Yamaha XT 500 – Bucking the trend with a single cylinder

In the mid-1970s, the race for more power, speed and sophistication was still in full swing in the motorcycling world. Six-cylinder engines were just around the corner, as was the breaking of the 100 hp barrier. But one motorcycle was set to turn the trend on its head… The Yamaha XT 500 took a ‘back to nature’ approach and won the hearts of fans.

In 1974, you didn’t need a telescope to see that the party would come to an end at some point: the Yom Kippur War and the subsequent oil embargo by oil-producing countries in the Middle East held up a mirror to the Western world. For the first time, the West’s growth, which was accompanied by massive consumption of resources, energy and raw materials, was called into question. Price increases, shortages and driving bans were the result.

Added to this was an awakening environmental awareness in Western Europe and the USA. The successful Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, whose bikes were becoming increasingly powerful, had to consider where they wanted to be in a few years’ time. All except Honda had done good business with fast two-stroke engines, but new concepts were needed.

Through American landscapes on the Yamaha XT 500

Between 1969 and 1974, Yamaha sold 270,000 DT-1 and DT 250 models to the Yankees. These were simple single-cylinder two-stroke engines that excelled in everyday use and offered reasonable on- and off-road performance. Honda had followed suit with its four-stroke XL 250 models, giving Yamaha’s engineers pause for thought.

Americans loved enduro bikes. They bought Maico, Husqvarna and Bultaco bikes for off-road competitions, but it was the sons of Nippon who made the deal with Mr Average. At that time, in keeping with the spirit of Woodstock and the hippie movement, American consumer behaviour was characterised by a ‘back to nature’ attitude. Hundreds of thousands of camping kits, canoes, motorboats and fishing sets piled up in the suburbs. And people bought enduros along with the dream of freedom and adventure, which in the vastness of the USA did not end at the barrier sign on the next dirt road.

With these considerations in mind, Yamaha decided in 1974 to break out of the two-stroke enduro segment and finally outdo Honda, which had reached the end of the line with 350 cc. BSA and Ducati had just buried four-stroke enduros with half a litre of displacement. These poorly manufactured relics of the 1960s no longer attracted young men away from their flokati rugs.

Partly conventional, partly innovative

Under the code name 043A, Yamaha engineers Okano and Oshiro created a conventional chassis with the usual enduro components: telescopic fork, 21/18 wheels with semi-hub brakes, welded steel tube frame and a stereo swing arm with two shock absorbers. The engine, on the other hand, was state-of-the-art: short-stroke, with two valves operated by the crankshaft via a timing chain and an overhead camshaft. The five gears, primary gear drive and wet clutch were state-of-the-art. Thanks to the flywheel magneto ignition, dry sump lubrication and economically dosed flywheel mass, the engine was light and compact.

Opinions on the engine were always divided. Nostalgics always found it too fidgety and lacking in low-end torque. Progressives criticised its modest output of 33 hp, the massive vibrations and the lack of an electric starter. It seemed bizarre that Yamaha chose the glamour paradise of Las Vegas to present its purist new design, the XT 500, in the autumn of 1975, but there was enough desert around it for the journalists who had travelled there to put the new development through its paces. Moto Verte, the French off-road motorcycle magazine, rejoiced: ‘La Bombe Du Salon a Las Vegas’ and called the new model the ‘Super XL’. A nod to Honda’s ‘awakening model’ XL 250/350.

Enthusiasm from Las Vegas to Cologne

Here in Germany, it took a year before the scene woke up. It was only a year later that German journalists got excited and tried out the motorbike away from the Cologne International Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition (IFMA). Editors spoke and wrote enthusiastically about the ‘steam hammer’ and in the ‘Motorcycle of the Year 1976’ award, ‘the XT’, as it soon came to be known, became the favourite in the insurance-friendly 27 hp class, which was otherwise dominated by 250 and 400 cc bikes.

But before Yamaha dealers could deliver the new motorcycle to enthusiastic customers, the German registration authorities put a stop to it and demanded extensive changes compared to the versions homologated in France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. The headlight insert, rear indicators, rear light, reflector, spark plug connector, indicator relay, number plate holder, steering lock, side stand, passenger footrests and rear mudguard all had to be modified. The seat had to be fitted with a strap, and final approval was almost denied due to the inspectors’ mistrust. They argued that customers could fit off-road tyres and drive at speeds that the Yamaha XT 500, reduced to 27 hp here, could not handle at 133 km/h.

