The XZ550

[WhiteBeard]

Saw this bike for sale, about two hours from where I live, and it caught my attention.
Anybody here has one?

[fj11.5]

no , but they look alright 

[WhiteBeard]

Yes! They do, don't they?



Only bad thing is they're shaft driven like the XS's.

[fj11.5]

like a mini Fj, , I had a shaft drive xj 750 , awesome bike , shaft drive was great   once I got used to it , and never missed adjusting the chain , best under a litre bike I've ever owned , they used to race them here no extra mods 

[ApriliaBill]

I owned one of these bikes, Slow, Like almost a 16 second quarter mile, now that said, once you got them rolling, it was a beatiful thing. They handled very well and rode like a much bigger bike, great for touring, very comfortable, and I liked the fit and finish. I actually ran with a guy and it seemed everybody in his neighborhood had one. They were wonderful bikes, but then there was a 550 race on and every maker brought out killer bikes. But when I run into those guys, enevitably everybody talks about those bikes and how good they were...

[Tor-King]

Hey, Whitebeard!

I did not own one, but I have ridden one back in '82 or '83.  It was a great little bike and at that time was quite unique looking.  It was known as the Vision here in Canada.  I think it was only made for two model years as sales were poor.  I guess it never caught on.  They are sure becoming a rarity.

[ApriliaBill]

Hey, Whitebeard!

I did not own one, but I have ridden one back in '82 or '83.  It was a great little bike and at that time was quite unique looking.  It was known as the Vision here in Canada.  I think it was only made for two model years as sales were poor.  I guess it never caught on.  They are sure becoming a rarity.

Yep, the dealers down here took a bath, the bike was ahead of it's time, nobody at that time trusted shaft drive and liquid cooled, we were neandrathal in the USA, so many of us took advantage, we were buying these for 1,100 U.S. about a third of m.s.r.p. I think they sell for more now, then most paid new.

[JCainFJ]

I still have one, an 83. 1/2 of a VMax or Venture. Weird carbs, and brakes. Oil pump and crank problems on most of them. I added a Fox shock and a set of RT emulators. I also built an exhaust system using a pair of SuperTrapp mufflers that made a big improvement  (I was able to run it into the revlimiter in top gear after the exhaust mod).  Most dealers will be no help at all.

[WestOzXJR]

Looks like the lower fairing shrunk after someone threw it in the clothes dryer.

[Firehawk068]

I owned one of these in my mid 20's..........It was a nice riding bike. I bought it for $500 back then, and had to do the usual neglected-bike maintenece. Tires, fork seals,brakes, carburetor clean/rebuild.....The fuse box melted on mine, so I replaced it with a newer blade style fuse box. I rode it around central NY for a few years before selling it for around $1500
It had a single 2-throat carburetor if I remember correctly, wich was a PITA to tune, but it ran good once I got it to run properly.
I used to get around mid to high 50's for fuel mileage with it.
It was a 550cc twin with 4 cams, and 8 valves. Each exhaust valve had it's own exhaust pipe.
Parts for it were getting hard to find back then. I imagine they would be near impossible to find nowadays.
It didn't have a ton of power, but it was alot more peppy than my Dad's CX500 Honda. We'd go on rides together, and switch bikes.
He wouldn't want to switch mine back..........

Here was Mine. 1982 XZ550R Vision




Here's Me............Back in the Day  

[Tiger]

  I've been running an '82 with lots of '83 upgrades for the last seven years and they are a real fun ride...great in the twisties. Infact I had mine, along with my brother and his '82, down through the 'Tail of the Dragon' 3 weeks ago...such a blast!!!
Over the last three/four years I've bought/rebuilt/sold 22 of these 550cc, shaft drive, water cooled, 70 degree V twins. They were only in North America for two years, '82/'83. The '82's garnered a lot of bad press in the U.S. when Yamaha launched them...they did major upgrades for the '83 model...U.S. press were veeeery happy...and Japan pulled the plug
The two pictures show a 'Canadian Edition' Red & White '83 and a 'American Edition' Black & Gold '83.
Sorry to ramble on a wee bit...but I do love these Vision/XZ550RJ/RK's

They have a great owners club site at www.ridersofvision.net ... Tell them Tiger sent you  :good 
        ....... TIGER .......