Yamaha Xs750e
YAMAHA XS750E
CYCLE WORLD TEST
The Triple Withhing Makes a Fine Touring Package
One of the things
the car folks have had going for them since the invention of the model year has been a system known as Options, a simple way for the buyer to build his own machine on the order form. The idea
has worked well and made friends and also money, but until recently we motorcycle people have not had it that easy.
We could buy or order the bike. And the dealer’s display room has been filled with extras, along the lines of fairings, racks, exhaust systems, saddlebags, case guards, seats, on and on. Thing was, buying them was a hassle and getting the blasted things fitted to the bike was worse than the purchase.
Then came the touring boom and the willingness of many buyers to spend their money to get exactly what they wanted. The marketing people back at the plant looked at both and realized they could (1) make the customer happy with add-ons that could simply be added on, and (2) make more of the after-market money if the add-ons came via the factory.
Enter the optioned motorcycle, in this case the Yamaha XS750E plus a complete touring outfit.
This particular example is here for two reasons. First, Yamaha has made some important changes to its sporting Triple. Second, while the other big factories are doing much the same thing, i.e. contracting for equipment to perfectly fit and complement the basic machine, Yamaha has gone the complete route and is advertising the bike-plus-gear. The Yamaha men are selling the package complete, so here we have the complete package.
This thus becomes something of a double test. Also it becomes less than that, as we see when the changes and additions begin to blur each other.
When Yamaha introduced the XS750 it was a light-heavyweight, a Triple in a world of Fours. It was quiet, smooth and comfortable, with a shade too much bulk to be nimble and not quite enough muscle to challenge the other 750s at the drags. For its second year, 1977, the XS750 got more power and some refinement. For 1978, despite the XS11 being Yamaha’s lesson to bullies who kick sand, the 750 has been changed by adding power and beefing the suspension.
Compression ratio has been increased, from 8.5 to 9.5:1. a change that improves power and torque all through the rev range (and also calls for premium gas in most areas). Camshaft timing has been lengthened, which moves torque and power up in the rev range while taking something away from the lower end. The 34mm Mikuni carbs are reworked for better internal flow and the airbox is less restrictive. The Triple’s ignition is now Yamaha’s Transistor Controlled system, which replaces breaker points with an inductive pickup and electronic black box. Power has gone up, in total, and power has gone up in the sense that the curve is higher; things are happening at more revs, in fact the redline has been moved from 7500 to 9000. Does this mean the XS750 is less happy at lower speeds? No, because while the engine was getting its revisions, the transmission gearing has been lowered: the output: shaft ratio is now 3.582:1 instead of 3.262:1. At any road speed, in any gear, the engine is turning faster than it did before. That's the easiest way of all to improve acceleration and pulling power, especially now that top> speed is more a matter of the radar gun (ours or theirs) than something the owner can use in his daily rounds. And. to be fair, a touring bike can benefit from pulling power, especially when it’s got a fairing, bags and a passenger.
Now, the fairing and such. The Yamaha accessory system isn't quite like the car system, which has the extras built and installed by the factory.
Yamaha has instead arranged for various reputable accessory firms to supply the factory with the extras, which in turn are sold by the factory to the dealerships. The factory hopes the dealers will install them and will then sell the complete bike, for one price. That is the easy way. For those whose local dealers aren’t in tune with this, buyers can ask for the extras and have them in place when the bike is delivered.
Pricing works in two ways. The complete touring kit sells for $686.70.
The kit consists of the fairing. $283.95; fairing mounting kit. $29.95; case guards. $34.95; luggage rack, $52.95; back rest for rack, $34.95; saddle bags. $129.95. and mounting kit with guard bars. $120.
As notes to that, the installation kits are extra because the fairing and bags will fit other models, such as the XS11 and XS650. but need different hardware. Also, there is an optional higher windscreen, with vents, at $39.95.
And because of the demands of the law. it is forbidden to refer to the case guards as crash bars. Right, that's what they used to be called, but to call them that now could imply some protection in a crash, see, so we are all supposed to only admit that they guard—not protect —the engine cases. What Ho. consumerism.
Now we get to the blurring of new model and its attached options. The 1977 XS750 weighed 557 lb. The 1978 XS750. as tested, weighed 616 lb. Nothing major having been changed, the added weight must be the fairing, etc. The quarter-mile times for the two bikes, which is our best test of acceleration and thus power, were 13.69 sec. and 14.09 sec. Result: an estimate. The ’78 XS750 has more power than the earlier version did. Can’t say how much more. Perhaps the useful part of this comparison is that a full-dress touring bike that does the quarter in fractions over 14 sec. is one quick touring bike. F'urther. while its lighter rival would beat it at the drags, informal roll-on trials between the 750E and the BMW R80/7 came out with the Yamaha the winner. Not slow, in other words.
However, this sort of results-with-explanation continues all through the test notes. The newest 750 has more power and power usually brings more noise, roughness, vibration and such. Last year’s test bike was smooth and quiet and had a lovely, raspy, character-packed exhaust note. We thought that this year's hike made more noise, and vibration, and seemed rougher than we recalled, but because a fairing almost always magnifies noise, provides more things to vibrate and so forth, we cannot proclaim that the more powerful engine is less pleasant to live with.
