Yamaha Motor Newsletter November 6, 2018 (Issue No
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Yamaha Motor Newsletter November 6, 2018 (Issue No. 67) The “Rev” in Yamaha’s Businesses Unmistakable Big Single Flavor: The SR400 A Thumper Loved by Fans for 40 Years The limited-production SR400 40th Anniversary Edition features an attractive, classically-inspired painted fuel tank with the same sunburst style seen on guitars. The tuning fork emblem adorning the tank was made of brass while the SR emblem on the side panels was crafted with electroforming. The SR400 4-stroke single-cylinder street bike first appeared in 1978. Its production was brought to a temporary halt in 2017 but the bike was re-released in the autumn of 2018, having been made compliant with current emissions standards and receiving greater polish to its high-quality ride and simple yet beautiful exterior. SR fans both in and outside Japan will be glad to see their faithful partner has returned to the lineup. As time passes, the speed and performance of motorcycles continues to rise and motorcycle design trends still come and go. So what is it about the SR400’s mostly unchanged styling and performance that has made it such a long-selling model? In this issue, we take a look at the SR’s 40-year history and examine some possible answers. Yamaha Motor Newsletter 1 The Unique Style of Yamaha: models. Yamaha released this wide Its Own Value and Monozukuri array of models one after another to for the Senses meet diversifying user needs, but focused on high quality and What is the value and charm of a performance only as a base; motorcycle? Ever since its founding, motorcycles still had to prioritize the Yamaha Motor has always been appeal to people’s senses to be searching for the answer and “complete,” and this was put forth as proposing some of its own. In Japan “a new era of Yamaha sport bikes” in during its post-war recovery, most 1978. motorcycles were designed to be easy The SR400 is another Yamaha to ride, practical and convenient, so product that was born from this Yamaha made a statement in 1955 by approach. It was developed based on focusing on pride of ownership instead the wildly popular XT500, a 4-stroke with the YA-1—nicknamed the “big single” (high-displacement, Akatombo (Red Dragonfly)—with its single-cylinder) off-road model beautiful exterior, high-quality released in markets like the United construction and agile ride. Following States, Europe and Japan slightly that was the YDS-1 in 1959, a earlier in 1976. The SR400 was a genuine sport bike that was equally road-going sport model with a capable in racing. Then, the DT-1 in pulsating, torquey ride as its primary 1968 had a slim, lightweight chassis appeal. derived from motocross racebikes, a long-stroke suspension and a torquey engine that gave it fantastic off-road performance. All of these were groundbreaking models and catalysts in kicking off new motorcycling trends in their respective eras. From the late 1960s and into the 1970s when Japan’s highway system was being built and put into operation, several of Yamaha’s competitors began developing large-displacement, multi-cylinder, high-powered “superbikes” with an eye on the United States, the world’s largest motorcycle market at the time. Yet Yamaha still put priority on producing lightweight, slim and easy-to-use machines, eventually adding the XS-1 (1970) and other 4-stroke in-line 2- cylinder sport bikes to the lineup. In the years that followed, The XT500 adorned this 1976 issue of the Yamaha Yamaha introduced the unique GX750 News newsletter aimed at Japanese motorcycle dealerships. At the time, the XT500 was the largest (XS750) 3-cylinder sport bike, the big single in Japan, and the dual-purpose machine powerful XS1100 4-cylinder tourer for provided exhilarating riding fun both on and off the overseas markets, the XS650 Special road. and XS750 Special hailed as the first full-fledged Japanese cruisers, as well as several 250cc and 400cc 4-stroke Continues on p. 3 Yamaha Motor Newsletter 2 Uniquely SR: Single, Slim and tougher frame to withstand the strong Simple torque of the engine, a teardrop fuel tank, flat seat, and a suspension Inspired by European scrambler setup that featured spoked wheels models of the time, the XT500 was and a front disc brake, all of which planned and developed to be a combined to give the SR its signature machine capable of powering through simple and slim silhouette. challenging terrain like North Furthermore, painstaking American deserts and wilderness. Its craftsmanship went into the SR’s SOHC single-cylinder engine was exterior appearance, like the engine engineered to be light and durable, crankcase’s buffed finish that and the bike became a highly popular accentuated the material qualities