Yamaha XS750
Commuters, also-rans & alternatives:
If ever a Japanese motorcycle got a bad reputation that wholly exceeded the reality of the issues, it surely has to be Yamaha’s four-stroke triple of the 1970s. When Yamaha unveiled its new big bike the journalists of the day were initially more than a little perplexed. Yes, it was technically more sophisticated than the hugely popular XS650 twin, but why did it only have three cylinders? Surely if Yamaha was going after Honda, the bike automatically had to be a four?
Possibly, but not in the minds of the bike’s creators. The tuning fork brand was generally perceived as a two-stroke manufacturer whose previous four-strokes (with the notable exception of the 650 twin) had all been lemons to varying degrees. The TX750 had been fraught with issues and its 500cc sibling hadn’t had the easiest start in life. Rapidly revised from the TX500 to become the XS500, the bike was okay but never a world beater. Not as fast or as peppy as the firm’s RD350/400s, it remained an also-ran. And the fact that the company strangled a 350 version at birth suggested the concept of supposed class-leading DOHC twins was most definitely a flawed one.
Yamaha’s engineers looked at almost every possible layout of a three-quarter litre four-stroke, considering horizontally opposed flat motors à la Goldwing, V-twin motors mimicking Moto Guzzi, and many more besides. The choice of a triple was selected because the arrangement offered the best compromise between a twin and four in terms of mass and bulk. The fact that the set-up clearly delineated the new offering from both Honda and Kawasaki’s fours wasn’t lost on the marketing teams, either. This was new ground for the Japanese manufacturer and only Laverda and Triumph had previously been down this particular road.
The use of a shaft drive immediately put the bike in a small and exclusive club with BMW, MV Agusta and Moto Guzzi, and, despite the doom merchants predicting huge power losses because of the 90-degree changes in drive, the XS750 proved it could get a wiggle on. With quarter-mile figures of 13.6 seconds and a top speed just shy of 120mph, the new bike was certainly no slouch.
At the press launch the reviews were favourable, with everyone smitten by the engine’s smooth power characteristics and its exhaust note. Comparisons with Meriden Tridents were inevitable and, although the Yamaha take on the idea wasn’t as grunty, fast or loud as the Triumph, the level of sophistication shone through. Build quality was high, comfort levels good and the refinement of a shaft drive beguiling. Apparently, Yamaha had a winner on its hands.
Unfortunately, what the firm had created was a machine with niche market appeal and, despite all the plaudits rained down upon it, the public remained sceptical. For many it was little more than a curiosity, a halfway house between a lusty twin from the likes of Triumph, Laverda or Yamaha themselves and a four with all of its attendant perceived kudos. Sales were only ever adequate and never really got an awful lot better. That said, for many of those that bought an XS750 it proved to be the ideal tool. Comfortable, long legged and fuss free, it provided a good alternative to the mainstream offerings – but that didn’t translate into lots of showroom sales.
In Japan the bike was sold as the GX750 with wire wheels and a three-into-one exhaust, but elsewhere alloy wheels were the norm with a curious single pipe on the left side and a two-into-one on the right. For many it just looked odd. Then there were reports of engine issues with oil usage, piston ring wear and gear selection problems. Yamaha was quickly on the case and revised piston rings were rushed out, but it was also discovered that a large number of the earliest motors had been built with their rings fitted the wrong way up! The gear issues promoted another parts update and revision which had dealers once again scrabbling in the bowels of the motor.
Even if most of the triple’s issues were unique to the earliest models, gossip, urban myths and old wives’ tales swiftly had the bike bad-mouthed. Some carburettor issues also further mired what was actually a pretty decent machine, further damaging its reputation. Despite being sold as a 60bhp machine, a good 10 of those ponies got lost in the transmission and even subsequent revisions to cam profiles, air intakes and much more failed to up the bike’s credibility on the sales floor.
By 1979 the XS750 was in dire straits commercially and, even when it was overbored to 826cc to become the XS850, sales really didn’t improve, despite the fact that the bigger-engined bike was pretty much sorted and the new model acquitted itself exceptionally well as a long-distance tourer. Over in America the design received some much-needed help when the factory revamped it into a cruiser-type role rebranded as the XS750 Special. In this format and with most of its demons exorcised, the bike finally found mass acceptance, probably allowing Yamaha to claw back some much-needed profit on the original design. However, with its eye on the prize, Yamaha had already bypassed the triples to deliver a mighty four-cylinder machine in the guise of the XS1100 which borrowed much from the maligned 750/850.