What do you know about the Yamaha 500TX?

[TonyB]

What do you know about the Yamaha 500TX? A mate at work was given one. I know its a 500cc parallel twin road bike. I know it was Yamaha's first 4 valve DOHC twin, but other than that I've never heard of one. Were they any good? Is it rare?

[T.W.R]

Smaller version of a TX750 :yes:

Brittle top-ends made them slightly unreliable, but thy're collectable for their oddity/curiosity value.

[James Deuce]

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/epic_mcy/1973_tx-500_small.aspx

<img src=http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/epic_mcy/500/73_tx500_600.jpg>

http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/yamaha_tx_500_1973.php

[TonyB]

Cheers. So is the engine related to the XS650?

[Crisis management]

Its definately rare if it still goes!

My recollection of those was of being given the "the bike most likely to get towed home" award. I think, at the time, utter and complete crap was a description used widely as they were mechanically unreliable but handled better than the the bloody XS650.

However, if its got 2 wheels and an engine what have you got to lose? Have a ball and learn lots!

[speedpro]

I had a mate with one. He thrashed it unmercifully and never had a single problem with it, not even an oil leak.

[Kickaha]

Cheers. So is the engine related to the XS650?

Not really, 650 is a single cam 2 valve and the 500 is a twin cam 4 valve

[FROSTY]

if memory serves me right---they had issues with the points setup

[What?]

if memory serves me right---they had issues with the points setup

Yep. And the balance shaft drive chain (eccentric cam tension adjuster was almost perfectly round). Early models has 2-piece heads, which had a reputation for developing more pieces. The later models (which were XS's, not TX's) were OK in this respect.
I once owned a later model XS500 - apart from the timing going out of whack within minutes of being set, and the aforementioned balancer chain issue, it went well. It was also extremely comfortable for long rides. Fucked if I'd want another one, though.

[What?]

Oh yeah - and the brakes were hopeless; even by the standards of the day.

[F5 Dave]

Yeah I test road one many a year ago. I was after a TT500 & thought it might have been a misprint but decided to look at it anyway (I was 18). Worst handling bike I have ridden. Felt like the hinge in the frame was worn out, & the bars only loosely connected to the clamps. And this was at suburban what suburb is this? speeds. Needless to say I didn't buy it.

Not that the TT500 turned out much better as a roadbike. Nah - I'll forgive it for the wheelies, intentional or otherwise.

[Paul in NZ]

I remember seeing adds for the 750 engines (new) in chopper mags years afterwards. I guess Yamaha made a shit load of engines and when the bikes bombed tried to shift them.

They had a shocking reputation when new - the 500 slightly less so but some people managed to get them to run OK. Electronic ignition would surely help.

Decent shocks / tyres would be good as well.

At the time I always wondered how yamaha could get away with producing crap like that with their reputation intact while Triumph's were miles better bikes (than these things)... I suppose the breadth of Yamaha's range and the quality of the rest of it helped....

[F5 Dave]

Yeah well I'd owned (briefly) a RD350B that was a great bike & circa 73, so what went wrong?

[Paul in NZ]

Yeah well I'd owned (briefly) a RD350B that was a great bike & circa 73, so what went wrong?

Too much new technology in one package i guess?

[Motig]

They were a good looking bike in their day and still look good now. It was a toss up between the Yam TX650,TX500 or Honda CB500 for me back in 73, the 650 won at the brand new price of $1735. Wish I had all 3 in the garage now!

[Spyked]

I had one when I was 16 (long time ago) and kept it for 3 years. Despite some of the comments here they were not a bad bike for their day.
Yes the ignition timing needed setting on a regular basis, but it could be done in about 5 minutes. The balancer shaft chains were always noisy but never caused a problem and the handling issues came down to needing a decent set of rear shocks, something that was true of pretty much every jap bike of that era and a set of phosphor bronze swing arm bushes instead of the undersized and soft synthetic factory items.

The 2 piece cylinder heads were prone to warping and needed careful assembley and set up with a decent torque wrench. Mine and quite a few others that I knew of were fitted with the later XS500 head. Worthwhile improvement.
I rode mine every day, rain or shine and it never let me down. While I had heaps of fun with the old TX, compared to any modern bike it would have its limitations.
Don't think I would ever call the TX a classic even if they are rare now.
The H1 Kwaka that I had afterwards handled much worse, drank gas like crazy and needed repairs far more often, but because they were mental gained a cult status that the TX500 would never equal.
Given the chance I would love to have a ride on a TX500, but would own another H1.

[moko]

I had one of the later "coffin tank" XS500s.While everything was spot on it was a lovely bike,smooth and very quick for a 500 of it's day.BUT the slightest little thing would turn it into a mis-firing bloody horrible heap and I spent as many weekends tracking down minor faults as I did enjoying it.I bought it at 18 months old from a Yamaha dealer,it blew a gasket literally down the road from me picking it up,I hated the thing,apart from a pig of an XS250 I had it was the most tempramental bike I've ever owned.When went to sell it the head gasket blew again on the way to deliver it,guy still had it though after a bit of haggling,if he'd seen the amount of oil on the waterproofs I'd binned on the way I doubt he'd have wanted it at all,just as well really as I'd never have got it home under its own power.When it went well it was lovely,sadly that was never for bery long,I had it for a few months and it felt like a lifetime.I later had an XS650,totally different and one of my all-time favourite bikes.
The early XS500 (we didn't get the TX here,our first XS was a TX with twin discs)was and is a stunning looking machine,that motor looked heaps more impressive than the 650 mill and it looked great in the same Black and Gold paint as the 650,like my ex-wife though,looked good,decent ride now and again but never worth the hassle in between.

[Spyked]

I like the analogy with the ex-wife.:yes:

I felt much the same about a 450 Desmo that I had on loan from my mate while he was working in Oz for a couple of months. I had planned on buying it off him until the bloody thing crapped out every time it rained, whenever I was late or it just wanted to piss me off.

[mitchilin]

I had a ride on one of my mates TX 750.Damn thing tried to kill me.Big sideways in second in the wet then shortly after siezed up.Big ends let go in a big way.Had a three kay push to get the thing back.Back in the mid to late eighties you could pick them up for f.a. but even back then it was ridiculously hard to get parts for.I did hear you could use peugeot plain bearings for the 750.I knew of four 750s that were left to rot cause that's all they were good for.The TX 500 only had a marginally better reputation.

[Paul in NZ]

The 'Classic Bike' magazine now in the shops has a paragraph or 2 about them in the XS650 article

[toycollector10]

I would own it, especially if it was stock. F5 Dave that just sounds like worn swing arm bushes, nothing serious. Aparently the 750 that came after the 500was very unreliable etc as posted earlier....The 500 was never memorable, really, was it? Especially with all the other interesting Jap stuff around at the time.......