of choice for weekend recreation. It saw aluminum, while the exhaust pipe, plenty of racing action as well, taking fenders and instrument dial casings successive victories in the 1979 and were chromed. This made the SR 1980 Paris-Dakar Rally. strongly appeal to people who were The XT500’s engine was re- less interested in outright power and purposed for use on the road by speed, and more in the character of making it rev higher, and completely the ride and the sense of ownership, revamping the intake and exhaust or as a base for customization. systems. In addition to that, CDI Following that, the SR has seen ignition, a decompressor, a vacuum minor changes to fit the times, such petcock and other new parts were as suspension adjustments, new color added to make the machine easier to schemes or parts to help it clear handle and more enjoyable to ride. environmental and safety regulations. This updated machine became the This allowed its engine specs and SR500, while the smaller SR400 was styling to remain the same since its released in Japan to fit the country’s debut. As the SR matured over the tiered motorcycle licensing system. course of ten and then twenty years, “The chassis was designed to be there were times when sales were closer to the dirt track racers popular slow and it looked as if production of in America than a road-going sport the bike would cease. But the many bike,” says the leader of the SR voices of fans inside and outside development project at the time. Yamaha, as well as those involved in its production and sales, praised the SR, lauding its orthodox style and simple single-cylinder engine, noting that there has been no other motorcycle to last as long and attract fans the way it has with such a unique presence. They saw it as one of Yamaha’s most valuable assets. With the support of these fans, the SR managed to overcome every dilemma it faced. The original SR500 for the North American market However, in 2000, the effects of had a rear disc brake not seen in other regions, as emissions regulations did indeed bring well as the latest cast-aluminum wheels before most other models of the time, aligning it well for the a halt to the production of the SR500. demands of its intended market. And then in 2017, the SR400 met the Various parts of the chassis were same fate. But that was only a revised and reinforced, including a temporary measure, as the SR400 Yamaha Motor Newsletter 3 returned to its fans one year later as if such as chrome-plated steel fenders nothing had happened, restating the and mufflers, exhaust pipes with original and universal appeal of smooth and beautiful curves, or motorcycles to the market. masterfully sunburst-finished fuel tanks. Ongoing efforts like these are what have kept the SR authentic for so many years and will continue to do so going forward. Such endeavors are deemed unnecessary if costs and work efficiency are given priority and there are often numerous alternatives. However, Yamaha saw the value in going that far with the SR. That is why the decision was made to bring it SR500 and SR400 models from throughout the years back, and the SR400 will continue to were packed in at an SR owners event in Japan. write the next chapters of the SR’s decades-long story. The Future: Unchanging Form and Quality Introducing a new SR400 four decades after its debut did not mean introducing a similar model bearing the SR name or a totally different model altogether, but rather bringing back the same beloved SR form and performance with new technologies so that it can still be produced five or ten years from now. The SR400 was launched in markets like North Although this may seem trivial at America, Europe and Japan, but also Thailand, where first, it is actually anything but. For there is a following for British culture, and the model example, to clear emissions is steadily growing in popularity. Photo from 2015 Bangkok International Motor Show. regulations, the engine control unit had to be enlarged and a canister added to the fuel tank to reduce gasoline evaporation. It was a challenge to find locations for these parts and devise methods to install them without affecting the look of the bike. Another example was meeting the new regulations for headlight lenses. Using plastic constituted an easy and more cost-effective solution, but the team prioritized quality and insisted on clearing the regulation by crafting a headlight with glass. Manufacturing processes and techniques must be updated and professional craftsmen trained in order to continue producing items rarely seen on motorcycles nowadays, Yamaha Motor Newsletter 4 The SR400 – Inheriting the Yamaha Spirit This video (in Japanese only) features the engineers involved in the returning SR400’s planning, development and design.