I had a TX750 during the 1970s. I never experienced any of the horror stories found in the comments. I must have had it for several years and NEVER had a problem. Was smooth running and a great bike for several years. I must have had a rare "good one". Because, I put several thousands of miles over several years on it and it always treated me very well. Other than chains, tires and brake pads, I never had to touch a thing on it!
I worked at a Yamaha shop when the TX750, and the TX500's came out. The 750 was the most flawed, troublesome bike I can ever remember. They pumped oil out into the ignition points, the counter balancer and primary drive chains lasted mere weeks! The 500 on the other hand was not so bad, revved to the moon, but had handling quirks. At the Yamaha distributor in Los Angeles there were huge dumpsters full of scrapped engines and bikes, huge failure.
Should not have left the drawing board. All 73s got case kits to solve omni phase balancer chain failure, oil leaking into ignition points among others. Didn't work, balancer chain still failed and as they were timed to rotate within each other's orbit the damage was epic. I found the only thing to do about the oiled points was to grind a drain in the points cover to let the oil out before the left cylinder lost spark. Then advise the owner not to go past 6k Rpm. If they were ridden conservatively they could survive. If memory serves they listed for $1395, same year CB750 $1795 & Z1 was $1995. I worked for a Yamaha dealer then, I bought the Kawasaki.
Ian are you the chap I met in Shailer Park today ? One look at the curve in those exhaust pipes and I knew exactly what it was ,the first big bike I owned as a 16 yr old kid in NZ .The sound of that big twin sent me back over 40 years makes modern bikes sound like mums egg beater ! And I love the naked clean lines ,an under rated classic . Cheers mate !
I owned one of these. It was easy to ride and hard to start in wet cold weather. Had an oil leak in the clutch but after that, no problems. Was a great highway bike as well as in town in close quarters.
Thanks so much for the reply Gary, I really love riding mine, just an amazing bike, I have a 1974 Japanese model with all the mods done on it and it's as reliable as any bike.
I had one - a 1973 I believe. It was in the shop MORE the first year or so that I owned it. Why? Bad design of the ignition points being right in front of an oil seal that was prone to continual failure. I like it when it ran - and it was peppy and smooth - much better than that 650 Yamaha I had for 1 month prior to the TX-750. The 750 was traded off on a Honda CB750 and I never looked back! Now I can no longer ride - balance issues and my wife says NO! Oh well.
Yamaha TX-750 - had one in the 70s when I was a Senior in High School - even then the reputation was so bad, I was able to buy it for a really low price ($500 if I remember correctly) saw a funny comment on these bikes years ago in Cycle Magazine - "The TX-750 twin Yamaha was as smooth and as slick as a bananaha - Countershafts revolve hard on chain by the yard and oil leaked hither and yonaha" - that about says it all, doesn't it ? Traded mine for a dirt bike after I got a car - still riding after 44 years. 😎
It lacked 2 more cylinders. Needed to be a 4 not 2. It was a very beautiful bike. My pop bought 3 yamahas in 73. TX was pops it was big compared to my GT 80. For the day 60 + hp was big. The Honda CB 750 & Kawasaki Z 900 out sold the TX. The XS 1100 engine was a winner 66 lbs torque but that was 5 years off.
I owned one (1973) for two years in 2009-2011. Very rare model in the UK, I don't think they were sold here, mine was imported from the USA. Really nice-looking and nice sounding bike, always drew a crowd as no-one had seen one or knew of the model. The engine did turn out to be fragile though, despite the deeper sump. I perhaps unwisely removed the oil cooler because it spoiled the looks. Mine would not go past 'the ton' even on full throttle, and the engine developed rattles and smoke from the exhaust, prompting me to sell it. The 650 so so much better, and the DOHC 500 not bad although it had a few foibles. Yamahas of this era were always good lookers and something a bit different.
