Yamaha TZ750: The Monster That Dominated Formula 750 Racing

[@jameslawrence6135]

I owned and raced a TZ750 from 1983 to 1986. My bike was originally owned by Dale Singleton, the 1981 Daytona 200 winner. My first ride was at the Daytona Pro-Am in 1983 which I was able to win without killing myself. The jump from production bikes to F-1 was huge. The first time I rolled hard on the throttle it felt like an invisible giant hit the rear tire with a massive bat only to be met with a front wheel trying to hit me in the face. My knees were literally shaking, and I knew this was going to be a whole new experience and somehow, I was going to have master this beast. After breaking the production frame multiple times in subsequent races, we reworked the entire bike with a Spondon square tube aluminum chassis, brakes and a Ceriani front end with magnesium fork sliders for reduced weight. This allowed us to put a larger Michelin slick on the rear because the original chassis would not accept a wide rear tire. In total the TZ750 gave me three concussions and I broke most all of my metacarpals at least once (can you say high side!) Regardless I feel very fortunate to have had such an experience on a historic motorcycle.

[@reincarnatethylacine70]

I had a single ride on a TZ700, owned by a friend of a friend. We went for what would now be called a track day, my then bike was a well prepared Suzuki 315, no TZ beater but pretty good for a street based biike. I was surprised and really greatful to be offered the ride. It was also the first time I had ever ridden on slicks. The advice I was given was that it was just like an RD (same weight) just with an extra engine! and that was correct. I was also told that I should ring it out a bit because it didn't really like low to mid revs. Well I distinctly failed to ring it out. A couple of non descript first laps without it getting any where near on song I pulled onto the main straight in third and (for me) nailed the right wrist. The front wheel shot skyward, I couldn't find fourth and had to use the rear brake to get the front wheel back on the tarmac. I did a few of more laps being a bit more respectful with the throttle and did manage to sort of get a bit of a handle on it but was still about three seconds slower than on the Suzuki. Had I had more time I might have done better but at the time I was a C Grader and that aptly described my skill level. 50 years later the best part about it is the bragging rights, I've genuinely ridden the beast and that is something very, very few riders can claim.

[@AndyAndy-bg7mv]

i had a go on the tz350 or 250 in the 70s as i club raced 250s i raced a greeves silverstone and knew i didnt have a bike or the money to come near to that bike loved to have a go on the 750 lucky you

[@reincarnatethylacine70]

@@AndyAndy-bg7mv My Suzuki 315 was replaced with a 1975 B model TZ350 which I used for three years. Right now I am in the process of buying the old girl back. She's in a pretty sorry state but I do have a workshop that is very well equipped to do restorative work (mainly on aircraft) The trouble is I'm in my 70's and will have to live long enough and be fit enough to ride it again.

[@billbill5820]

I was fortunate to be working as a weldor at Champion Frames from 1973 until they the very end when the doors closed. I helped build the TZ750 Mile bikes that Kenny Roberts and Steve Baker raced as well as many other race winning bikes. One of the TZ750 Milers had a pretty cool graphic on the gas tank put there by Doug Schwerma himself. It read YAMAHAHA. And that is no misprint. I have some pics of the bikes in the build process and one of those is the YAMAHAHA bike. I started at Champion after school in 1973 as a Junior on swingshift. Rick Hocking taught me how they built the swingarms and things just took off from there. I have VERY fond memories of Steve Baker testing the TZ750 on a long straight frontage road near Champion in Hayward, CA. He came by us on the back wheel, doing at least 120, turned to us as he flew by. That thing sounded like an angry bee wanting to fly faster. There just happened to be another guy out there on a pretty nice lay down Harley drag bike. Steve and the Harley guy decided to drag race. Steve stayed right with him until they got close to us. That is when Steve hit the gas brought the front end up, grabbed another gear, and left the Harley in the dust. I was 19 in 1975 and will never forget that day.

[@olivertoeknuckleiii2093]

Nothing compares to King Kenny’s ride on the dirt track! That was pure mastery of a diabolical machine!

