"Feedback"
"FEEDBACK"
Readers, as well as those involved in the motorcycle industry, are invited to have their say about motorcycles they own or have owned. Anything is fair game: performance, handling, relia-
bility, service, parts availability, lovability, you name it. Suggestions: be objective, be fair, no wildly emotional but ill-founded invectives; include useful facts like mileage on odometer, time owned, model year, special equipment and accessories bought, etc.
THE TIGER IS G-R-R-REAT
My Triumph was purchased new in July of ’73 for $1700. Its total mileage to date is 7100. The Triumph is my sixth bike, since I previously owned two Hondas—a 175 and a 350—a BSA Victor, and two Ducatis. I also had a ’63 TR6 for a short while last spring, which was sold due to a total mileage of 45,000. Needless to say, it was worn out. I loved the way it handled and felt, though, so I traded my new CL350 Honda for the new five-speed Triumph.
So far, the bike has been faultless, except for a leaky counter shaft seal, which was replaced under warranty. The five-speed gearbox is really a dream; it shifts like butter. All of the gears are spaced well for both in-town traffic and the freeway. I find the power to be extremely good for a single carb, but the gearbox helps out so much that it doesn’t have the big gaps that the old four-speed had.
The bike is completely stock, and I plan to keep it that way for now. Being in the Navy keeps me away from it a lot, but I’m having it shipped over to Pearl Harbor soon.
Most of the riding was done around town and on a few short trips of 300 miles or so. I’ve always been told by my Japanese-mounted friends how badly Triumphs vibrate, but the Tiger is not bad at all. Sure, it does shake, but not enough to cause any real discomfort after a few hours in the saddle.
The bike handles so well that it’s surprising just how confident you feel when entering a corner at speed. There’s not the slightest twitch or shake. My Honda was like riding a pogo stick in a rock quarry. It was terrible.
The quality control throughout is outstanding, compared to what Triumph was putting out a few years as^ It doesn’t leak or weep oil, even a^P extended periods of sitting. This is really surprising.
I plan to keep the Tiger for as long as it gives me good service, which I hope will be as long as the rest of my term in the service...three years, nine months, damn.
Bill Walker Seattle, Wash.
WHEN YOU’RE WET, YOU’RE WET
I recently purchased two ManJak suits for my wife and myself. We were attracted by the styling and colors, which are quite different from the usual olive drab or black foul weather gear generally available. Also appreciated was their compact size and light weight when folded and stowed.
We were quite pleased with purchase—until the first time we had^r use them. They do not “shed water” as advertised, but leak badly at every seam. Even a light shower immediately brings back those nostalgic childhood memories of wet diapers, because that’s the first place they leak.
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I wrote the manufacturer, Wheels^^ Man, New Berlin, Wisconsin, about my dissatisfaction with their product, and suggested that I return the ManJak suits for a refund, since they had cost $24.90 apiece. A Mr. Micheli, president of Wheels of Man, replied that they “only say the material will shed water.” He went on to say that they “afford adequate, minimal rain protection. I don’t know how to reconcile “adequate” to “minimal.” This is one of the beautiful areas in life where there are no ifs or buts. You are either wet or not wet.
Mr. Micheli also stated: “We feel that for the money involved, ManJaks offer all-round basic protection and value for the customer.” In other words, they had my money and too bad about the leaks. I wonder if that attitude also applies to their other products?
But I have the last laugh on Micheli. I went out and bought a cheap vinyl rain suit for $2.25. It is made by the Japanese, has bonded seams, and does not leak.
Donald Rink Gastonia, N.C.
SADDER, BUT WISER
I have a Yamaha TX750. Starting at the front, the forks clunk loudly on certain kinds of bumps. The disc brake drags, but does a good job of stopping. The speedometer cable fell off and almost got wound up in the front wheel.
I was doing about 70 mph down the Santa Ana Freeway at the time in weekday morning traffic. Think about the possibilities of that.
Dealer preparation was poor. A faulty oil seal behind the points was replaced before I took delivery. cover has one short screw and many long ones. That’s right—the short screw was in the wrong hole and one of the long ones was jammed into its place. In checking the point settings, I found the left side set at .009, and the right side set at .021. The carburetor cables were improperly adjusted. The handlebars were loose.
Routine maintenance is awkward at best. To change the oil filter, the footpeg, gear shift lever, side cover and chain barrier must first be removed. The oil tank drain plug is located so awkwardly that oil spillage on the frame and muffler cannot be prevented. A decorative side panel overlaps the air filter housing by about Vi in., so it must be removed in order to service the air filter.
The handlebars are comfortable. T]^^ seat is uncomfortable. Straight-line bility is good, but going around corners is spooky. (Continued on page 26)
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When the fuel tank goes on reserve it is necessary to switch two valves, one on either side of the machine. This can cause some anxious moments if you are on the inside lane of the freeway in heavy traffic. Try letting go of the throttle when you are in this situation sometime.
Now to the heart of this gem —the engine. At the very front is a cast aluminum manifold going completely across the head. It is arranged in such a way that cooling air is blocked from the head, and exhaust heat is transmitted instead, making the motor tend to run hot.
Numerous oil leaks developed immediately around the head gasket, rocker cover gasket, various case bolts, through the side of the cylinder casting, and at the terminations of oil galleries.
A zone of heavy vibration started to occur at 4200 rpm. With increased mileage, the band of vibration became wider, finally running from 3800 to 4800 rpm.
An odd clicking noise developed, which turned out to be a broken cam chain tensioner. Tramp metal from the tensioner scored the pistons.
Electric starter operation is sometimes erratic. On at least one occasion the starter engaged all by itself with the motor running. Noises later appeared in the region of the starter.
Contrary to your road test of this bike, the straight-cut primary gears howl like those on a Montesa or Husky.
The shifting mechanism became faulty, but was replaced under warranty by a redesigned part. The transmission is typical Japanese: noisy with sloppy
dogs and slots.
Now, I must mention that when I bought the bike, I selected the dealer closest to my home, who also had been in business longer than most of the others. I reasoned that longevity in this highly competitive business signified reliability and service. The purchase price was higher than I had been quoted elsewhere, so I expected service for the extra cost. In this case my assumption was false. I haven’t gotten the dealer service I expected.
As the noises in my engine grew louder, I did some independent investigation through other dealers and owners and turned up some real horror stories. I then wrote a letter to Yamaha International. They agreed to repair or replace all of the things I complained about with no limit to repairs because, as it turned out, there were serious design flaws in the motor and Yamaha was fixing everything that gave trouble. In my case, this amounted to almost 50 (Continued on page 28) percent of the engine: cases (upper and lower), balancer, shifter, barrel, cam chain tensioner and other assorted pieces. Yamaha is extending the warranty 90 days with unlimited mileage.
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After delivering the bike to the dealer, it took them two weeks to remove the engine from the frame. It took an additional two weeks to order and procure the repair parts—only to find that some were back-ordered.
Checking with the mechanic, I found that he intended to put the old pistons (scarred from the cam chain tensioner) and the old rings back into the new barrel. I insisted on new pistons and rings even if I had to pay for them myself. With regard to the back-ordered parts, the dealer had no idea when they might be available. This was the beginning of the seventh week that the bjita| was laid up. They were unable to gSBf me any idea of when it might ever be repaired.
About this time my patience wore thin, and I went to Yamaha International in person. They were sympathetic and called me later in the day promising every effort to procure the missing parts and get the bike back to me the next week.
My question now is: “Are the redesigned parts any better than the original parts?” Even after all of the repairs are made, the maintenance hassles and overheating will still be there.
The total cost of the warranty work will exceed $600. If it goes sour again, the burden of the cost will be mine. So far the bike has traveled 4800 miles and has spent 1/3 of its life in the shop.
Would I buy another Yamaha? I don’t know. The people at YamaÉ International are quite willing to stana behind their product, but things go to hell at the dealer level. In any event, I will surely buy another motorcycle someday, but I will use a whole new set of values in selecting one.
Carlos G. Fondren Whittier, Calif.
SHAKES, RATTLES AND ROLLS
I recently purchased a 1973 TX650 Yamaha, which performed perfectly for the first 800 miles. At that point, I started having innumerable difficulties with it.
Due to vibration, the muffler clamp nuts and bolts, left air cleaner, fender bracket bolts, right signal light and license plate all fell off. The reflector under the gas tank fell off, and the chain guard is broken in two places—an^ these are rubber-mounted. Also, tP^ flasher unit wires under the battery would shake loose and POW, no juice.
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I am 32 years old and have been riding bikes for a long time. Being an experienced rider, I know that there are limits to how much vibration there should be; and this bike obviously exceeds all of those limits.
Besides the vibration, there are problems with headlight and taillight bulbs blowing, and filaments breaking. The gas tank leaks, staining the side covers and rotting the seat and the rubber mountings that the tank rests on.