Ma première grosse machine en 1978, elle était de 1973, j'en ai récemment restaurée une de 1973 en vert anglais, et en restaure une deuxième orange de 1972 😊✌️
Better than the Triumph Trident or the CB750k ,Z900 I owned as a lad .Big twins have that wonderful proper bike note dont they ? Bloody music it is ! Getting that bike was like being in love for the first time only with more freedom hahaha ! The freedom that only comes from being young with no commitments and the means to go wherever the hell you want !
What a gorgeous engine. Much better looking than the current Triumph twins. Shame about the lubrication issues which were ultimately solved but by then the TX's reputation was ruined and it was doomed in the marketplace.
a pretty good bike, if not pressed hard. but in its first year it competed in a 1 of a kind race near bathurst nsw. turns out that cast-in exhaust transfer couldn't cope with sustained high speed. yamaha didn't bother sending anymore of that model to oz.
One more thhing, the TX750 were prone to jumping out of 1st gear if you get on them hard. I had 2 of the 5 I owned do it. I finally went to the XS650 yamaha a fantastic bike! I will always own a Yamaha 650!!
Fair price? Its so cheap Nowadays. Its your chance to buy one. So will I. At the greatest condition it goes for 7,500. At a good condition its goes for 2,500. At a fair condition it goes for 1,500. Buy one now
Great music at the start, but disappointed Cary Grant and Greta Garbo didn't appear. Notwithstanding I think I shall stick with my vibrating XS 650. TX 750, ,,very little vibration ,sadly even less durability. Such a shame, as would have made a good successor . Beautiful machine and well tried, Yamaha
It is too bad the motor was "a piece of shrapnel waiting to happen" That was a Yamaha Service tech description not mine. Oil foamed up because of the 3 part counter Balance system swishing the oil on one side and whipping it to a froth, took out many main bearings..I liked them and knew how to care for the counter Balance system plus use NON foaming oil in them. They were a heavy bike and did ride well on the highway.. They were also the smoothest parallel twin on the road. I switched to the XS650's, still drive one!
Go to the Bike shop or Auto Parts place, get the heaviest NON FOAMING Synthetic oil you can find. But really those are best suited to those that know them, they are finicky and you MUST service (check tightness) the Counter Ballance chain every 4 or 5 thousand miles. If the bike has over 30,000 miles on it the chain needs to be replaced, you can imagine what damage it would do if it broke and slapped and bunched up inside the motor at 3000 RPM! Also pay attention to the cam chain adjuster rod. It needs to be set just a bit less than factory suggestions of level with the adjuster frame. I had one shred and it plugged up the oil channels to the head and burned out the cam! The Cam Chain needs replaced at about 30,000 also. I did that by pulling the head, then ground off a link, I hooked up the new chain with the master clip and slowly turned over the engine (out of the bike) until the new chain was all the way around. You have to keep both sides of the chain on the cam sprocket so valve timing isn't effected and the cam turns over. If you want a really good vintage the Yamaha triple cylinder 750's were GREAT, FAST and nimble.. If running well they are a GREAT bike, just not for the average rider.
A tenant abandoned a basket case TX 750 (managed to find room in his trailer for the two Kawasaki KX250'S...OF COURSE!) Do I or don't I dig into it? A great way to turn $5000 into $2000?
Nice looking bikes, particularly in the deep green/black but not nice to own back in the seventies if you wanted to impress, always problems compared to my mates 900Z and CB750.
I think Yamaha learned a lot when they built this bike .. It would run a lot cooler if you blocked off the balance tube mounted to the engine ports.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_TX750
Flawed yes but not nearly as bad as some commenters make out. The ‘74 model was good and the one that should have been the first release. The exhaust header crossover was the worst part of the design as it funneled too much heat into the head overheating it and the oil. I worked at a shop and performed many of the first year fixes as they came out and there were many 😮
A VERY strong contender for Worse Motorcycle Ever. That includes Russian bikes and Harleys. And we just came up with a pristine example. I looked at it and said I ain't working on it.
