VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P135
ergonomics with this one." The
seat felt firm, but even after 200-
mile days, the test crew reported
no discomfort. The liquid-cooling
helped keep the engine noise to
a minimum. Vibration? The staff-
ers found, even at speed, the
view in the mirrors was as clear
as a mountain morning.
In 2026, motorcycles are usu-
ally tested in accordance with the
manufacturer's intent. Panigales
aren't evaluated as touring bikes,
Gold Wings don't get taken to
the drag strip. But in 1982, most
magazine types wanted to make
like the Eagles and "take it to the
limit." Predictably, they gave the
Yamaha Vision a ride in the can-
yons, living life in the fast lane.
The Yamaha did not respond with
a peaceful, easy feeling.
"When the Vision is pushed
hard, it becomes very hard to
carve a smooth arc through a
turn," the CN staff said. "The
mono shock back-end kicks over
sharp bumps; this would not be
so bad except for the overly soft
forks. Neither end is air or damp-
ing adjustable, and this could be a
fatal flaw in the market Yamaha is
aiming for." The beatdown contin-
ued with the staff concluding that
"without adjustable suspension or
a way to change gearing, the bike
will not work as a racing tool."
Indeed, shaft drive at that time
did not allow for easy change in
gearing, and the neat little Vision,
which the staff admitted was
"fun to ride," was placed at the
back of the pack of the 550cc
class at that time. Kawasaki's
GPz 550 and Yamaha's own
inline-four 550 Seca were both
cheaper than the Vision and bet-
ter racers, too. The Yamaha Vi-
sion sat like the wallflower at the
high school dance, the manufac-
turer eventually enticing suitors
with price supports to get them
off of the dealers' floors. They
even fitted later models with a
touring fairing, a perhaps not-so-
subtle reminder to all that this
was a motorcycle for pleasure
cruising and not a race bike.
All for naught, as the Vision
vanished from the Yamaha lineup
after a very brief run. "We're all
stories in the end," said Doctor
Who. The Vision was a good
character, a mannerly motorcycle
surrounded by scofflaws. In a dif-
ferent book, in a different time, it
might've been a bestseller.
CN
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(Left) We heralded the Yamaha
XV 550 Vision's engine as "the
neatest motor ever to rest in the
tubes of a medium-size frame."
(Below) We said the Vision was
fun to ride, but it was placed at
the back of the pack in the 550cc
class at that time, a class that
included the mighty Kawasaki GPz
550 and Yamaha's own 550 Seca.