A compression test showed that I am running 90 lb. on the left side and 100 lb. on the right, so the right side is running hotter than the left. It apparently has to have a valve job and the electric starter gear and crankshaft fixed. Although the bike looks and sounds good, I want a lot more for my $1700 than 3600 miles and a lot of headaches.
It took three months of visits to the dealers, and a lot of letters and phone calls to Ken Downing, general manager in Weston, before Yamaha finally admitted that there was definitely something wrong with the bike. Considering all of the above facts, I really do feel that the bike is a death trap. My wife is afraid to ride on it—which is certainly understandable. If my problem is common to other TX650s, I think that the public has the right to know.
Joe Me Donald Cobourg, Ont., Canada
VIVA JAWA!
I have put 4300 miles on my 1973 Jawa 350 Californian Twin since purchasing it new six months ago. Several poor electrical connections, an inoperative horn, a mediocre front brake, poor service literature and relatively heavy two-stroke smoking are my only complaints, and are minor at that. I easily tightened the electrics and replaced the beeper. I can live with the handbook, and the smoking is cosmetic only. The front brake has improved with use, and now borders on locking when called upon for maximum anchoring. The rear brake is excellent, and more than makes up for the less-capable front binder.
At a claimed 318 lb. dry, this has got to be the lightest 350 Twin available at a reasonable price. Out of the crate, ride and handling, one or two up, was great. By tensing up the shocks, and switching to 30 weight in the forks, the ride suffered slightly, but the handling improvement more than offset that minor detriment.
Vibration is low by any standard; the mirrors never blur. Heavily carbureted Japanese machines of similar displacement out-accelerate the Jawa by less than the others expected. On winc^Ä roads, the Jawa can take two bends before most Japanese machines are out of the first one.
A top end of under 90 mph isn’t spectacular, but an extra passenger has no effect on cruising power. Even with fifteen minutes per day in bumper-tobumper traffic, brisk accelerations and some sustained high speeds, the Jawa extracts over 59 miles from a gallon of hi-test. Regular gasoline lengthens the starting routine considerably. Dead-cold starts require one to three mild kicks, and the engine is not at all coldblooded-just drive off.
Even riding here in Pittsburgh, which hilly terrain and sudden temperature changes have made the Pothole Capital of the World, the original soft compound Barum tires still have 75-85 percent of the tread remaining aft^L 4300 miles.
I’ve adjusted the CZ chain twice— once when it wasn’t really needed. Yes, the bike is light, but myself and my briefcase are a 260 lb. payload.
The original PAL sparkers are in excellent shape. I’ve set the points only twice, in spite of the heavy stop-and-go stress that the engine undergoes. I ap(Continued on page 32) precíate the ease of timing adjustmJ^^ that single carb machines allow.
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The clutch, which automatically disengages when the shifter is operated, thus making missed shifts and gear damage well-nigh impossible, has not yet called for adjustment.
Want super reliability for commuting, super handling for playing road racer on weekends, tractable power and well-above-average economy? Oh, and ISDT anyone? Jawa!
Mike Davis Pittsburgh, Pa.
YAMAHA 500 FAN
Your “Feedback” department has always interested me as it is unique to CYCLE WORLD, and it provides a resource of unbiased opinions. I was never one to buy something new an^ untested. I’d rather let it set on tl^ market for awhile to find out: “what does it do.” If it’s going to be a dog, it’s not going to be MY dog.
I’d contemplated the advantages of both two and four-stroke models and settled on a 305 Yamaha for my first cycle in 1967. It was quick enough at the time, easy to service, and had a reputation for dependability.
Between 1967 and 1971 a lot of fast bikes hit the market and I was looking for something to move up to. My wife had learned to ride quite well and had hinted about a bike of her own. The next bike would have to be light, quick, vibration-free, easy to maintain and low cost. The Kawasaki 500 Triple and 350 Yamaha panned out to be the final choices, with the Yamaha winning out only because of insurance. We all like to think we buy bikes to be smoother lighter or something, but somehow th^P always end up being FASTER.
I couldn’t bear the thought of trading in the 305. In 16,000 miles of service it grieved me very little. Probably the reason I hadn’t traded sooner is that I couldn’t nail down a good reason to hate the old bike.
The 350 Yamaha was an amazingly rapid bike, but it had to be in razor sharp tune to run. I have my own dial gauge to set timing; it received regular use. The wife put 12,000 miles on it in the first season, as it more or less became her bike. When she rode to Columbus, Ohio, acid boiled out of the overfilled battery and ate up the chrome on the left muffler and part of the frame.
When she was in Ohio it wouldn’t start due to an oil contamination on the rear point set. (It left New York stajfl with new points). Several times it incu^ red hydrostatic lock from gasoline that (Continued on page 114) leaked by a faulty petcock and seat needle in the left carb. Gradually I began to dread phone calls at work knowing it would be Linda, stuck out in East Bloomfield or some other God-forsaken place, asking for me to bail her out again.
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There was no doubt about it, this bike loved ignition products. Points would be black and nasty looking in 3000 miles. Repeated flex-stoning and reset would give only a token lease on life from the $12. peril. Spark plugs would pass through like duck excretia. Working for Volkswagen as I do, I found a 145 T 1 standard Bosch plug was the perfect heat range and I could buy them at internal rates.
Yamaha made a tremendous breakthrough in their own two-stroke oil. Plug breakdown due to oil fouling T(ttb cut in half with the cost cut in halfen the Lubra-Gas oil I had been using. Please make sure the oil is blue-green in color and says New Autolube on the can, if you try some. I found the older red product to be of doubtful value.
Last August, when I played sicko from work, I got to thinking how the 350 had been grieving my body, and how badly it deserved a new home. I had been reading about a new 500cc bike from Yamaha: a four-stroke with four valves per cylinder. Everything sounded impressive—even if you didn’t ride it, the engineering was enough to make you swoon. Omni-phase balancing for total vibration free riding, 4.00 rear tire, disc brake, electric start, Honda 750 size battery, vaccuum carbs, big headlight, plus FOUR VALVES PER CYLINDER. My own Offy Tv^i WOW!!! That same day I went up to^p dealer, took one for a ride, cast aside all skepticism of something being new to the market, and plunked down a deposit on the new TX 500 Yamaha.
’Tis a Master Beauty is all I can say. I rode it a week before I realized it even had an oil filter. Nobody else in the area had one so I carefully watched for defects in engineering to appear. I checked valve adjustment three times in the 1524 miles to see if they would tighten up (like Volkswagen). No soap. The only changes I would recommend would be softer front fork action and a more sensitive front brake light switch. You can be braking fairly hard with the disc and never turn the light on. A friend’s 350 is the same way.
The choke is not a plate, but an enrichment jet. Below freezing it isn’t quite rich enough to start, and it kind^&f monkeys around. The bike cannot^JP prime kicked with the electric starter because if the ignition or emergency cutoff switch is off it won’t crank. I’ll change that. It would also help to swap the starter and horn buttons so you can link and roll the throttle at the same ®e. It could be I haven’t gotten the right combination for starting, having owned two-strokes (like the three to five years of Harley-Davidson starting experience needed to start a Sportster).
I’m a little leary of all those chains, bearings and idlers rolling around in there in the event that something should break. The old two-strokes were simple, at least, with just a piston running up and down past two holes. My older brother’s 750 Honda has traveled 31,000 miles with no incidents and his has three chains. The 500 Yammer has four. All in all, it has performed very well.
Mileage is an even forty. Top speed is 98. Naturally, with the valve configuration it has, one would expect it to breathe well. It does. Camming, however, is quite mild, with quiet and
«Luewhat restrictive exhausts. I’m conut with its performance per se, but it could be modified easily for those who desire higher speeds. If every 500 is as good as mine, Yamaha will sell a million. My work forces me to have a critical eye, but with my new bike I’ve found little fault.
Allan J. Weseman Lockport, New York
NO MORE MOTOCROSS
This is in regard to the letter from Don Roberts that appeared in the January ’74 issue. I, too, purchased an Elsinore CR250M, in April of ’73, and have had nothing but problems with it.
First, in my second motocross with the bike, the transmission went out—a faulty shifting drum that resulted in destroyed gears and shifting forks. I jelled American Honda, and they sent a ^BPresentative out. He claimed that I “speed-shifted” the bike, so they refused to pay for repairs. I went ahead and had it fixed, hoping for the best.
Then, in August, during a race at Saddleback Park, the transmission went out again. This time, the extension of the main engine case, that serves as the shift stop, broke off. Also broken off were the dogs on one of the gears.
I called American Honda again. Three weeks later the rep. showed up and agreed that the transmission was bad. He said that Honda would supply the parts free-of-charge, but that I would have to pay for the labor. It has been more than four months, and I still haven’t received a new gear.
As soon as the machine is repaired, it will be sold for whatever I can get for it.
I have already purchased a TL125 trials Honda has soured me on ^itocross.
Larry Theobald Torrance, Calif.