Still a good engine and an intriguing engine and something for the chap who doesn't want a Four like everybody else has. nor a Six. gosh-all-hemlock. The Yamaha Triple starts well, has no flat spots or power peakiness.
The gearing change is less a sure w inner. Right, speeding up the engine in all gears at all road speeds must aid in pulling power. And the change does help cover up for the gap between first and second. Still, we'd have picked internal changes, like a lower first and second for traffic and a stilltaller fifth. Never mind all these 1 lOOcc and 1200ce engines, on a flat road, two up. gear in the bags, the XS750 will easily pull this year's shorter gearing. Some form of semi-overdrive would help the miles-pergallon and the ears. Honda, y'know. reacted to the popularity of higher-numerical gears for the Gold Wing by fattening the middle of the GL’s power curve. Perhaps Yamaha's speeding up of the engine w ill cause some smart supplier to sell low er gearing for the XS750.
The 1978 Triple, touring equipped or not, has suspension changes seemingly aimed at either the sports or the touring markets. The front fork preload distance has been increased, the rear shock bodies and pistons are both 2mm larger in diameter and the spring and damping rates are higher. The spec sheets also show the front fork has been pulled back half a degree, although that may actually be the result of lowering the triple clamps on the tubes, rather than a frame change.
The firmer suspension carries more weight and the two equal out, in that the XS750 is as comfortable as ever, and as stable, and it still doesn’t like being thrown from side to side or being ridden around turns on its ear. This is no roadster.
About the options. They are. as a group, well done. The colors match, one gain from the factory-backed system being that the fairing and bag makers were required to use factory colors and could expect enough sales volume to justify it. Even the trim, gold and white for the red paint on our example, was a perfect match. All the parts bolted correctly to each other and to the bike; surely the fittings were done under Yamaha direction and control.
The fairing didn’t shake, nor did things come loose or rub each other the wrong way. The fairing also did its primary job. i.e. protect the rider from cold and rain, fairly well.
Fairly well only. At 65 mph and up. the shape of fairing and screen creates a definite negative pressure on the small of the rider's hack. A cold (and sometimes wet) hand on the kidneys. Not uncomfortable, but not expected or desired, either. Reflections from the instrument lights bounce off the inside of the screen and can be a distraction, which also isn't needed. Stability isn't changed, though, the worst actual effect of wind being strong buffeting from trailer truck wakes and bow waves.
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The luggage rack chrome held up well, the rack didn’t rattle and no welds broke, although we may have exceeded the 30-lb. limit on occasion. Passengers report the back rest being the best part of the package. There’s a zip-up stowage pack on the rack, which would be handy for seasoned cross-country riders, although we reckoned we’d spend more time worrying about whether we'd left anything in there than we would getting stuff out of the side bags. Which lock.
The saddlebags are downright habitforming. Odd how sports riders accustomed to doing without or lashing everything atop the tank quickly become dependent on a secure place for rain suits, homework, groceries and the like. The Yamaha bags have locks and latches and the lids come off completely, which is awkward at times but does help get more into the case. The cases even have small liner bags, for clothes and such.
The protective framework around the bags and the rear of the bike do serve a useful purpose, as in parking next to average parkers. The large Yamahas now come complete with hold-up cables and specific instructions to aid in getting the rear wheel off in case of flat tires. The mini-bumpers negate some of this. Thank goodness we did not have to learn firsthand how much of the add-ons must be unbolted before the real work begins.
The luggage rack has the same handicap. Tools, some secure stowage and a couple service items live beneath the seat, which flips up. The seat and rear body section are in unit. The luggage rack blocks the seat and getting beneath requires removal of cotter keys and wing nuts. No big thing but a minor flaw on the road at night. The quick cure is to carry the tool roll in a saddlebag. The permanent cure would (or will ) be to switch to the XS 1 1 method, with a bolt-down, once-a-year seat and access to tools via the side panels.
Law and semantics aside, the case guards appear to be functional: Research shows it’s good to have something to absorb or cushion the bike's mass if it gets dropped. Legs rank right after heads on the first-hurt list. The XS didn't get dropped so all we can report on the guards is that they made better highway pegs than did the intended highway pegs on Harley’s Low Rider.
The fairing almost requires a straight-up posture and the bars work well, although they’d be a bit high under unscreened conditions. Nice, light throttle. The seat seemed to get firmer by the mile, for rider and passenger: could have been the change in posture as the factory sheets show no change in upholstery and last year's seat was rated better. The tires. Bridgestone Superspeeds, didn't like rain grooves, a reaction surely magnified by the extra weight and higher center of gravity on the full-dress model.
The Yamaha XS750 is one of the best touring bikes on the market. The options are as good as the bike and make the XS750 that much better.continued on page 89
YAMAHA
XS750E
$2249
The E’s forks are essentially the same as those on its predecessor, the 2-D. A threeposition preload adjuster is new, however, and provides up to 17 lb. additional preload. For heavyweight touring, the use of 15 wt. of heavier oil is recommended. Tests performed at Number 1 Products
For the ’78 750E, spring and damping rates have been increased by 30 percent and 70 percent, respectively. This combo yields a marginally stiffer ride in the rear, but this is more than offset by the increase in control and stability. Tests performed at Number 1 Products