[@1950Bonanza]

Smokers forever! I grew up on smokers, raced them, modified them, restored them. Riders today will never know the excitement and thrill of getting on the pipe of a built to the hilt two stroke racer...

[@michaelsorrentino-yp7nb]

True words from the Mad Man himself, just a sick race machine !!

[@captainsensible298]

I was at My Panorama at Bathurst Australia in 1985 for the Easter bike races, I got a pit pass and was given a press pass for the open race. One TZ750D, and about 4 RG500 Suzukis were entered with a field of up to 1.3 litre 4 strokes. The TZ had a front end off an FJ1100 and was fronted by Pittmans Yamaha, one of the RGs seized on the last practice. Before the race start I got myself dropped off at the cutting about 3/4 down the 2 mile straight, it was a hill the road cut through with a steep climb on one side and a flat top and a gentle decline leading to the end of the straight. I am about 5ft 11, I was standing on the side of the track about 10 ft from the edge, I was standing on the hill the cutting went through about 6ft above the race track surface. Every lap the RGs would catch Michael Dowson on the TZ750 up the hill, through skyline and down through the corners. Every lap the 750 would open the taps and be doing 200mph when Michael passed my spot. Every lap that 750 flew 6ft above my head, I could see the suspension load up at the bottom of the hill and watch the belly pan and pipes as he flew past me, off the ground for about 100ft, EVERY lap. THE most awesome display of raw power I have ever seen. EVER. Michael Dowson had balls the size of watermelons. That 750 was a ground hugging missile. To me the only machine more impressive is the Yamaha OW69 Daytona monster.

[@Jonathan-L]

I wonder what Michael Dowson is up to these days? Is he still living in Bunbury?

[@pauloconnor7951]

I own a restored Kawasaki H2 750; and adore that machine. Wow what a ride and sensory experience it is !!!

[@DuaneWilson-ro1pn]

Is it a wobbler diving into a corner or did u fix that issue

[@philcal2000]

I bought one in 1980 and got it for 400 bucks Australian I was 17 , a great beginner bike... funny how everyone wants one now , but back then you could not give them away .

[@1950Bonanza]

I have a 72 in pieces right now that I'm scrounging parts for. I have three engines that came with the bike, the original is seized with a cracked ring from the extreme port job on it. These cylinders were ported by Purple Haze in Littleton CO. Way to aggressive for my built though.

[@ericsmith6692]

This is one of the many reasons why I love YAMAHA, keep it up Team Yamaha 👍🤘

[@davidrayner9832]

I have a friend who has a TZ-700 registered for the road. He lives on the east coast of Australia and bought it years ago from someone who rode it from Perth, a distance of almost 4,000 kms.

[@randydewees7338]

In about 1975 I was at a local Yamaha shop (Capistrano Beach), getting some tune up parts for my RD250.There was a TZ700 on a stand out front. I knew what it was and what it could do. I started daydreaming about cruising up I395 in the Owens's Valley at 150 mph. It was so outrageous that this bike would be loafing at that speed. No street bike back then could get close. Decades later I lived that daydream many times on many different bikes.

[@Moontanman]

I wish Yamaha had released the street legal version the GL 750! I wanted one so bad! I still have a magazine with the first look at the Gl 750! fuel injection, reed valves... be still my heart!

[@chrisp1269]

@Moontanman it only ever made the mock up stage for show xs650 chassis with empty engine casings The fuel injection never saw the light of day in that decade either

[@Moontanman]

@@chrisp1269 I am aware but at the time I was 16

[@dougturner370]

I saw Baker at Mosport on a TZ750, what a great rider!

[@Anatoli50]

Steve Baker is alive and well in Bellingham, Washington. Humble and polite, Steve is a hero you would want to meet.

