Anyone heard a rumour even about the SR400 coming here?

Morrissey

Morrissey

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Has anyone here heard anything about the Yamaha SR400 coming to Canada? The closest I can find is an article about a guy from Newfoundland test riding one but it doesn't say anything about the bike coming here or not. I am quite interested in this bike and would give it a serious look if it comes our way. I'm also wishing the Kawi W800 would come our way but no dice on that bike either. I know that here in North America we tend to buy big fat cruisers and the fastest of fast SS bikes, but am I the only one who has more fun ringing the neck on a smaller, nimble bike?
 
I don't understand Yamaha's reasoning. There are so many 250's and 300's out there, the SR400 seems like a total no-brainer. The UJM form is a timeless classic.

WTF Yamaha.
 
Matt Rain said:
I don't understand Yamaha's reasoning. There are so many 250's and 300's out there, the SR400 seems like a total no-brainer. The UJM form is a timeless classic.

WTF Yamaha.
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The SR500 was sold in NA from 1978-1981 as a retro-styled thumper. It was considered old-tech even by the standards of the time. Needless to say, it didn't sell container loads, though it was a steady seller overseas and in Japan as the SR400.

Like the W650 that Kawasaki introduced later, the NA market largely shrugged it's shoulders and bought bigger, more complex machines. Suzuki's own TU250 is a nifty little bike too, but is a bit overpriced new and used. Saw a decent bobbed version a few days ago.

Remembering the CB1100 pricing debacle in Canada, I don't doubt that Yamaha would ask $9k for the SR400, which puts it into competition with some snazzy European retro-styled machines (Bonneville, V7). Personally, I dig the SR400 and the kickstart, despite being a lazy person.
 
It would be a poor seller. Buyers expect retro prices for retro style bikes. Yeah, and it's kickstart only, no electric. Would turn off many potential buyers, especially females.
 
Yamaha could fix that with a bit of marketing demonstrating how much cooler you look when kickstarting a bike.

But yeah, although small bikes are somewhat popular here I don't know if that would extend to a small air-cooled thumper. I just don't know. This thread is making me thinking about regretting never getting my hands on an SRX600
 
I had an SR500 for many years.
I got is stock for a trade. Traded a beautiful Gold Omega Constellation. I got ripped off, but I got the watch for free anyway.
It was a dog in stock form. I put a 34mm flat slide Mikuni, bored it out to the second oversize, Harder valve springs to accommodate the race cam, Kerker header, better oiling, and many, many more extras. It would still struggle to make 170kph, but it would put 750's to bed from light to light.
It was fun with all the mods.
I can imagine how gutless a 400 would be.
Stock SR500 struggled to climb the small hill at speed going west on the 401 coming up to Islington. And that hill isn't that large.
 
The american price on the SR is $5990, which given our sagging dollar would probably translate into low $7,000 ish which is a steep price for a 400cc bike. This is one of those bikes that will only appeal to a small number or riders, I'm just bummed because I am one of them! I remember liking the Kawi W650 back in the day but it wasn't what I was looking for at 19-20yrs old. Now that I'm *ahem* a few years older than that, I wish I had bought one. I remember at the end of 2001 and early 2002 they were giving away the W650's and now guys are asking more than they were selling for back then! The Triumph T100 is a nice bike, but I don't really want to spend $10,000+ on a bike right now and the small number of dealers and shops who want to work on them is off-putting. I have heard from a few mechanics at non-OEM service shops that they don't like to work on them or sometimes even refuse, stating that Triumph has engineered the bikes so that occasionally they require a specially designed tool from Triumph and it isn't worth them investing in the tool given how few Triumph's are actually out there. Being in Peterborough, the nearest dealer is Whitby and I don't want to go there all the time. Kawi has a W800 selling over in Europe that I would really like to get as IMO it is even better looking than the Triumph. Sadly, it probably won't come here.

I think if you're buying the SR, or at least wanting to buy the SR, you have to go in to it with your eyes open and not expect it to do things and perform more than it is designed to. If you want something faster then it is obviously not the bike for you. I do think that the FI will help it compared to the old carb'd version some. For me out here in the sticks, if a bike can cruise at 90km/h and get up to 110km/h for passing, it's plenty fast for me. The kick start only doesn't even phase me. It is a simple process made even simpler by the decompression lever and the TDC sight window.
 
Why don't they ever make these classic looking bikes with some decent power? I have a friend that has a TU250 and when I looked up the specs it has half the power of a Ninja 250. My 125 has twice as much power as that thing.

I've actually been looking for something like a standard or enduro with a small engine that isn't way high off the ground as a second bike but 14 HP isn't highway capable, IMO. So far the best option I've found for me is an old NX250.

I'd love something like the Ducati or Triumph Scrambler with an engine like the R3 or Ninja 300 or something like that or maybe something like the DRZ400.

My coworker has an '87 CBX1100 I've been considering buying off him but I don't really need a 600lb 100hp bike.
 
