2015 YAMAHA SR400
FIRST RIDE
P40
SR400 is basically the same bike that was sold in
the U.S. back in the day, but with fuel injection and
a modern exhaust system.
The vintage motorcycle scene is huge right now
and the SR400 couldn't have come out at a better
time. The bike's simplicity in design offers up one
of the best platforms for both custom builders and
the average guy wrenching in his garage. A wide
variety of builds can be easily accomplished. Café
racers are big with the Hipster crowd, while the
whole Tracker-style build takes this bike back to
its roots. And then there is the always-popular Brat
style that gives the bike a somewhat hot-rod look.
FIRST HAND
I was fortunate to attend Yamaha's press introduc-
tion of the SR400, and eyeing the new SR400 up
close and personal for the first time was a some-
what different experience for me. Usually, when
laying eyes on a new or revamped model with usu-
ally new trick parts and different styling, it often
times takes me a minute or two to soak it all in and
get used to the new design - sometimes I like it,
sometimes I don't. But with the SR it was as if I
was seeing an old friend again, or having found
that old bike that I've been looking for stashed in a
forgotten warehouse, and I immediately fell in love
with it.
Sticking with its old-school roots, Yamaha re-
mained loyal to the SR's kick starting system in-
stead of switching over to an electric start, but,
in my opinion, I'm glad they did; after all, this is
an old-school bike right? And it should have old-
school starting. Kicking over the little 399cc
thumper, however, is fairly easy, just as long as
you follow a certain procedure. The main concern
is that the piston is positioned top-dead center be-
fore you give it a full kick. Here's the procedure:
Look familiar? It
should. The SR400
returns very much
like it did when
it left in the early
1980s.
