The Japanese used to be brave and searching. Or bravely searching. The new motorcycle world and its inhabitants were yet to be discovered. In the late 70s, it was actually about more and more power. But in the eighties, the manufacturers also wanted to propagate their vision of the future. Yamaha saw the future in the XZ550, the 'Vision'. But as Rutte said:
“You have to go to the optician for vision.”
The Yamaha XZ550S was a sporty oversquare liquid-cooled four-stroke twin with double overhead cams (half a V-max) and the block breathed in two downdraft Mikunis that did a very poor job in the takeover area. The carburetion just wasn't right. The electrics were also so innovative that reliability was usually on an Italian level. The XZ was made between 1982 and 1983. And two years later you could still buy brand new store daughters at ram prices. The late – or latest – models were 'better' than the first. The carburetion had been addressed and there was a return line in the fuel system. The technology was innovative and the styling was a bridge too far for the more conservative motorcyclists. The block was good for more than 60 hp at 9500 rpm and the top was at something of 180 km/h.
hassle
Because the air filter of the downdraft carburetors was at the bottom of the tank, it appeared larger on the outside than it was on the inside. Under that air filter were the already mentioned problematic carburettors, self-releasing starter motors and hassle with the stator and rectifier. The wiring and electrical stuff tests were also oversensitive. The last bunch also had the best rectifiers. The 1983 models also got a fairing and – very modern – a fuel gauge. Furthermore, the changes were optical. If you find a Yamaha like this now, you will notice that years of standing still have done little good with those damned gas factories. In any case, the buyer who wants to wake up an XZ 550 needs someone with a serious ultrasonic box.
Driven classics/youngtimers
The daring approach and short production time should make these technically interesting Yamahas into true classics. NOT! If one is sold, then it's for change to someone who wants to turn it into a café racer, something bratstyle or a bobber or something. Then the project crashes and is set to MP as 'challenging'. The V-twin with a block angle of 70 degrees was also a pretty high-tech thing. Each head had two camshafts driven by silent chains, four valves per cylinder and a balance shaft. That smooth, cooling finless block was the result of a lot of thinking by engineer Isao Koike and the research group GK Design Associates. And that team was not afraid to call in Cosworth and Porsche for the block and the (cardan) transmission.
A very good container
All that effort led to a silent shifting gearbox. A shaft-driven motor that shifted so quietly? It hadn't been there until then. And an output of 64,4 horsepower at 9.500 rpm. And compared to the competition, that was not wrong. The 600 cc Ducati Pantah produced 58 hp and the Kawasaki GPZ550 had 61 hp. Also nice: the Yamaha steered and braked well. From a technical point of view, part of the cradle was removable to facilitate the expansion of the block and of course the XZ had Yamaha's Cantilever rear suspension. At the front, of course, in the spirit of its time, the dynamic Yamaha had double discs. At the rear, a conventional drum brake lent its friendly assistance.
the light show
When you turned on the ignition, the dashboard became a cheerful light show. All lights! Because that was modern. Too bad the light show crashed regularly. Once on the road, the XZ is a pleasant partner if you don't compare it with a Pantah. In the second series of XSs, Yamaha had cleverly stepped aside to avoid further confrontation (and loss of face) with regard to the Pantah: the 550 cc twins were given a generous fairing that made it clear to the world that this was a dynamic touring motorcycle. . Not from a Pantah beater.
