[Bora]

I didn't find this in a search, so I thought would put it here. Yamaha is making and old style SR400 with a kick start only. Wish I had the money to get one!

 

[Jim]

I like it

 

[Liamjs]

My first "real" motorcycle was a '79 yamaha 400, with electric start. Worse MC I ever owned. Left me stranded more times than I can count. But I loved it at the time.

Old MCs are like ex-girlfriends. Fun to ride for a while afterwards, but you soon remember why you moved on.

 

[Rustydust]

I would love to have one and in fact am considering it. I don't care about the lack of electric leg as all of my earlier bikes were kick start only. Learned how to start a big single on my dad's Ariel Red Hunter. And the Yamaha has no magneto, spark retard, carb trickler or choke to worry about either! That's modern enough for me right there.

Don't care much for tubed tires anymore as I like the "put a plug in it and ride" mentality, but the rest of the bike, all 26 horses of it, could find a happy home in my garage easily. Very easily to be sure.

 

[speedandstyle]

Technically they never stopped making the SR400, they just kept it in Japan for many years. With retro being what it is right now I guess they decided to give it a try outside the land of the rising sun. It is a nice bike with tons of aftermarket support BUT the price is ridiculous. $6000 is a lot of money for a 400cc bike that was originally designed in the late 70s! It is updated with modern brakes and fuel injection but still.

 

[osbornk]

I have a V-Star 650 Custom I am very happy with. It is straight out of the last century and they still make it like the bikes of old. The only thing it has that the old bikes didn't have is self cancelling turn signals. I like the open drive shaft. There are plenty of used ones available cheap, dependable and many aftermarket parts available.

 

[ErikDK]

I've owned two Yamaha SR 500's and It's completely opposite a Burgman 650.

Cold starts where never a problem, but re-starting a warm engine was always a problem.

If I had the money to buy back the one I sold after I got my Burgman, I would install an Ecotrons electronic fuel injection kit on it, because the carburetor was always a problem on them, both the pumper carb on the '83 and the CV carb on the '92.

 

[MacDoc]

I like the move to retro but my idea of it is a Honda CBX500

 

[bikersmurff]

They are very over priced and both the Yamaha dealers i deal with said they will not get one as floor stock and only sell it of the brochure.Here in oz we have a very big following for the sr500 and some fetch over $10000 ,my friend has one with 12000ks and wants $8000 and when the new sr400 is selling for $6999 i know which one i would have .The sr500 is highly collectible . Deuce Mechanica the boutique motorcycle builders buy up all they can get and then proceed to ruin a good bike in the name of modern style and sell it for over $12000.When it comes to classic motorcycles i am a firm believer in originality

 

[speedandstyle]

Deuce Mechanica the boutique motorcycle builders buy up all they can get and then proceed to ruin a good bike in the name of modern style and sell it for over $12000.

I think you mean deus ex machina{Greek for "god from the machine" - an old theater term, literally a machine that would pop a god's hand down and suddenly give the hero power or such - now it means a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object.}. But there is a motorcycle shop{international now but started in Australia} by that name.

http://deuscustoms.com/

I like what they do with the SR and the other bikes. They actually make a Harley worth having. But you are right their prices are crazy!

 

[bikersmurff]

Sorry you are right .I never realized they have branched out to other country .I am a bit envious though i never thought that any one would buy a bike that has every thing removed that is practical and then sold for twice as much ....GO FIGURE !!!!!

 

[JustPassinThru]

My...gawd.

My first bike of any consequence was an SR500...a 1981.

Blast from the past!...I'd be tempted; but I'm no kid anymore and working a kick starter with compression release...ain't my idea of riding.

Over the years I went from a minimalist naked bike with no electric start, to a Burgman 650 with an automatic transmission and engine buried under insulation. Go figure.

 

[Bolzen]

Such bike carries not much of content load. Would suggest Stelvio or smaller Guzzi as a retro that features modern tech, making it at least useable. But merely on the subject nothing besides arthritis could ever be gained.