Just when you thought you had seen it all....

[Paul in NZ]

Decades (where did the time go) fecking about with old bikes and reading everything I could get my hands on you kind of start to think you have maybe seen it all... After all I remember riding down to the dealers and looking at new Triumphs and Nortons, seeing the first 750/4s (WTF is THAT) and Rotary Suzukis... How this gem didn't come to my attention amazes me... I mean Ok wrong bike for the time but a way better idea than Suzukis Rotary...

http://www.classicyams.com/special-yamaha-bikes/special-yamaha-bikes/yamaha-gl750.html

Yamaha GL750.... Kinda like everything except the crazy mufflers and the white seat...

[Crasherfromwayback]

Decades (where did the time go) fecking about with old bikes and reading everything I could get my hands on you kind of start to think you have maybe seen it all... After all I remember riding down to the dealers and looking at new Triumphs and Nortons, seeing the first 750/4s (WTF is THAT) and Rotary Suzukis... How this gem didn't come to my attention amazes me... I mean Ok wrong bike for the time but a way better idea than Suzukis Rotary...

http://www.classicyams.com/special-yamaha-bikes/special-yamaha-bikes/yamaha-gl750.html

Yamaha GL750.... Kinda like everything except the crazy mufflers and the white seat...

Yep. When I first read about them...my only thought was "why the fuck didn't you build it!!??"

[FJRider]

Yamaha did have a few "Could have been" models ...


http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-japanese-motorcycles/yamaha-tx750

[Grumph]

Lot of people still think that the GL would only have gone ahead if the FIM had insisted on a street version to legalise the TZ700 for the F750 World Champs...

Can't open the last link but if it's the TX750, that was a steaming turd....

[pete376403]

Lot of people still think that the GL would only have gone ahead if the FIM had insisted on a street version to legalise the TZ700 for the F750 World Champs...

Can't open the last link but if it's the TX750, that was a steaming turd....

Street version for Bangla Desh or some other place where safety laws didn't count for much, maybe.

Surely some clever person has built one out of a couple of 350 twins, that's pretty much what Yamaha did. When you see what Ian Milyard has done with Kawasaki triples (fives, sixes)

[Voltaire]

Latest Classic Bike mag has article on the Yamaha Rotary. They canned it when Suzuki beat them to it and maybe costs of licence.

330207

[Grumph]

Street version for Bangla Desh or some other place where safety laws didn't count for much, maybe.

Surely some clever person has built one out of a couple of 350 twins, that's pretty much what Yamaha did. When you see what Ian Milyard has done with Kawasaki triples (fives, sixes)

It's not hard, I had one built to the top of the cases for a speedway TQ. Cases cut and welded, crank pressed up. Going to get the required 675cc by using a mix of 250 and 350 barrels. Price of pistons at the time stopped me.
Guy who's got it now says he's making up a display stand and looking for barrels to mock it up for display at Vintage Speedway events.

Remember that the street version would have been up against both the 750 triples from Suzuki and Kawasaki. No emissions laws then...

[Crasherfromwayback]

Kawasaki. .

Speaking of which. When was the last time you saw one of these come up for sale??? Fuck me.

330208

[Motu]

Then there was the Buckley/Haldane Yamaha V8 midget engine....

[Grumph]

Then there was the Buckley/Haldane Yamaha V8 midget engine....

That could be revived for exhibition runs now. There are two types of TZ700/750 barrels available aftermarket at present.
I'd heard that the barrels off it went back onto bikes....

[malcy25]

That could be revived for exhibition runs now. There are two types of TZ700/750 barrels available aftermarket at present.
I'd heard that the barrels off it went back onto bikes....

It's still around and while I'm not sure what is inside it, the cases and top ends, airbox etc are all there. I think I saw it in Bob's garage last time I was there and I have photos of it when it was in the shop.

What's the other 750 barrels available? There's the Euro made 6 port works copy ones, but I suspect they can be found through different sources. I've heard 162 bhp quoted for Phil Andrea's bike in Aussie that Mal Campbell and Marty Craggill have ridden. Is a pretty slick set up they have when you look closely.

I have 3 NOS TZ750D Yamaha chrome 4 port cylinders at home.....My 4 port set up with 36mm lectrons, good pipes and ignition makes 130 at the contact patch, which is about 120 more than I need....