This is very cool but too complicated for the General Public Plus Harley owners think Vibrations are cool. My first thoughts were wow the counter weight is in the bottom of Transmission running in Oil.. Then we see it's a dry sump system .. I never heard of a TX-750 My guess is the replaced it with a 3 or 4 cylinder model ..
You can see right away that the fins aren't big enough. They were aware of the overheating because they designed that finned exhaust manifold. Also stupid oil circulation design. Scavenge pump???
Beautiful machine. Too bad it proved to be so badly flawed. Counterbalanced twins were a novelty at the time, so perhaps Yamaha can be forgiven for getting it wrong. Thankfully, they learned from the big TX's failure.
I had a TX750 during the 1970s. I never experienced any of the horror stories found in the comments. I must have had it for several years and NEVER had a problem. Was smooth running and a great bike for several years. I must have had a rare "good one". Because, I put several thousands of miles over several years on it and it always treated me very well. Other than chains, tires and brake pads, I never had to touch a thing on it!
You live in a cool climate.
I worked at a Yamaha shop when the TX750, and the TX500's came out. The 750 was the most flawed, troublesome bike I can ever remember. They pumped oil out into the ignition points, the counter balancer and primary drive chains lasted mere weeks! The 500 on the other hand was not so bad, revved to the moon, but had handling quirks. At the Yamaha distributor in Los Angeles there were huge dumpsters full of scrapped engines and bikes, huge failure.
Should not have left the drawing board. All 73s got case kits to solve omni phase balancer chain failure, oil leaking into ignition points among others. Didn't work, balancer chain still failed and as they were timed to rotate within each other's orbit the damage was epic. I found the only thing to do about the oiled points was to grind a drain in the points cover to let the oil out before the left cylinder lost spark. Then advise the owner not to go past 6k Rpm. If they were ridden conservatively they could survive. If memory serves they listed for $1395, same year CB750 $1795 & Z1 was $1995. I worked for a Yamaha dealer then, I bought the Kawasaki.
I purchased a TX750 with just 15k on the speedo last year, I just love riding it and I do own a Hona4 and a Z 900.
Ian are you the chap I met in Shailer Park today ?
One look at the curve in those exhaust pipes and I knew exactly what it was ,the first big bike I owned as a 16 yr old kid in NZ .The sound of that big twin sent me back over 40 years makes modern bikes sound like mums egg beater ! And I love the naked clean lines ,an under rated classic .
Cheers mate !
Fantastic video! Probably the best I saw about motorcycles. Thanks! TX 650/750 with its toughness were outstanding bikes.
I owned one of these. It was easy to ride and hard to start in wet cold weather. Had an oil leak in the clutch but after that, no problems. Was a great highway bike as well as in town in close quarters.
Thanks so much for the reply Gary, I really love riding mine, just an amazing bike, I have a 1974 Japanese model with all the mods done on it and it's as reliable as any bike.
I had one - a 1973 I believe. It was in the shop MORE the first year or so that I owned it. Why? Bad design of the ignition points being right in front of an oil seal that was prone to continual failure. I like it when it ran - and it was peppy and smooth - much better than that 650 Yamaha I had for 1 month prior to the TX-750. The 750 was traded off on a Honda CB750 and I never looked back! Now I can no longer ride - balance issues and my wife says NO! Oh well.
Neither of my two vibrated much, at least not until they tossed their pistons through the cylinders.
I had one of these same color as this one, I had the first 750 sold in Charleston, Wv.
