The Most Futuristic Superbike Never Made: What Happened to Yamaha’s Morpho II?

The year was 1991, a year on from Margeret Thatcher’s failed reign as Prime Minister in the UK, but petrol heads might have placed the same significance on whether Yamaha was releasing a production Morpho II superbike. Well, it wasn’t, as its predecessor, simply the ‘Morpho’ - also never took off its concept shackles after being unveiled for the first time at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show.

Born to inspire futurism and technological advances, the Morpho II was thought to be a bike that would transcend the two-wheel world, but alas, it never did, and even though I wasn’t even born then, I’m still sad about it.

Fitting right into the meat of the Superbike market, the Morpho could have led Yamaha’s development of superbike machines down a different path had it materialised and been a success, but by that point (1991) it’s thought that customers had developed a taste for something different, so Yamaha scrapped the idea to release the Morpho II in 1991. The bike was to be a 1003cc inline-four that generated 110bhp and up to 190mph.

The Morpho motorcycle concepts were unique and James Parker’s Rotationally Advanced Design Development (RADD) suspension system came aboard to help develop the Morpho bike. Radd was created as an alternative to the telescopic forks which reigned supreme at the time and still do today. By separating the steering function from the suspension action, RADD eliminated the need for a steering head and allowed designers to lower the bike’s centre of gravity.

Yamaha also worked with DK Dynamics Design Group, whom Yamaha commissioned to help with the build. Blend the RADD suspension system and the quirky design of the Morpho, and you had it all. At least that’s what we thought. Despite Yamaha waving the red flag against taking the Morpho II into the real world, Parker’s RADD suspension system still made a name for itself, as it found a home as part of Yamaha’s GTS1000 sport tourer. But that model was soon discontinued in 1999, putting an end to that collaboration. 

The Morpho II’s concept originated with the 1989 Morpho, as Yamaha hoped to create something truly unique. It was hoped that by going a step further and creating a feeling of unity with society and the environment, they could produce something to be marvelled at. It was equipped with something described as ‘artificial intelligence’, a self-diagnostic system and other interactive functions, showing Yamaha was ahead of its time. But alas, it wasn’t to be.

Yamaha’s Morpho concept bikes are considered legends of the genre. The Morpho 2 recreated the original concept’s riding position from the Morpho, a 400cc bike which saw the seat go up and down, with the footpegs doing exactly the same, allowing the rider to have more flexibility whilst riding. It’s something that still has not caught on with modern motorcycles, although you could think of the idea as a precursor to the current rider modes we see on modern bikes which, for example, would allow you to choose a more aggressive or laid-back riding style.

The Morpho II’s style did at least live on in some respects, via the Yamaha TDM850 which did indeed make production.

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