[@Vivianissime]

Une clé de la puissance phénoménale de ce double 350 réside dans la prise de force centrale sur l'embiellage. On savait avec les déboires de la H2 que la prise de force en extrémité causait des torsions de l'embiellage et des casses majeures. Si on m'avait proposé de faire quelques tours de circuit avec, j'aurais refusé : aucune moto ne vaut ma vie. Il fallait être kamikaze et un peu cinglé pour exploiter un tel engin. J'en ai "ramassé" quelques unes quand j'étais commissaire de piste, après avoir cessé de courir, notamment Eddie Lawson qui s'était vautré à mon poste. Ce furent les seules fois qu'il me fut donné de poser les mains sur cette merveille. Salut et fraternité*

[@PurityVendetta]

Back in the early 80's I was racing an aging TZ350 and called at a friend's place for a chat, a cup of tea and a chain and sprocket set. He had a small unit out of the back of his dad's factory selling a few parts to the dealership I ran the workshop for. He had his TZ 750 out and running. How could I say no when he asked if I wanted a couple of laps of the industrial estate? For the time it was incredible lifting the front wheel at will every time it hit the power band. This is why all of those videos claiming the Kawasaki 500 and 750 triples were scary. They were positively tame in comparison.

[@baeruuttehei1393]

Assen NL, september 1977: I went there with a friend who rode a motocross race on saturday before the 750 race. We didn't see the 750's on the track but stood by in the paddock as Michel Rougerie's dark red bike was warmed up; I'll never forget the sound and the vibrations under my feet on 2 metres/7 feet distance! Just wonderful!

[@billybupkis3688]

King Kenny's baddest bike was his Doug Schwerma framed TZ-750 flat tracker. I can still smell the Blendz-All. I had a Spec 2 RD-350 by Gary Shumake back in the late 70s early 80s. That was a lot of fun.

[@danielklopp7007]

As an avid motorcyclist and motorcycle race fan for more than 50 years (and thinking at the time the TZ750 on Goodyear racing slicks was the ultimate Daytona road-race machine). But 20 years later, street based 600cc sport bikes (on street legal tires) were doing faster lap times at Daytona... the progress in power, handling and tires during those 20 years was stunning!

[@manmatemonkey5076]

The 70's were great , the bikes like the women then were far superior then the bloated trouts we have these days....how sad , i miss the 70's

[@ivanlloyd6661]

Bloated trouts 😅😅😅😅😅

[@postulator890]

I made one good TZ-750 engine out of two that a friend owned. Raced the one at Sears Point and the last AFM race at Riverside. Someone once said of a Husky 400 that the throttle was like a fire hydrant: the more you opened it, the more that came out. The TZ is much the same way. Very difficult to get a top speed plug chop even at a track like Riverside knowing that the bump on the inside of turn 8 waited. That being said this TZ-750D was like riding a washing machine into a corner: it wanted to go straight due to the accumulation of straight away speed. I had raced a Yoshimura Z1 1000 at Ontario 6-hour that turned easier. After all that, a true and genuine respect for the people who hustled these around at insane velocities.

[@chillax498]

Had the pleasure of seeing one of these bad boys 30 years ago my mates dad had 1 in Scotland,, awesome thing

[@stevefowler2112]

Fyi, in '75 at the Daytona 200 where the TZ-750 made it's first appearance in the states, all the TZ-750's were the 694cc (aka 700cc) variant except for Kenny's and Ago's who both had the new 750cc. I raced in the '75 Daytona 200 on a TZ350 (D).

[@kerrywilton8266]

Ago’s bike was 694cc. The 750’s first appearance at Daytona was 1974.

[@DTM45]

Gnarly two stroke. Just wow.

[@philippejoseph8604]

1970, mars, Giacomo Agostini wins the daytona 200 miles with the Yamaha 700 TZ for his first race there.

[@519CZRacer]

1970??? Dick Mann won on the Honda. Ago won in ‘74

[@alpal2002]

The H2R750 Kawasaki was upgraded in many ways by Neville Doyle in Australia. It won against the TZ750's many times - ridden by Greg Hansford and Murray Sayle.

[@chrisp1269]

@alpal2002 the Erv Kanemoto/Gary Nixon KR was the one to beat

[@alpal2002]

@@chrisp1269 - OK - I didn't know that.

[@chrisp1269]

@@alpal2002 I guess I am lucky to have ridden them all over the years The KR750 was a very competitive machine in the right hands but unfortunately, like the Suzuki XR11 and the OW31, not freely available unlike the over the counter TZ750

[@alpal2002]

@@chrisp1269 - yes and both Kawasaki and Yamaha should have sold road versions of their race winning bikes but they didn't. I wonder why? Maybe they thought that too many riders would be killed on them?

[@chrisp1269]

The only manufacturer to actually make some thing similar to what they actually raced was Suzuki with the RG500, everything else was a cosmetic marketing job to create sales or a reason to shout about technical advances

[@ChrisMcCutcheon-wj2pp]

I rode my neighbors rd 350, a very fast small street bike, then I bought my first yz490, went in the mud in late 70s, 40 yrs later, riding in the mud and dirt, I bought another big bore single cylinder Yamaha, told my kids if u can start it, u can ride it, still have that ole yz, and yes I don't think it's been passed by any 4 toker

[@michaelsorrentino-yp7nb]

At the 1.40 mark bikes show were TD2 and aTD3, not TZ. TZ bikes were disc brake not shoe brakes !

[@rotorairgroup8409]

Magnificent bike

[@peterturnham5134]

I have a 350LC Yamaha in the garage I know what x2 will do, never the chance to ride one. Have ridden 135bhp Bikes but not that light and viscous. Kenny Roberts, absolute hero to ride that on an oval dirt track. Will someone lend me a ride?

[@TheeMuseumofjunk]

Land of the free Destroys Harley Davidson Banned 😂

[@jarikinnunen1718]

In 1973 Jarno Saarinen did win Daytona 200 by Yamaha 350. Why double size bikes did lost? Maybe problems in handling?

[@kx8960]

I remember seeing them race at Laguna Seca once back in the '80's, pretty cool stuff!

[@DanielGery-r6f]

Les moteurs 2 temps, les seuls fait pour la course. Hommage à Patrick Pons. 🇨🇵

[@garneauweld1100]

So AMA only gave Roberts one race on the flat tracker? Also how do he keep the radiator from loading up with mud and therefore the engine from overheating. - Once Yamaha sucks you in, they want to keep you, and it's hard to escape because they treat you so well with lots of parts and support.

[@kerrywilton8266]

Not a bad summary, despite a couple of factual errors, random (unrelated) photos/video or mis-captioned photos.

[@stanisb.9665]

Mein Vater hatte die ow31 mit Straßenzulassung wahrscheinlich weltweit einzigste

[@zztop7306]

It also did a number on the XR750 Harleys on the Mile. So much so AMA banned it

[@donaldhudson2235]

I repeat, it was some time before I found out they did make 7 or 8 I think it was in 78 that had the. power .valve. and the reason the 750 class was cut was the power they were starting to produce and they said no only 500 CC's From now on. hell you can see that with your eyes. O In case you didn't know in 1983 when Kenny Roberts won the Daytona, 200. Eddie Lawson had done been signed on with him. Those V 4 were really 750s. That's the reason they Put them in crate and sent straight back to Japan When the race was over.

[@chrisp1269]

Factually incorrect!!!!! The 750 motor never did have and never could have a power valve, as for the OW69, or YZR700, the whole story is actually well documented by Yamaha so nothing to hide!!!!!! The bike that was run in America in 1983 and 84 was the OW69, a 690cc Square 4 version of the OW60 500cc grand prix machine. It stood for many a year on display in Yamaha's HQ Cypress Califorinia, so clearly didn't high tail it back to Japan at any point and one was tested for the magazines by John Ulrich. Yamaha simply had no viable factory machine to run in 1983 so they produced the one off OW61. It wasn't a new idea as Suzuki did it a few years before in 1978 with the XR23B, a 652cc version of the 500cc race machines, Franco ( Barry sheenes dad) had made a big bore XR14 years before for 750 racing and this was adopted by the factory. off the top of my memory, Virginia Ferrari won on one at Paul Ricard in 78 and it was regularly run for the Match Races between 78 and 1980 The actual reason Yamaha pulled the plug on the OW31 was the FIM decision to end the F750 class in 1979, in fact the TZ750 was last produced in 1979 being the F model, although it was no different to the D and E models (162 made in total). The OW31 that Crosby won Daytona on in 1982 was three years old! Yamaha never made a 500 production bike after 18982 either the TZ500J (or reverse cylinder) being the last one and so popular that it is still possible to buy a brand new one!!!! Another factor was upcoming FZR750 and its impact on the world being far greater than the straight four two stroke. Just think how many road bikes based on the FZR series they actually sold?? FZR250 FZR400 FZR600 FZR750 and FZR1000 which eventually led to the R6 and R1 and M1!!!