Yamaha TX-750 - had one in the 70s when I was a Senior in High School - even then the reputation was so bad, I was able to buy it for a really low price ($500 if I remember correctly) saw a funny comment on these bikes years ago in Cycle Magazine - "The TX-750 twin Yamaha was as smooth and as slick as a bananaha - Countershafts revolve hard on chain by the yard and oil leaked hither and yonaha" - that about says it all, doesn't it ? Traded mine for a dirt bike after I got a car - still riding after 44 years. 😎
It lacked 2 more cylinders. Needed to be a 4 not 2. It was a very beautiful bike. My pop bought 3 yamahas in 73. TX was pops it was big compared to my GT 80. For the day 60 + hp was big. The Honda CB 750 & Kawasaki Z 900 out sold the TX. The XS 1100 engine was a winner 66 lbs torque but that was 5 years off.
Thanks Mark, I still have one and I love it.👍
I owned one (1973) for two years in 2009-2011. Very rare model in the UK, I don't think they were sold here, mine was imported from the USA. Really nice-looking and nice sounding bike, always drew a crowd as no-one had seen one or knew of the model. The engine did turn out to be fragile though, despite the deeper sump. I perhaps unwisely removed the oil cooler because it spoiled the looks. Mine would not go past 'the ton' even on full throttle, and the engine developed rattles and smoke from the exhaust, prompting me to sell it. The 650 so so much better, and the DOHC 500 not bad although it had a few foibles. Yamahas of this era were always good lookers and something a bit different.
Ma première grosse machine en 1978, elle était de 1973, j'en ai récemment restaurée une de 1973 en vert anglais, et en restaure une deuxième orange de 1972 😊✌️
That was me Robert, hope you liked the sound of the TX as I rode off.
Better than the Triumph Trident or the CB750k ,Z900 I owned as a lad .Big twins have that wonderful proper bike note dont they ? Bloody music it is !
Getting that bike was like being in love for the first time only with more freedom hahaha ! The freedom that only comes from being young with no commitments and the means to go wherever the hell you want !
What a gorgeous engine. Much better looking than the current Triumph twins. Shame about the lubrication issues which were ultimately solved but by then the TX's reputation was ruined and it was doomed in the marketplace.
Good video,bravo.
a pretty good bike, if not pressed hard. but in its first year it competed in a 1 of a kind race near bathurst nsw. turns out that cast-in exhaust transfer couldn't cope with sustained high speed. yamaha didn't bother sending anymore of that model to oz.
balancer chain wear and engine exhaust heat from the exhaust crossover on the front of the cylinder head were constant problems
One more thhing, the TX750 were prone to jumping out of 1st gear if you get on them hard. I had 2 of the 5 I owned do it. I finally went to the XS650 yamaha a fantastic bike! I will always own a Yamaha 650!!
XS 650 was way better.
The tx750 would run rings around the 650. I had 3 tx750s. Mate had a 650 yamaha it wasn't even close.
No mention of oil emulsification issues then ;) They are a great looking bike and would love one in my garage
Thanks Ian. I enjoyed that. I hope you don't mind but I'll post a link to this video on my tx750 Yamaha fb page.
No worries Al.👍
Thanks Ian, fine vintage video, style TX Downunder group ;D
it tells me everything i need to know about my bike
Love this.
They are very reliable now Matthew, I’ve done close to 20,000 kms on mine since I bought it in 2016😃
Great video! Thanks! I would buy one right away - if there was a new one available... Well, at a fair price...
Fair price? Its so cheap Nowadays. Its your chance to buy one. So will I. At the greatest condition it goes for 7,500. At a good condition its goes for 2,500. At a fair condition it goes for 1,500. Buy one now
Shame they forgot to put a tension for the balnce chain and to top it off the drive sprocket is between the cylinders
Great music at the start, but disappointed Cary Grant and Greta Garbo didn't appear. Notwithstanding I think I shall stick with my vibrating XS 650. TX 750, ,,very little vibration ,sadly even less durability. Such a shame, as would have made a good successor . Beautiful machine and well tried, Yamaha
It is too bad the motor was "a piece of shrapnel waiting to happen" That was a Yamaha Service tech description not mine. Oil foamed up because of the 3 part counter Balance system swishing the oil on one side and whipping it to a froth, took out many main bearings..I liked them and knew how to care for the counter Balance system plus use NON foaming oil in them. They were a heavy bike and did ride well on the highway.. They were also the smoothest parallel twin on the road. I switched to the XS650's, still drive one!
