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strument panel checks sidestand placement, brake fluid, engine oil level, battery fluid level and all the lights. After the micro.computer goes through the checklist, the warning light goes off. If you persist in leaving the sidestand down, not only will the warning light not go off, but the el~. tronic circuitry will kill the engine if you put it in gear. When the bike was new and the clutch still a littIe tight, we had the machine stall when the sidestand was up. But that only happened once. _ Underway, you'll find that the Seca makes good horsepower. Under 5,000 rpm isnl much to write horne about but easily enough for cruising the city streets. Shon shifts at about three grand was the usual mode of operation, and we never did get stopped by an officer of the law interested in writing something for us. . At about 6000 rpm things start happening in a rush and they continue that way up to about 8500. It's a strong rush, and passing scenery blurs in a hurry. No doubt about it, this red Yamaha doesn't lack ponies. Out on the highway, you'll find that 5500 rpm in fifth gear is good for an easy 75 mph and the engine is just stan· ing to hit stride. Running it up into the heart of the powerband in that sort of situation will require care, a radar detector, or both. Vibration on the Seca is minimal and easily adapted to. In fact, the bike is quite acceptable as a cross-country touring mount. YPDI, the pans/accessories arm of Yamaha, realized that and had several touring items for the Secas at the '82 Yamaha dealer show. During our impression the shaft drive worked well. Previous Yamaha shaft-driven bikes had the tendency to take a severe nosedive any time the throttle was chopped, but nol so with the Seca. In fact, only the lack of an . oil puddle that usually gets produced in a chain lubing session kept us from thinking that the machine was indeed chain·driven. The double cradle frame proved to be strong and flex-free, with neither end of the bike doing anything out of line. Overall handling was good, with the machine responding well to rider input. Faster riders may encounter ground clearance problems unless they take to the hanging off style popular in modem road racing circles. An ac· quaintance of ours with a 750 Seca and an healthy desire to go fast bas ground away much of the original footpegs, as well as lightening the sidestand considerably. The front forks worked very well, with little abuse reaching the handlebars. The forks have an anti-dive feature, and when the front brake is applied a valve is hydraulically activated to restrict oil flow in the forks. Then a check valve is supposed to relax tbe; restricting pressure when a bump is encountered. In our experience, the anti-dive feature worked fine under moderate braking pressure, but any kind of a healthy two-fmgered grab at the dual discs and the resultant weight transfer dropped the front end just like any other motorcycle. All in all, though, we got alorig fine with the front end. The rear end, however, was a different story. The rear shocks need lighter . springs. Even with the preload on soft and damping set the same, the rear end was too stiff. That led to some pretty skittish behavior to the rear end through bumpy tums, and pockmarked asphalt made its impression on the rider's rear. That was a pity, because otherwise rider comfon was superb. The seat is soft, comfy and stands up well to the passing of many miles at a stretch. The. gas tank is properly sculpted at the seat junction for a narrow prome. Seating position was excellent" with the pegs slightly rearset and both the shift lever and brake pedal handy with· out constantly intruding. The handle· bar arrangement suited us just fine, but the grips were a little on the hard and thin side. The brakes (dual disc front, drum rear) we,re more than adequate. We had smooth, controllable braking throughout our test. Bridgestone supplies the tires. We didn't get a chance to run them in the rain, but they worked well for other situations and they tend to ignore rain grooves. To sum everything up, we liked the Seca. It's only moderately updated from 1981 (red or silver paint scheme, black engine trim), but it certainly holds its own in '82 - at least against normally aspirated machinery. Check it out. • ••a MFG. CO. EOUAL-FILL GAUGE SYSTEM Specifications Engine Type ......•.••...........•..••.............. 4-Stroke. DOHC. Four Displacement ...•...........................••............. 748cc Bore and Stroke. . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6S.0x56.4rnm Compression Retio 9.2:1 Mexlmum Torque 46.6 ft.Jbs. (6.3kg-ml @ 7.soo rpm Cerburetion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Four Hitachi HSC32 Ignhion : ..................•.. Trensistor~~htd Starting ............................•.............•..••.. Electric Wet Sump Lubricetion Oil Cepacity . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3.7 qt (3.511 Trensmission .••.....................•............... ','" 5-Spe~d Chuais Overell Length 83.'" (211Omml OvereltWidth•...................................... 33.9" (86Omml 44.1"11120mml Overell Height 56.9"I1446mml Wheelbase Ground Cleerence................•..............•.... 5.5"1140mml Height. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30.3" (770mml Dry Weight 480 lb. (218kgl Fuel Tank Capacity....•......................•....... 5.0 gel. (19.011 Suspension Front : .. : Air·Adjustable Telescopic Fork Reer ...................•................... Adjuateble Damping Brakes Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Dual Slotted Discs Rear•.................................................•.. Drum Ii'. is GIMt., of timiag. seat rITes Front...•.•..................••......................•. 3.25H-19 ·Reer..........•..••..•...•.......................... 120/90-186SH Suggested retail price ••..................................... $3299 MOTORCYCLES YAMAHA MAICO HUSQVARNA KTM ". We're lenown tor our ser_ice with a smile! 7563 INDIANA RIVERSIDE. CA. 92507 /7141-687-1300