Yamaha XS400, the Japanese we passionately desire

In a country hungry for desirable Japanese bikes, the arrival of the Yamaha XS400 unleashed a frenzy to enjoy the long-awaited Japanese lust, our first real Japanese.

I still remember the characteristic sound of the engines turning at full throttle of some thirty motorcycles lining up the straight of the stadium in the old Barcelona circuit of Montjuic, in the first race of 1983 of the Yamaha XS 400 Cup, a motorcycle that meant the revolution for the bikers of the time.

At the beginning of the eighties I was a young teenager who was beginning to do his first steps with mopeds and everything I could get my hands on with two wheels. The economy was not enough to buy a motorcycle, even a new moped, so I always had to go with fourteenth-hand gear, but blessed moped! At least he was on a motorcycle.

The idea was to buy a real motorcycle when I was 18 years old, and get my A2 license -at that time this was the large motorcycle license of any displacement and power, the equivalent of the current A-.

When I had just turned 18, if I wanted a fat motorcycle, in our market there were only motorcycles from our brands, such as the Montesa Enduro 250 and 360 H6, or the tremendous Bultaco Frontera 360, the OSSA Copa, the Montesa Crono 350…

The Yamaha XS400 was the first Japanese bomb that reached our market, the first great motorcycle

I wanted one with a two-cylinder four-stroke engine, no monkeys, so the only thing available was the Sanglas Yamaha 400 Y -which cost 384,000 pesetas, two thousand three hundred euros to change. The parallel import Kawasaki KZ 400 was also available -a rare history of requisitioned motorcycles-, since at that time Japanese were not sold in our country, but I wanted something younger and less classic.

So the Sanglas Yamaha was my choice, and if possible, with the “Puig kit”, a fiberglass tank-seat kit made by Puig that completely transformed the bike. The choice was made, but after a few weeks the Yamaha XS400 appeared, and everything was ruined! Love at first sight…

It was the first real Japanese motorcycle that officially arrived in our country -through SEMSA Yamaha-, and it was wonderful: Japanese finishes, fine and powerful engine, butter clutch, sweet and soft throttle, super attractive aesthetics… That it was something else, cinnamon stick. And she quickly became the object of desire for all eighteen-year-olds.

The Yamaha XS400 was the object of desire for almost every teenage biker

There was only one big but: it cost a lot, 501,450 pesetas 40 years ago, 3,000 euros at the current exchange rate, it was very expensive, mainly because of import tariffs. But it didn’t matter… To give you an idea, this XS in Europe cost about 300,000 pesetas…

At that time, the XS 400 was the best in our country, and buying one meant becoming the “king of the mambo”. Its engine was the most powerful, it weighed very little and its shapes and finishes were unique. This model was the fortunate sequel to the old two-cylinder XS 400 from the late seventies, a good-natured utility motorcycle, ugly, heavy, and that never made it to our country.

In 1983 its price was prohibitive, but this was not a problem for all the units to be sold.

As I have told you, only its engine arrived, on board the Sanglas 400 Y. This model in the United States was known by the surname Seca 400, a name that all the naked Yamaha XS of this generation received. In Japan it was also sold in the 250 cc displacement, the XS 250, which was exactly the same motorcycle and equipped with the same twin-cylinder engine but with a reduced displacement.

Technically it was an innovative motorcycle, with a chassis with a central spine, a mix of embedded sheet metal -in the steering head- and multi-tubular steel, in the rear part, with the engine hanging from the chassis. This allowed the XS to be very light, both physically and aesthetically. The twin-cylinder engine -4T, air, 4V, DOHC, 399 cc, 69 x 53.4 mm, 45 CV- hung from the chassis by the cylinder head and was also anchored at the rear, in the swingarm area -it was part of the resistant-.

The cylinders, in the shape of an inverted pyramid, were aesthetically more modern, a sensation reinforced by being painted in satin black, instead of being aluminum, another modern detail. And with it we began to learn about the famous Japanese technical acronyms: in this case the two expansion chambers of the engine heads were fitted with the YICS (Yamaha Induction Control System) system -it could be read on the flanks of the engine- which reduced fuel consumption. gasoline. The absence of a double cradle chassis and with the addition of a very narrow engine caused it to have the appearance of a 125 cc from the front…

With it the Yamaha XS400 Cup was organized, the new Criterium Solo Moto AGV

But its wide chrome tube handlebars, and its large rectangular headlight, marked territory and warned that it was a “fat” motorcycle. The pair of beautiful alloy wheels, the same ones used on the Yamaha XJ650 Turbo, added the final touch of sophistication.

At that time, when we ate everything that came from Japan without buts, we did not realize that its fork was very flimsy, the tires were very narrow -18″ and in sizes 3.00 and 4.10, it was riding Dunlop Gold I pointed out that when they wore out they were replaced by Pirelli Mandrakes, very hard, and the braking was very poor and not very powerful, with a small front disc and a rear drum.

The two decorations available were in blue and metallic garnet; the last version was white

For the rest, it was comfortable, the seat was a sofa, the clutch was butter and the ergonomics were not bad at all, although the fork was soft and the rear shock very hard, due to an oversized spring. But she didn’t care! At Solo Moto we tested it in March 1983 and we verified that its consumption was 4.6 liters per 100, at that time very good, we liked its comfort, although the engine suffered from low.

We classified it as sporty, and we were not wrong since to promote the model a promotional cup was even organized, the Yamaha XS 400 Cup, the new Criterium Solo Moto AGV!, which was sponsored at that time by Carlos Cardús and Sito Pons . After the Montesa Crono and Bultaco Streaker cups in the seventies, came the first cup with Japanese motorcycles… The bomb!

Thanks to some friends I was able to enjoy it: it was light, fast, very comfortable and with a touch of butter

The XS 400 of the cup was equipped with a generous peaked windscreen, a large keel and a pair of number plates on the rear sides, all manufactured by the national company Puig. That was a success. People came out of this cup who later began to compete in the Spanish F2 championship with the OSSA Copa, the Crono 350 and the Yamaha XJ600.

Obviously this Yamaha was a super reliable motorcycle, so much so that it equipped the National Police, replacing the veteran Sanglas Yamaha 400 Y -both had a hideous full fairing painted in light metallic brown, it must be said.

It was the successor to the Sanglas Yamaha 400Y, which was a Sanglas with a two-cylinder Japanese engine.

The first units that reached our market were sold in two colors, metallic garnet and metallic blue. It was marketed until 1988, at which time the latest version arrived in white with blue and red stripes on the tank – abroad it was mechanically updated with a double front brake disc, finally!

I nurtured the dream of buying one, but it never came, unfortunately. So I eagerly devoured everything related to this bike: tests, publicity, races, whatever. Curiously, a colleague in the courier and a friend of mine bought a pair of these XS 400, so I was able to “enjoy” them at times, since from time to time I borrowed them… What times those!

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