I am rebuilding an xs 750 SE Special from 1981 and will use yours as the example. Without the backpack rack of course😉 Very beautyfull machine you got there. Keep it!

I had purchased a New XS750 in 1978 in Utah for about $2100. I loved the bike and drove it cross country from California to New England then back to California tru Canada. I had to sell it in 1980 when I got married. I miss it dearly. Thanks for posting the video.

I bought a left-over of this model in May of 1979. It was a sweet ride, but after only 4 weeks I crashed it, then spent the next 2+ years in and out of surgery. I never saw the bike again. That was 40 years ago this summer. Ride smart, ride safe.

Georgeous bike.

Thanks for the pointers on the petcock.

Reluctantly, I sold this bike two summers ago. The carbs simply refused to stay in tune or stop leaking, and after rebuilding and re-syncing them 8 times, I finally gave up and sold it. It ran good when he got it, that's the best I could do. Time has passed and I don't think there's much activity on the Yamaha Triples website. I'm only purchasing bikes now that are fuel injected!

You did a wonderful job on this video. Thank you very much for taking the time

Excellent! Thank you 🙂

I had one of these. From 1985 to maybe 1990. I beat the hell out of it too. Tough, reliable bike. If you had the manual and the tool kit that came with it (under the seat), you could perform most maintenance tasks on it, including tightening the timing chain.

Best, most fun bike I ever had.

Great video! Thanks

I had a 250 Enduro also a Yamaha. Then I thought I was a real man when I got on one of these. I actually wanted the '79 or 80 with the alloy rear grab rail instead of that tubular one which kind of didn't look as refined. However, interest rates in the early '80s when I was in the Navy were about 25% and I didn't qualify for financing, for either the 750 or 650 and they gave me a pathtic little xs400 and I was 6 ft 200lbs. I was 17 and it was nice of them to keep my safety in mind. 8 months later guess who calls the Yamaha dealer? They wanted to know if I was still alive and interested in a 750. I took one look at that beast and said heck yes. Well, I'm from California and I was in Virginia. I toured the entire Eastern sea board with that thing. The 650 was faster or at least quicker off the line as a couple of guys on my ship had the 650s and we would drag race. Eventually the slop in the drive shaft got so bad that I blew first gear. The dealership wanted big bucks to repair the transmission. So I said forget it and bought a car. But I'll never forget that bike. My buddy Chris Mahoney was from NYC. We did the 10hour ride up from VA to New york. His family lived in the Bronx and let me tell you NYC in the early 80s was a dangerous place. His sister Corrine was a knock out and we just hit it off from the word go. Isn't human chemistry inexplicable? The only thing we had in common was being catholic. I'm dark and she was a fair maiden. I thought no way, "she's playing with my mind". During dinner Chris's Dad sensed the static and was quick to put me in my place and in no uncertain words. One day she showed up in Norfolk and it wasn't to see her brother Chris. Thank you XS 750 Special. Special indeed.

Awe man... I had two of these... and did experience the petcock engine seize on my first. So my second had all the good components of both. But my first, was my one bike I miss.

A looker !

the xs 750 SE Special is rare....you'll find the xs 600 850 1100 but the 750 is rare, hard to find in a functioning state. The 3 cilinder that will always run and sings a different song everytime you let it run idle.....like music. Stock only..highest value, good investment.

Pretty quick bike,

Thanks for posting this video. I picked one up as my first bike just a few weeks ago. Runs great, but had to replace the gaskets on the carbs due to them leaking gas. Seems like I might also have the gas leak from the petcock that you described and will check that out also. Is there any way to check to see if I do?

I noticed that you didnt set the petcock position to prime. When would you do that? Also, I now own a 1979 Xs750 special, so should I start it in the prime position the to the fuel on position which appears to be straight up and down?

Would you recommend one of these for a beginner? There’s one near me that runs but it’s in kinda rough shape. They’re only asking $400. I know parts can be hard to come by. I’d like to get something I can work on myself and possibly turn into a cafe racer.

I just got one of these running for $400 with a clean title. Only problem is, I have the fuel in the oil you were just talking about. What should I do about that? I'm also missing pieces. Where would you recommend I look for parts?

Hi¡ Great content, i Was wondering ir you could please tell me Where you bought the engine components? I just bought a 79’ special with The same “gasoil” problem. Thanks

Looks like Utah mountains

I'm mechanically inclined but not a mechanic. Could you tell me how you modified the petcock? Was there any custom machining involved? Kit? Thanks.

Where do I get the rebuild kit for the engine

Where do I get the manual shut off