For the first time in history, a specific type of tyre was therefore listed as mandatory in the vehicle documents. This marked the beginning of the impractical tyre restriction, which was only practised in the Federal Republic of Germany and will only come to an end with EU-wide approval.

Another absurdity is the modification of the exhaust pipe outlet. Since the Federal Republic of Germany issued the world’s largest motorcycle number plates at that time, the exhaust stream from the standard silencer would hit the back of the ‘cake tray’. However, it was not permitted to divert the exhaust stream downwards or to the right towards the pavement. A Yamaha engineer found a loophole in the law, which stated that a deflection of up to 45 degrees did not count as a deflection. And so the Yamaha engineers were able to weld this bizarre compromise onto the silencer. From then on, the XT 500 was one of the absolute top sellers in the German Yamaha range for more than five years, with more than 2,000 units sold per annum. It wasn’t until 1982 that things quietened down. And so the Yamaha XT 500 soon became a familiar sight on the streets of university towns, at motorcycle meet-ups and at ferry ports.

into the wild on the Yamaha XT 500

In fact, only a few buyers used the motorcycle to ride in German off-road enclaves or illegally in fields and meadows. Instead, despite its pitiful equipment with weak brakes, meagre 6-volt electrics and a narrow ‘cola can’ as a fuel tank (8.8 litres!), the slim motorcycle became the favourite vehicle of all those plagued by wanderlust.

Trips to Africa, Asia or even the North Cape testified to the robustness and frugality of this single-track tractor. After only a short time, a lively accessories industry developed to make the top seller more suitable for touring and more durable. From improved oil lines on the cylinder head to luggage racks, aluminium cases, large tanks and small items such as folding gear levers, centre stands, oil thermometers, coolers and even a 12-volt lighting system, there was plenty of stuff to buy that highlighted the imperfections of the Yamaha XT 500.

Nevertheless, the only moderately well-built XT exuded a sense of freedom and adventure like no other motorcycle and positioned itself as the two-wheeled counterpart to the Land Rover Defender, which required its tamer to have a strong constitution, but in return brought caring drivers and their loved ones safely to absurd destinations and back.

For many years, this image was part of the appeal of the ‘men’s motorbike’. Its aura was greatly enhanced by the absence of an electric starter. Proper use of the throttle, fuel tap, choke, warm start button and valve lifter had to be learned, but once mastered, it ensured a rugged image for the rider. Sometimes adventurous women also felt challenged by the 500 to charmingly negate the masculine image of the XT. After all, its manoeuvrable handling and weight did not pose any great challenges. Both on and off the road, the XT 500 never rode brilliantly, but it never rode badly either. With a dry weight of 146 kilograms, it showed today’s adventure bikes how little it takes to put a robust motorcycle on its wheels. The success of the XT 500 was initially also due to the lack of alternatives.

In off-road racing or even motocross, the XT 500 C, TT 500 and HL 500 didn’t make much of an impression either. But their robust frugality and reliability were enough to secure Frenchman Cyrill Neveu victory in the first two Paris-Dakar rallies in 1979 and 1980. In 1981, however, Hubert Auriol on a BMW blew the “mono crew” out of the water. This showed where the journey was headed; the XT would not be able to enjoy its singular existence forever. The journey continues beyond the horizon The competitors initially lagged behind. Honda came out with the XL 500 S in 1979, while Suzuki took until 1981 to produce the DR 500.

At the same time, BMW launched the R 80 G/S enduro, which soon replaced the Yamaha XT 500 as the favourite among long-distance travellers. The Yamaha XT 550 was more agile and better suited to off-road riding than the 500. From 1982 onwards, it began to challenge the original model, as did the Yamaha XT 600 from 1984 onwards. Sales of the 500 promptly declined from 1983 onwards. Nevertheless, the XT – always with subtle model updates – remained on sale until 1991. Ultimately, almost every fourth XT 500 worldwide was delivered to the Federal Republic of Germany and almost every fifth XT 400/500 to France.

The Yamaha XT 500 was on the market for 15 years, even though many experts had initially predicted that it would be a niche product at best. Instead, it carved out its own market as the first enduro bike that could reach destinations beyond the horizon, and it continues to resonate today as a harbinger of the travel enduro wave.

Text Andy Schwietzer Photos Andy Schwietzer, Cool Classic Club

Author: PS.SPEICHER

PS.SPEICHER is Europe's largest classic car museum. 2,500 historic vehicles at five locations in Einbeck are waiting to be discovered. From the interactive and playfully staged journey through time through mobility to special exhibitions for motorbikes, cars and commercial vehicles. View all posts by PS.SPEICHER →