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 Yamaha - 650 XJ Turbo
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Photo ou archives : F-M. Dumas
1720

Capacity : 650
Model : XJ Turbo
Production : 1981 - 1981
Category : (R) Street Bike

YAMAHA

XJ 650 Turbo -1981

A matter of prestige

With the appearance of turbocharged Formula One cars in the late 1970s, "turbomania" gripped motorsport and spilled over into everyday life, where the word "turbo" was applied to products from aftershave to vacuum cleaners. ln the twowheeled world, every major manufacturer added a turbocharged model. Honda led the way; Yamaha was more cautious.

Struggle for Supremacy

If the turbo represented a low-cost way of boosting the performance of an automobile, the weight and bulk of this bolt-on goody and its attendant plumbing made its advantages less obvious on motorbikes, where large-capacity engines were readily available anyway. But at the time Honda and Yamaha were locked in a bitter struggle for supremacy. The latter couldn't let the former outdo it in terms of high-tech features, even though at the period its finances were under considerable strain.

Keeping Up Appearances

Yamaha chose its 650XJ as a starting point. To speed development while keeping costs as low as possible, the marque decided to retain carburetors rather than shifting to fuel

mJection. A small-diameter turbocharger minimized throttle Jag. Otherwise, the machine was quite conventional, though its aggressive fairing made it look at least like a fuel-injected 750. However, its performance was little improvement on the normally aspirated version, and sales were low.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 653cc (63x52.4mm) air-cooled transverse four-cylinder

Power Rating: 85 hp @ 8500 rpm

Valves: twin overhead camshafts driven by chain· 8 valves

Fuel System: Mitsubishi turbocharger and carburetors

Transmission: 5-spccd; shaft final drive

Suspension: telescopic forks (front); swinging arm (rear)

Brakes: disk (front): drum (rear)

Wheels: 3.25xl9 inch (front): 120/ 90x18 inch (rear)

Weight: 496 lb

Maximum Speed: 131 mph

 

Despite the simple technology of its 650, Yamaha was beat by Honda when it came to launching the first production bike fitted with a turho.

 




Le fichier Moto Passion réalisé par François-Marie Dumas réunit près de deux mille photos accompagnées d'un historique très complet des machines présentées.
Il sera progressivement mis à jour ici et toute information complémentaire est la bienvenue sur info@moto-collection.org.

Cette documentation unique, qui constitue sans doute l'encyclopédie la plus exhaustive jamais écrite sur l'histoire de la moto, a été réalisée avec l'assistance de nombreux spécialistes dont principalement Didier Ganneau, Christophe Gaime, Mick Woollett, Jean Goyard, Bernard Salvat, Christian Rey, Yves Campion, Helmut Krackowizer, Michael Dregni, Michel Montange, etc. que je remercie ici.

Disponible sur demande :
- Les fiches originales sur papier
- Les photos et archives signées de mon nom en haute définition ou les documents originaux.
Me contacter sur info@moto-collection.org pour les conditions et droits d'utilisation.