![]() It became so synonymous with the model that it was nicknamed “The Vision Stumble”. No matter what tuning “wheezes” were applied, the XZ suffered from an off-idle flat spot that marred smooth acceleration and annoyed the daylights out of owners, mechanics and dealers. Despite its large size, the tank only held 17 litres due to constraints of the air cleaner.Īnd it was the carburetion that was to prove to be the Achilles heel of the model. Having the airbox on top of the engine feeding cold air to the carbs necessitated some changes in fuel tank design with a what then seemed huge hump of a tank to make the necessary room. This arrangement is de rigueur these days but was quite revolutionary then. The XZ was the first Japanese machine to break away from the traditional “sidedraft” carburetion system, featuring instead, two downdraft carburettors feeding its DOHC 4 valves per cylinder head. The bike DID represent Yamaha’s vision for the future and it is pure speculation of course, but one wonders just where Yamaha would have gone from there had the model been a raging success. ![]() Known as the XZ model in most markets, the marketing gurus continued with their obsession of naming their bikes with silly names for the USA market where it was badged as the “Vision.” On reflection, it wasn’t such as bad idea. While other manufacturers retained vestigial fins so as not to frighten the traditionalists too much, Yamaha did away with them altogether which means the 1982 engine still appears surprisingly modern. It also was one of the first Japanese bikes to feature liquid cooling (The CX500 had scooped it here too) which meant it was less prone to long-term overheating, had more long-lasting engine components and was much quieter in operation. It revved to over 10,000RPM but had a surprising and impressive spread of torque as well. And it was quite quick for its meagre capacity. The engine was very oversquare (bore much bigger than the stroke) which hinted at performance aspirations. The V-Twin engine was mounted longitudinally, Ducati-style (Honda’s CX500 had the cylinders mounted transversely, Guzzi-style – we must be different). In an attempt to plug every market gap and whizz-bang the other manufacturers with new and exciting technology, Yamaha introduced the XZ in 1982.
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