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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126460
Ratchet at top of shock sets Double disc front end Is a powerful deg.... of damping. and r.ould he possibly pay more attention to his rate of forward progress in relation to posted limits? Posted limits aside. the XS850 is barely pulling 4000 rpm in flfth gear at the national double niclteI maximum. A comfortable cruising speed, assum· ing the coast is clear, is in the vicinity of 75 mph. Distance and the XS850 go well together. A lot of miles go by before the seat starts to bother the rider's rear. The stepped saddle is plushly padded and nice to buns. even those belonging to touring novices. Three Hitachi HSCg4 constant velociry carbs suck up the gas in a miserly way perfect for $1. gO per gallon gasoline. We got right around 50 mpg for all-around use; a little lower in city riding. Handling was fine during our brief test. The frame was strong and stable and no major quirks were encountered. However, shutting the gas off causes the front suspension to dive like a falling brick. and cornering was always more comfortable with the gas on. The triple wobbled a bit on freeway rain grooves, but the problem was virtually unnoticeable in comparison to the machine's little brother, the 650 twin we tested last year. Much of the credit goes to the tubeless g.25H x'19 and 4.50H x 17 Bridgestone tires. We didn't get much of a chance to play with the multi-adjustable suspen· sion. Forks were left at their standard 5.7 psi setting and were quite accept· able for general use. If you have some hard riding planned. you might want to stiffen the air pressure to try and offset the power-off front end dive. Because of the plushness, we liked the rear shocks set on soft damping/soft preload for freeway jaunts. Heavier riden will probably want to crank up the damping (there are four different settings) and those going two-up will want to up the preload setting (flve possibilities). Yamaha has listened to the moan· ing about inadequate headlights, and done something about it on the 850. Its quartz· halogen unit is OK on low beam, and the next-best-thing-to-sunshine on high. A welcome improvement. Yamaha put dual horns on the XS850. but we don't think they speak loud enough at freeway speeds. Gear ratios on the bike were well spaced and. as we mentioned before. allow for comfortable riding at interstate speeds. Shifting was easy, but the jump from flnt to second had to be done with thought or there was a notice· able clunk. Brakes (double disc front, single disc rear) were fint rate. They were very strong, but showed no tendency towards lock-up. even in panic stops. Detailing and attention to rider comfort rank high. Grips are comfortable. leven are the easy-to-use dogleg type. and the peg/seat/handlebar arrangement allows a comfortable riding position. But the kickstarter limits the amount of moving around the rider can do comfortably. The fork lock is incorporated into the steering head. instead of the way we like to see it, as part of the ignition switch. In operation, the fork lock often proved to be stubbon. with jiggling of the handleban usually required to get the unit in and out of the locked position. To sum things up, what do you get when you exchange coin for an XS850G? You get a vibration-free. civilized·yet-pow.erful motor, minimal maintenance shaft drive, and other good features in a decent· handling package. If you're going places, or want to. check it out. • stopper. Specifications Engine 4-stroke DOHC triple Displacement 826cc Bore and Stroke 71.6 x 68.8rnm Compression RatIo : .. 9.2:1 Maximum Torque 49.2 ft.-1bs.IS.8 kg-m) @ S.500 rpm Carburetion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hitachi HSC34 Triple Transistor controlled Ignition Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Electric & kick Lubrication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Wet sump Transmission kpeed Type Chassis OveraD Length Overall Width Overall Height _ _ 86.S"12.176mml 36.4"l9OOInml 46.9"11.19Omm) 57.1"11.46Ornm) 6.6"114Ornm) 531 Ibs.1241 kg) 4.5 gals. 11711 3.9 qu. 13.71) Wheelba.e nce Ground C Dry Weight Fuel Tank Capacity 011 Tank Capacity Suspension Front Telescoplcforks Rear.......•....................................... swlngarm Brakes Front Dual disc Rear Single disc TIres Front Reer Coloring _ 3.25H x 19 4.&OH x 17 New Varnllha Black