What kind of oil did you use? I want to buy one, I know one for sale or dirt cheap, thanks
Go to the Bike shop or Auto Parts place, get the heaviest NON FOAMING Synthetic oil you can find. But really those are best suited to those that know them, they are finicky and you MUST service (check tightness) the Counter Ballance chain every 4 or 5 thousand miles. If the bike has over 30,000 miles on it the chain needs to be replaced, you can imagine what damage it would do if it broke and slapped and bunched up inside the motor at 3000 RPM!
Also pay attention to the cam chain adjuster rod. It needs to be set just a bit less than factory suggestions of level with the adjuster frame. I had one shred and it plugged up the oil channels to the head and burned out the cam! The Cam Chain needs replaced at about 30,000 also. I did that by pulling the head, then ground off a link, I hooked up the new chain with the master clip and slowly turned over the engine (out of the bike) until the new chain was all the way around. You have to keep both sides of the chain on the cam sprocket so valve timing isn't effected and the cam turns over.
If you want a really good vintage the Yamaha triple cylinder 750's were GREAT, FAST and nimble..
If running well they are a GREAT bike, just not for the average rider.
I'm in Australia and I only use Castrol 4 T in all my classic bikes.
Sounds about 100 years old
A tenant abandoned a basket case TX 750 (managed to find room in his trailer for the two Kawasaki KX250'S...OF COURSE!) Do I or don't I dig into it? A great way to turn $5000 into $2000?
Nice looking bikes, particularly in the deep green/black but not nice to own back in the seventies if you wanted to impress, always problems compared to my mates 900Z and CB750.
I think Yamaha learned a lot when they built this bike .. It would run a lot cooler if you blocked off the balance tube mounted to the engine ports..
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_TX750
Golden goblin
Flawed yes but not nearly as bad as some commenters make out. The ‘74 model was good and the one that should have been the first release. The exhaust header crossover was the worst part of the design as it funneled too much heat into the head overheating it and the oil. I worked at a shop and performed many of the first year fixes as they came out and there were many 😮
Thanks for commenting mate , my 1974 TX is great 👍🏻
It's plain to see that the finning is too small. They were concerned about looks.
Suzuki/ Kawasaki mechanic.
A VERY strong contender for Worse Motorcycle Ever. That includes Russian bikes and Harleys. And we just came up with a pristine example. I looked at it and said I ain't working on it.
Why did Yamaha make two different 750's at this time? Weren't both twin cyl OHC'S?
Hi Matthew , the TX 750 had balances and didn't vibrate where as the XS2 didn't and shook like hell.
This is very cool but too complicated for the General Public Plus Harley owners think Vibrations are cool.
My first thoughts were wow the counter weight is in the bottom of Transmission running in Oil.. Then we see it's a dry sump system .. I never heard of a TX-750 My guess is the replaced it with a 3 or 4 cylinder model ..
i have one
I had one ,can I have yours ? !
this was one of the engineering mistakes if you think not why then the production was so short and how many examples are still around.
Surprising the XS-650 Motor was not really designed by Yamaha
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_XS_650
You can see right away that the fins aren't big enough.
They were aware of the overheating because they designed that finned exhaust manifold.
Also stupid oil circulation design. Scavenge pump???
Biggest piece of junk I ever owned. In the shop more than on the road junk junk junk
Beautiful machine. Too bad it proved to be so badly flawed. Counterbalanced twins were a novelty at the time, so perhaps Yamaha can be forgiven for getting it wrong. Thankfully, they learned from the big TX's failure.
Thank You Rimmer. LOL
Worst motorcycle Yamaha ever made. Leaked oil like a sieve.