The Yamaha XT500 is a twin-valve
single-cylinder
A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ( ...
enduro
Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is a ...
-
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
made by
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
from 1975 until 1989. It shares its power plant with the street version
SR500 and its
off-road
Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...
brother, the
Yamaha TT500. All parts such as the
transmission
Transmission may refer to:
Medicine, science and technology
* Power transmission
** Electric power transmission
** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power
*** Automatic transmission
*** Manual transmission
*** ...
and
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
were produced in Japan.
The first XT 500 was shown at the US dealer convention in September 1975, and in Europe in the summer of 1976. The bike became an instant success and was produced until 1981 when it was replaced by four-valve engines. It laid the ground for the later range of XT bikes ranging from 125 cc (
XT125) to the current 660 cc (
Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré
The Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré is a dual-sport motorcycle manufactured from 2008 to 2016 by Yamaha.
It featured a single-cylinder engine manufactured by Minarelli, which was also used in the XT660R, XT660X, MT-03 ( 2006–2014), Jawa 660 Sportard, ...
) and contributed largely to Yamaha's image. In France alone, 62,000 XT 500s were sold from 1976 to 1990.
The XT won the first big African
rallies, which were on the rise in the late seventies. It started with Paris–Abidjan-Nice and then the
Paris–Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, ...
, which confirmed the supremacy of the XT 500.
Bengt Åberg
Bengt Edvin Åberg (26 June 1944 – 6 March 2021) was a Swedish professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1979. He was a two-time FIM 500cc Motocross World Champion.
Biography
Åberg was born in ...
competed in the
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
500cc
Motocross World Championship
FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...
on a highly modified Yamaha XT500 built in collaboration with former world champions
Torsten Hallman
Torsten Hallman (born 17 October 1939) is a Swedish former professional motocross racer and business entrepreneur. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1959 to 1971. A four-time world champion, Hallman led a contingent of Swedish ...
and
Sten Lundin
Sten Lundin (20 November 1931 – 3 June 2016) was a Swedish professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1955 to 1966.
Motocross career
Lundin won the F.I.M. 500cc motocross world championship in 1959 ridi ...
.
Åberg rode the bike to a victory in the first moto of the 1977 500cc Luxembourg Grand Prix and ended the season ranked 9th in the final world championship standings.
The 21-inch front wheel and the 18-inch rear with enduro-style tires make it fit for both on- and off-road use. Seat height and ground clearance are adequate and the machine has the typical dual-purpose handling characteristics, which makes it suitable for a wide range of duties, from crossing rough city roads to country lanes or paths.
The XT range debuted in 1976 with the XT500 four-stroke single. Later, other models followed, spreading from XT125 to the latest
XT660. Both the XT and TT ranges represent the typical Yamaha model development consistency, with model refinements over a long period of time.
After 1982 the successive four-valve XT600s were sold in some markets in 500 cc form until 1989, but this was not the original, classic twin-valve XT500.
References
External links
XT500: Model Evolutionat Yamaha Europe
{{Yamaha motorcycles
XT500
Dual-sport motorcycles
Off-road motorcycles
Motorcycles introduced in 1975