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/1543676
this, saying that the Yamaha is no more a copy of a British bike "…than Sophia Loren is a copy of Elizabeth Taylor. Dimension- ally, they might be similar, but in terms of personality, they're miles apart." For its time, this 650cc motorcycle was near the high end of the cubic-centimeter range and was considered a "medium-range tourer." It could push its speedometer needle past the 100-mph mark, while a new single disc brake for '72 helped slow down its 450-pound weight. Cycle News' crew liked to give their test bikes a good workout, often putting several thousand miles on the clock before pen - ning one word. That wasn't going to be possible with this test, with Yamaha giving Schneiders just one full day with the new 650. It was a cold day, with tempera - tures in the high 40s. That's tee shirt weather for folks in Fargo, but the Yamaha acted just like a whiny Californian and was a slow starter in the chilly morning. Schneiders found "it best to turn the engine about 10 times with the starter motor and then kick it once or twice." An odd ritual, but one that apparently worked, as he was soon on his way up the Angeles Crest Highway. What a difference a year makes! "The bike runs beautiful - ly," he wrote. "Altitude doesn't af- fect it in any discernible fashion." The one big, beautiful disc brake worked well. "There's virtually no fade, and, more importantly, there's no tendency to twist and dive right. This was one of the big problems with the first bike I tested, and it's apparently been well cured." Schneiders' aggres - sive brake testing ended when he came across "a few patches of ice and sand." This was 1972, of course, so ABS was not avail - able, even as an option, for the Yamaha 650 or any other motor- cycle, for that matter. No traction control, either. Schneiders wrote that "the small- est jerk or surge of power will break the delicate bond between the rear wheel and the iced pavement." But the Yamaha held steady, and its "fine carburetion" was credited with helping to con - trol rebellious wheelspin. Schneiders took the Yamaha into the mountains on a "curvy road leading toward the desert." That such a variety of geography can be found in one state, let alone on one day's adventure, doesn't seem fair. It sounds more like some kind of Disney - land ride. Whatever, Schneiders played road racer on the 650, pushing it to the point where both the centerstand and foot- pegs were sparking up the road, forcing him to back off. Grinding metal and flexing frames were commonly mentioned in 1970s road tests, and the Yamaha 650 offered a little of each. With just one day in the sad - dle, this tester was determined to run the Yamaha through the gauntlet. Dirt roads, stream crossings, roads with rocks and slabs of broken concrete. Even a trip to Bakersfield, home of coun - try music star Buck Owens. The Yamaha 650 had a good, long run, both on the street and on the track, where modified versions powered Kenny Rob- erts, Gene Romero, Don Castro and others to numerous Mile, Half Mile and TT race wins in the 1970s. Schneiders was glad he gave the revised 650 another shot. "It was hard to believe it was the same bike I tested a year ago," he said. "Somebody's been working pretty hard." CN Motorcycle historians often label the XS 650 as a British parallel- twin made in Japan. VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P145 Subscribe to more than 60 years of Cycle News Archives issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives