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Yamaha TX 750

The TX750 of 1972 was one of Yamaha's few commercial failures. It was designed as a larger, smoother, more powerful stable-mate to the XS650 twin. Larger it was, at 763cc, and certainly smoother, with its twin-cylinder vibration tamed to a considerable extent by a complex balancer system, named omni-phase by Yamaha, consisting of two counter-rotating weights housed to the rear of the crankshaft and acting to cancel out the amplitude of the shaft. But more powerful?

Hardly. The makers were at pains to point out that the 750 was a tourer, with electric starting, quieter mechanicals and a soggier ride to help distinguish it from the gutsy 650. But a true top speed of around 10Omph and leisurely acceleration earned it no more than a lukewarm reception among motor cylists accustomed to Honda four-style performance from a 750.

Within months of its introduction in the USA disturbing stories about unreliability depressed already mediocre sales. Yamaha accepted the situation, dropped the big twin, and turned to another configuration, the 120° triple, for their next, more successful, 750.