/malstree@rogers.com/specs.htm
Here’s my CV80 modified with a custom pipe, euro tail light, larger carb, different cylinder etc.