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unL33T said:
Why don't they ever make these classic looking bikes with some decent power?
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Because that would class them as supersports which defeats the purpose of having a non-highperformance bike as in lower insurance rates. Kawi had the ZRX1100/1200 which were ok sellers at best. This is not Europe where these bikes are bought in great numbers. Motorcyclists here want their fast bikes to look fast with lots of plastic.
 
Morrissey said:
The Triumph T100 is a nice bike, but I don't really want to spend $10,000+ on a bike right now and the small number of dealers and shops who want to work on them is off-putting. I have heard from a few mechanics at non-OEM service shops that they don't like to work on them or sometimes even refuse, stating that Triumph has engineered the bikes so that occasionally they require a specially designed tool from Triumph and it isn't worth them investing in the tool given how few Triumph's are actually out there. Being in Peterborough, the nearest dealer is Whitby and I don't want to go there all the time.
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How about a used T100? http://www.kijiji.ca/v-street-cruis...00/1105501476?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Your service fears are unfounded.

The Triumph modern classics are as reliable as a rock. Dead simple to work on, very few specific tools required. On EFI models, you can do the tuning yourself with a lap top, free software, and a readily available and inexpensive OBDII cable. My Thruxton has almost 60,000km, not a lick of trouble, and nobody but me has ever laid a wrench to it. Who needs a dealer?
 
RetroGrouch said:
Because that would class them as supersports which defeats the purpose of having a non-highperformance bike as in lower insurance rates. Kawi had the ZRX1100/1200 which were ok sellers at best. This is not Europe where these bikes are bought in great numbers. Motorcyclists here want their fast bikes to look fast with lots of plastic.
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I was talking small cc but decent power. 14 hp out of a 250 isn't good. I'm not expecting Supersport hp ratings.
 
I'd say 14hp out of a non-performance oriented 250cc motorcycle sounds about right. My old 1100cc Virago was only rated at 53hp if I remember correctly. The Bonneville T100 is another example. 865cc and only 68hp. My 600cc Bandit has more than that. The point of a retro looking ride is a bike that looks and still feels retro. Don't get me wrong, no one is sad to see them not leaking oil and no one is complaining about a disc front break, but adding FI is even pushing it on these bikes and only done to meet Euro III and California emissions regulations. If not, they'd still be carb'd. Retro bikes aren't meant to rip it up with a comparable sized modern styled bike.

As for the T100, I have heard that they are rock solid, however, I'm not skilled enough to not need a mechanic for most things. I can do oil and breaks etc but beyond that, I don't have the time to spend tinkering with them and I don't really want to spend the time to learn either. I know of a few independent repair shops who simply won't work on them beyond simple stuff because there are a few times where a "Triumph specific" tool is needed and they aren't going to shell out the $$ for the tool. If Triumph can expand their dealer network beyond their current tiny network I'll take a serious look. Until then, I've ridden Japanese bikes for the past 18 years and I'll probably only ride Japanese bikes for another 18 years. I just wish the bikes I like would sell here in Canada. I guess I should have been born in Europe!
 
Morrissey said:
I'd say 14hp out of a non-performance oriented 250cc motorcycle sounds about right. My old 1100cc Virago was only rated at 53hp if I remember correctly. The Bonneville T100 is another example. 865cc and only 68hp. My 600cc Bandit has more than that. The point of a retro looking ride is a bike that looks and still feels retro. Don't get me wrong, no one is sad to see them not leaking oil and no one is complaining about a disc front break, but adding FI is even pushing it on these bikes and only done to meet Euro III and California emissions regulations. If not, they'd still be carb'd. Retro bikes aren't meant to rip it up with a comparable sized modern styled bike.

As for the T100, I have heard that they are rock solid, however, I'm not skilled enough to not need a mechanic for most things. I can do oil and breaks etc but beyond that, I don't have the time to spend tinkering with them and I don't really want to spend the time to learn either. I know of a few independent repair shops who simply won't work on them beyond simple stuff because there are a few times where a "Triumph specific" tool is needed and they aren't going to shell out the $$ for the tool. If Triumph can expand their dealer network beyond their current tiny network I'll take a serious look. Until then, I've ridden Japanese bikes for the past 18 years and I'll probably only ride Japanese bikes for another 18 years. I just wish the bikes I like would sell here in Canada. I guess I should have been born in Europe!
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A Ninja 250R at 28 hp is not what I consider performance oriented. CBR250RR at 45 hp would be. My 125 would also be considered performance oriented and it gets 30 hp.

Guess I'm weird. I like the look but it's gotta have at least some power. No FI is fine by me but it's gotta put out enough power for the highway or its useless and I can't justify owning it. Might as well get a scooter and get cheaper insurance otherwise.
 
If you can go fast enough on a 250cc to get a hefty fine on any road in Canada, I'm sure the SR400 would be fast enough to keep up with traffic on the highway with plenty left over to pass with.
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