Whats wrong with this bike ??

[Tony T]

Well bugger me! 

I remember seeing that model, but never noticed the weird forks.
Sounds like they were a complete dogs breakfast, just the sort of thing I'd like. 

[Tim754]

Yep Tony the Yamaha research and design crew had been smoking the saki and poisonous fish guts through a water pipe that day...

Then again I was and maybe still will re-engineer a small Sprintex blower on to the little V-twin.... it's the Weber makes easier to construct the manifolds    shame about the shaft drive...

[luigi37]

we seem to have got another countries orders of XZ400 versions  cheap ( probably did not want a slug version of a lemon in their market repeated !

after about 2 years these things all started  developing STARTING problems ..... so head gasket x 2( were about the prime ministers salary ), and a valve job later , job later you had a bill for what you paid for the bike, and it was still a boat anchor.
don't think anyone collecting these....oh and one person in nz tried to race a 550 , on alcohol I think.. a slug on speed....

[Tony T]

on alcohol I think.. a slug on speed....

Him or the bike??   

[luigi37]

hope it was him, cause if he was serious , the bill for therapy would dwarf the valve job.....

[Mick D]

we seem to have got another countries orders of XZ400 versions  cheap ( probably did not want a slug version of a lemon in their market repeated !

after about 2 years these things all started  developing STARTING problems ..... so head gasket x 2( were about the prime ministers salary ), and a valve job later , job later you had a bill for what you paid for the bike, and it was still a boat anchor.
don't think anyone collecting these....oh and one person in nz tried to race a 550 , on alcohol I think.. a slug on speed....

Well There ya go, I had one of these engines for a while. I found it left in a property I purchased many eons ago.
It was in pieces. The bores looked as though it had done bugger all. Eventually, I gave it to Dyno. Still to this day I have wondered why anyone would have pulled it apart, with such low K's. Now I finally know why, thanks.