Yamaha YZ400

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Revision as of 05:21, 3 July 2008 by Bbump (talk | contribs) (History)
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1976 YZ400C

Take a 1975 MX400, paint it Yellow and add the spedo air forks and you end up with the 1976 YZ400C (I only saw 1, I swear it felt like an MX400).

1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow
1976 Yamaha YZ400C in Yellow



1977

A great leap forward in frame, engine and suspension design, the 1977 YZ400 was only lacking in it's ability to track corners because of the round tubular swing arm that caused too much flex. The monoshock was now encased inside the Monocoque frame that ran under the gas tank.

1977 Yamaha YZ400 in Yellow
1977 Yamaha YZ400 in Yellow
1977 Yamaha YZ400 in Yellow
1977 Yamaha YZ400 in Yellow
1977 Yamaha YZ400 in Yellow


1978

Expanding on a good thing, the 1978 YZ400 became stable with the box section aluminum swing arm and longer travel (at both ends). The bike was a bit heavy (tipping the scales around 240 lbs.) but long gone was the cracks in the frames, common with the previous (non-Monocoque) designs. The rake was also a bit long which made the 1977-1978 YZ400s better at cross-country than in motocross.

1978 Yamaha YZ400E in Yellow
1978 Yamaha YZ400E in Yellow
1978 Yamaha YZ400E in Yellow
1978 Yamaha YZ400E in Yellow


1979

All good things must come to an end (which very much describes the 1979 YZ400). The rake was decreased to improve the handling in motocross but the 396cc engine was a step backwards (in this editor's opinion). This engine was only used on this bike and the 1980 IT425.

See Also