Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125859
ng class meets the newest contender When the Ya ma ha came on the camat a bout 6000 RPM - you knew it. It ran quickly from there to 9000 redline. Lighting w as about equal, but th e H onda's front sig nals lit up w ith th e h eadligh t (m uc h like the r u n ni ng ligh ts o n a car) to m ak e the m o to rcycl e easie r to re cogn ize as such. The Yam ah a was harde r to start when cold , bu t would idle a nd run well im m ed ia tely afte r i t was starte d . Th e Honda started easier, but required a m inute o r so to warm up before it would run without gaggin g o r idl e by itse lf. A buzzer was h oo ked up 10 th e Honda tum signals. When t he signals blinked , the buzzer buzzed, so you co uld not forget about them. Of course, the buzzer attracts some strange looks at crowded intersections. but it is easy to dis connect for those not prone to leaving on th e signals after com p le t ing a turn . This Yamaha has some nice innovative features. One is th e rear brake wear warning ligh t, wh ich comes on when th e star ter button is p re ssed t o sh o w it is st ill func tional. Another is the circuit th at a u to m a tically switches th e headligh t to the other beam if one beam filim ent bums ou t while you 're rid ing . II w as impossible to put do w n th e side s tand while seated on th e Yamah a, an d the Honda's side s tand was danger ously ea sy t o forget about when riding off, because o f its fa r-fo rwa rd p os itioning. The Y amaha had two f uel ta ps, o ne on each sid e of the tank, each feedin g o ne carb with n o con necti o n to th e oth er . Not only d id this require turnin g o n tw o tap s to s ta rt wi th , UU t also sw itc h ing tw o taps to hit reserv e wh ile rid ing. The Honda feeds all fo ur ca rbs w ith o ne tap . . Checkin g th e e ngin e oil o f th e Yamaha is an involved routin e. The eng in e must be id led fo r three to five minutes, shut off, an d th e p las t ic d ip stick re moved whil e your knuc kles sizzle o n t he en gin e fins . T he - Yamah a also had a prob lem keepin g oil inside itse lf. O ur tes t b ik e ha d been carefully assembled with sil icone sealant smeared on the ma ting su rfaces . J t still leak ed. T he factory is awa re o f the prob le m, as e vide nced by th e T X5 0 0A we saw recen tl y wi th a n e ngi ne th a t lo o ked lik e it had been sprayed w ith a fi re extingu isher. The whi le powder al lover it was to m ak e any oi l lea ks show up , and was par t o f research ai med at fin ding ways 10 kee p th e o il insid e. Our Honda wa s a ch ea ter , too , but used Perma te x instead of silicone sealer. It didn 't leak . Both bikes feat u red seat lo cks and helme t holders. T he Yam ah a's seat lo ck is a new. improved versio n, si milar t o th e H ond a's an d be tter tha n last year's (whe n a scr ewdriver co uld o pe n i t). All the locks on bo th bikes w ore st amped-in key numbers . With th e number stam ped o n th e lo cks an d 5 0t, any thie f ca n buy a key a nd ste al the bike. It is about time the motorc ycl e indus try st op p ed helping the cro o ks by Honda 5 5 0 proved more stable in most cornering situations. stam p ing t he key n um be rs into locks. Both b ik es had o ne m irror ea ch, which is one m irr o r too few r The fe we r blind SPO IS a rider has, the better off he is. Ya m a h a h ad the be tter fork lo c k ; it wo rked. T he Hond a 's fo rk loc k was impossible to use from the sadd le an d also ha d a key broken off in it . The H onda ha d s tro nger cl u tch pull th an last year's CB 500 , and worked flaw lessl y. Th e Yamah a cl u tc h a t tim es would lo se all it s adj us tmen t wh en the handlebar ad juste r slip p ed. Otherwise, it was OK. Both bikes wo uld tr avel a b o u t 10 0 miles before hitting reserve , but the Honda h ad a bigger res erv e capacit y in ' its larger tank (3. 7 gal lon s vs. the Yamaha's 3.4 gallo n s). The Honda costs m ore than the Yamah a , wh ich is OK sin ce th e Honda is also eas ier to ride and eas ier to live with . T he Y amaha is a te chnical marvel, and an engineeri n g masterpiece , but being tr ick isn ' t enoug h fo r a motorcycle anymore . A motorcy cle must als o work well in the hands o f the co nsu m er. and must be something an en th usiast can live with day after day with minimum main tenance. As it stands, in 1974. the Honda CB550 is better dialed in to what being a motorcycle is al l about than the TX500A is. • Yamaha TX500A Honda CB550 Engine Type . .. • • . . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . Fo ur cy linder. o ver head cams haft air cooled fo ur-stroke Type Bore X Stroke Displacement Engine Two cylinder . dual o ver hea d cam eight valve air co o led f our -strok e 2.874 X 2.346 in. (73mm X 59 .6mm l 498cc (30 .39 cu. in.! Compressio n ratio 9 :1 Oil capaeity 3 .2 U.S. Ouarts R ecom mended fuel Prem ium Ign it ion Bat te rv -cott S tarting Shift pattern Other stuff Tire size. front . rear Wheelbase Length Width Fuel capacity Suggested retail price (West Coast) Electric/ ki ck Up for up , 1·N·2·3-4·5 3 .25 X 19.4.00 X t8 ~ 55 .1 In . 84 .6 in. 32 .9 in. 3.4 U.S. Gal. $t688 .00 Bore X Stroke Dosplaceme nt Co mpression ratio Oil capacit y 2.303 : X 1.992 in. 158 .5 X 50 .6mml 544cc (33.19 cu. in.! 9 :1 3.2 U.S. Quarts Recommended fue l . .. .. . . . . . . . ..... . . . ... • . .. .... ..• L ovv lead 91 Oct an e plus Ignition .. ..•.... . . . ...•. . . • .... .. • .. . . . . .. .... . . . . •. .. ' B at t ery -coil Starting _..•. .. •. .•.. _ . .. .. . ... .. • .. .. . . , .. . .•. • • . • . . • .El ect r ic/k ick Shift panerrr Up for UP. t ·N-2-3 -4-5 O t he r stuff Tire size. front. rear 325 X 19,3.50 X t 8 WeIght. dry 423 Ibs. Wheelbase .55 .3 in. Length .83.5 in. Width •...... .. . ... ..... .. . .. . . . . .. ... . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .32 .5 in. Fuel capacity 3.7 U.S. Gal. _ $172 t.00 Suggested retail p"ce lWeSl Coast) 49