The Yamaha TX750.

There is a lot of interest in the Yamaha TX750, this year already 36 years old! I get several questions about the specifications of the machine and I will try to answer these.

What most of you do not know is that the machines, when they arrived in Europe in May 1973, were already quite different from the bikes which were released on the Japanese market.

Normally in a parts list for a new model, a part has the number e.g. 341-12151-00 (rocker arm). The “00” at the end means “original part”. When a minor modification takes place, it will be “01”, etc.

When you look into your Yamaha TX750 parts book, you will find many parts with a much higher number already for the regular Yamaha TX750 machine (1973 model). The TX750 (A) which had all the later modifications has even higher numbers. You find parts with the affix “12” or higher, indicating that these parts were modified more than 10 times!

So Japan got the very early bikes, in Europe we had already an updated version from the beginning. Although that needed also a lot of modifications as you all do know.

Another point is that I believe that the US Yamaha dealers did not always perform all the modifications which Yamaha required. I have seen several imported TX750 machines herein Europe that were completely standard and had no modifications whatsoever. In Europe 99% of the TX750’s were modified or got a completely new engine. I was, as a young man, in charge then for this project....!

 

But here are a few examples from the Japanese Parts Book (July 1972) and you can compare that to your own parts book:

Picture 1#

Part (2) 341-11164-00, changed into 341-11154-02, plate, cylinder head cover 1, a solid casting was replaced by a pressed steel item. The breather tube 341-11166-01 changed into 341-11166-11 and has a different routing.

Picture 2#

The balancer chain has an odd spring loaded tensioner (item 20#) with a rubber wheel originally, part 341-11490-00 was replaced quickly for 341-11474-05 (guide, upper) and later for 341-11474-06.

Picture 3#

Originally the starter motor chain was a DK219FT 62L type with a slipper tensioner (item 14#). The slipper tensioner 341-15590-00 was deleted, the chain changed into partnr. 94563-16052 (DID 316FT 52L). A much stronger (and shorter) chain.

Picture 4#

Quite unbelievable, the first TX750’s had a normal, small cartridge, gauze type, oil filter instead of the complicated contraption fitted later. The original oil filter with part number 341-13441-01 quickly changed into the number 341-13440-90, which we all do know too well.

Picture 5#

The air cleaner case was also quite different. The early bike had a real reed-valve on it, connected to the tube from picture 1#. Part number of the air cleaner case originally was 341-1441-02-98 and we had the 341-14411-10-98 item on our bikes.