Sales were poor and it was not until the bike was re-invented as a touring bike in 1983 that sales picked up, although not enough to see the bike surviving. The initial models were designed to be a performance bike and GK's goal was "to make it into the most advanced super sport bike in terms of both styling and riding performance" The XZ550 succeeded on both fronts, its comfort on long rides and veritable torque-monster engine matched by its distinctive deep V-Twin exhaust beat and neck-snapping performance. Several high profile external design houses contributed to the design of the XZ550 including GK Design Associates for design, and reputedly Cosworth for the engine and Porsche for the final drive. The Yamaha Vision was originally conceived in the late 1970s when motorcycling was at its peak, and spent three years in development, being overseen by a small group of designers and enthusiasts rather than "committee think". By leaving the fins off the XZ550's engine, it simplified the engine's manufacturing process, reduced the amount of metal needed to make the cylinders, and lowered the cost of the engine without affecting its functionality. While fins are absolutely necessary on an air-cooled engine - they increase the surface area of the head, hence improve cooling-they serve no function on a water-cooled engine. At the time, most water-cooled motorcycle engines had fins, intended to suggest the cooling fins on air-cooled engines, cast into their cylinder heads. While the tank holds 17 liters(4.5 gallons) of fuel, it looks much larger thanks to the tunnel and suggests that the bike is top-heavy, which it is not. While downdraft carburetors flow air into the engine more efficiently than sidedraft carburetors, the height of the carburetors and their airbox required Yamaha to design a large tunnel into the bottom of the gas tank. The XZ550 was the first Yamaha model to feature automotive-style downdraft carburetors with the air cleaner box mounted atop the carburetors, as opposed to most motorcycles' sidedraft carburetors with their side-mounted air cleaners. ![]() It offered innovative technology in its motor and bold styling. ![]() The Yamaha Vision (XZ550) was a motorcycle produced in approximately 1982-1983, though a smaller XZ400 model was available in some markets until at least 1987.
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