another newbie

[menard01]

Hi there! My brother gave me his 1982 XS400. Not new to bikes, I also have a 2006 GSXR 600. Looking forward to learn more about the XS400's.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Welcome to the Forum.
A 1982 model year would mean a DOHC bike. Is it the Seca or Maxim version?

 

[Specdog]

Welcome to the Forum.
A 1982 model year would mean a DOHC bike. /QUOTE]

No, they still made the SOHC in '82

 

[Lou Ranger]

I had forgotten about that. I thought the sohc and dohc only overlapped for 1 year.
Maybe they did and the dohc didn't come out until 1982 model year (though I know they were manufactured in '81)

Is that the Special model they did with the 16" rear and the wider tire - or did that come out earlier?

 

[Specdog]

1982 was the overlap year. I don't understand why Yamaha did that when they had an all new line of 400's. To avoid problems when I order parts for my 82 SOHC I say it is an 1981 so I don't end up with DOHC parts by mistake. 1982 was the last of the SOHC Heritage Specials. Yep 16 inch rear. It was almost identical to the '81 Special, but received the black treatment where the 81 had chrome.

 

[Lou Ranger]

... I don't understand why Yamaha did that when they had an all new line of 400's...

A couple of years ago, I came up with a theory as to why Yamaha named the 400 Maxim and Seca "xs" - exactly the same as the classic sohc.

I think it began as an internal April Fools' Joke played by the Engineering Dept. on the Marketing Department. But Marketing Depts being populated as they are, the joke "accidentally" got out to the motorcycling press before Marketing got the joke.

Yamaha was too embarrassed to admit that their Marketing types didn't know the difference between proper nomenclature and a joke, so, it did the typical Corporate damage-control thing - it took "ownership" of the idea.
And, to this day, no one at Yamaha will admit to it, since no one wants to be the one to have to commit harakiri.

Of course, it is merely a theory ...