Yamaha officially entered the ‘big bore’ wars in 1973 with the TX 750 twin. Using two balancers that made the twin as smooth as any four it made an immediate impact on the market, until the balancers started failing and Yamaha couldn’t give the TX away.
Fast forward four years to 1977 and Yamaha was back in the big bore market with the XS 750. A tech marvel, it featured 3 cylinders, 3 disc brakes, 5 speed transmission, self cancelling turn signals, a fairing and a shaft drive. The motorcycle press went completely crazy with the bike and sales were decent.
The XS 750 was smooth and handsome, but it didn’t match HP with the other manufacturers 750s, which no doubt hurt sales. It also had a long term problem with second gear that just killed the project for Yamaha. But despite that, it was a wonderful motorcycle ahead of it’s time.
The 1977 Yamaha XS 750 used a 747 CC air cooled four stroke dual overhead cam transverse mounted three cylinder motor that made 64 HP with a 5 speed transmission and shaft drive for a top speed of 106 MPH. A three disc braking system with telescopic front forks and dual shock rear suspension with a total weight of 511 LBS completed the package.
This particular 1977 Yamaha XS 750 (VIN# 1J7005943) is in Great Falls, Montana and is listed as a ‘repainted (10 years ago) nice rideable bike’. The bike has been debadged but looks to be very complete. The silver paint on the fairing is not an exact match to the rest of the bike and it shows 16,591 miles. It is currently bid at $800.00 with reserve not met
Sources:
Autorevolution
Wikipedia
Motorcycle Classics
Yamaha Triples