Yamaha XS 500

Yamaha XS 500 SPECIFICATIONS, PRICE & IMAGES

Dirt Donk Expedition were three outside experts: Bob Johnston, who had been with
us on the Donk trip and the “Eight for the Open Road” comparison (August, 1975);
Marty Dickerson, Bonneville record holder and motorcycle mechanics instructor
at the West Valley Occupational Center in Woodland Hills, California; and Bill
Ocheltree, former Motorcyclist Magazine staffer and currently a freelancer.
They were invited hopefully to offset the hell-raising tendencies of the staff;
as it turned out they raised more hell than we did, even though all three of
them are between 40 and 50 years old.

was generally held to be superior in all regards: it was fast,
handled well, was easy on maintenance, had a disc front brake and was a marvel
of smoothness when matched against other bikes of the same general description
(the Triumph 500 and 650 among others).

monster: quick, unstable, unpredictable and terrifyingly fast. The 750cc version
debuted late in 1971, and was even better—or worse—than the 500 because it was
faster. But the 350cc triple, presented in early 1972, was somewhat tame. It was
quick and quirky, in that fine Kawasaki tradition, but it showed the first signs
of the company’s willingness, having become “established,” to view restraint as
a not altogether unacceptable quality. Shortly thereafter Kawasaki introduced
the Z-1— that factory’s first, quality, non-disposable motorcycle—and their
bikes have been getting more attractive ever since. The bike in question here,
the KH400, is significantly different from its predecessor and continues
Kawasaki’s quest for more-decent and less-flashy equipment.

family: Arial”>Source
Cycle World

Yamaha XS 500 For Sale Specifications, Price and Images