Yamaha XS750 Gallery

The whole XS750 package was incredibly neat, with a compact engine and transmission and subtle paintwork that made the bike seem even neater and smaller than it really was. Obviously, the most significant feature of the XS750 was its final drive which for the first time made shaft drive available on a machine intended for the mass market. Secondly, manufacturers had until now thought that it was only worthwhile using such a drive with a longitudinal crankshaft engine due to the power loss and mechanical complications involved in turning the drive through 90 degrees.

In 1979, an 850 version of the bike was announced and the company's advertising around that time boasted 'The Yamaha four-stroke philosophy: don't use more cylinders than you need'. So that was why the XS750 was launched as a triple in the first place and not as a more conventional four. Or maybe not, for a couple of months after that advert, the XJ650 was announced with a four cylinder motor. Whatever, by this time the XS750 had a faithful following, if only of people who wanted something different.

Bike	Image	Description
1976 Yamaha XS750		Air cooled, four stroke, transverse three cylinder, DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder.
1977 Yamaha XS750		The XS750 is not designed as a sportster, however, and is much more at home when touring. This is emphasized by the handling which is a little soft (to say the least) when it comes to scratching around country lanes. However the dampers are set, there is more than a hint of wallowing in bends and under certain conditions a weave may even be apparent at just over 100 mph on a straight road.
1978 Yamaha XS750		Shaft drive.
1978 Yamaha XS750
1978 Yamaha XS750 Special
1979 Yamaha XS750

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