Going to look at a 78 Yamaha XS750 special tomorrow.

[m511y]

I know a bit about CBs, but not about XS triples. Anything specific I may want to look for before buying it? I don't know anything about shaft drives so a little advice would be appreciated.

 

[jetmechmarty]

http://www.yamaha-triples.org Perhaps they'll help you. I don't know much about them myself.

 

[suddenlycalm]

I own a couple of triples. I'd ask about shifting into second gear, check oil in the front and rear diff. I'd also look at the front fork caps. Mine were rusted and would not come out. I ended up having to buy different forks. There is a circlip that gets rusted in and wont move. I would also check the slack in the primary chain on the right side. Open the oil filler and stick your finger under the chain. Pull up on it. If it easily touches the primary cover the chain is shot and would likely require replacement. There are a few more quirks but that should get you started.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

great bikes. i love mine to death. 2nd gear slipping has been a problem with the bikes, but there are easy ways to fix it. the stock wheel size for the is the fattest you can go, due to the shaft drive. you can still find the primary chain easily. depending on the condition and the price, i would consider picking it up. i had a blast turning my $150, non-running, barn find, beater, into a clean, smooth, daily rider. check out the triples web site that jetmechmarty posted and www.yamahatriples.com

 

[jetmechmarty]

Does the 2nd gear issue get fixed by moving a washer to the other side of the 2nd gear wheel? I went through this with the XS1100. I replaced the gears on the countershaft and moved the washer to make the problem go away forever. On the XS750, you have to split the cases to do this, or so I'm told. 2nd gear doesn't engage tight enough is the problem and the edge of the dog/slot wears to where they won't remain engaged.