[@donaldhudson2235]

@chrisp1269 it was told only 7 or 8 had a p.v. and they were hard to get because they We're a Collector's autumn.

[@chrisp1269]

@@donaldhudson2235 Collectors Autumn?? Again you are so factually wrong The TZ750/OW31 NEVER EVER had a power valve system, it simply wasn't possible with the engine architecture. If i am wrong, and I am pretty certain I am not, then show me images or proof of this legendary quantum leap in technology!!! It never happened I was there and raced these things. There was at best 30 OW31s ever made and none of them ever had a power valve and the production TZ version certainly never did have. They stopped making the TZ750 in 1979 and still made the TZ350 in 1982 and that didn't get the power valve system either!!! The TZ250H only got power valves in 1981...........

[@chrisp1269]

@@donaldhudson2235 I wasn't told, i was actually there!!!! Development of the OW31 and TZ 750F stopped dead in 1979!! If it didn't have Power Valves in 79 and it never ever had them!!!! No limited edition models or Special production It simply NEVER EVER Had the system The OW31 that Crosby won Daytona on was a 1979 Spec OW31 built up out of old parts as the YZR500 wasn't deemed suitable for the 200 mile slog, hence the OW61 being built for 1982 and 1984

[@donaldhudson2235]

@@chrisp1269 you we're there what's the Chance of getting XJR 1100 the 1998 model With a quarter Fairing you know like the 1981 seca 550. The one Yamaha said we could not have.

[@franktechmaniac7488]

You cannot compare those multi cylinder lawnmower engines to the beauty and elegance of the earlier tiny Honda four stroke engines.

[@900BEN]

You can

[@thecrusherbugs2331]

Love my RD's. 350, 400, 400 Daytona Special, RZ350 Kennedy Roberts edition that i bought brand new.. Every time ride one i get thumbs up. When i park it, forget about it..motorcycle enthusiasts take pictures and want to meet and talk which i love...2 stokes rule.. 🍻👍👏♥️😄

[@subaruwrx3381]

T zed ...English english

[@Muller-s5f]

Such a shame that you show a picture of the great Joey Dunlop's TZ750, but don't mention him at all. Watched him many times at Mondello Park on his TZ350 racing against the formidable Conor McGinn, whose TZ was sponsored by the late Derick McGuire. Conor said he also raced TZ750 but never saw that. I supposed the tack was too short for superbikes. The unlimited class was usually won by Joey on 357cc production or TZ

[@michaelhurley545]

140 Horsepower at 330 pounds in the early 70s That machine was for the best riders only...

[@chrisp1269]

@michaelhurley545 tz put together very well maybe 115 to 120bhp out of the crate more like 100bhp the factory only OW31 140 plus but different bike altogether

[@MarkGiven-z3q]

of course they had to ban that bike .why race anything else ? gotta keep the Harley guys around with there slow shit

[@StuartBlake-iz6rf]

Yamaha built a bulletproof engine. You could wring it out and not implode it. rider skill was the next requirement to win. KR was a reworked H2 really. TR750 was underfunded.

[@alpal2002]

The H2R750 Kawasaki was upgraded in many ways by Neville Doyle in Australia. It won against the TZ750's many times - ridden by Greg Hansford and Murray Sayle.

[@steverowe2604]

It's pronounced Tzed not Tzee ffs. Anyone who knows about bikes know this. Good video ruined yet again by bland monotone commentary!

[@superplumber5]

1982 CR 480 bored 40 over . Arm yanker

[@tomprovo6204]

I hate the AI narration that so many video makers use.

[@tonypalermo5796]

Watched these race in Laguna Seca back in the day, golden age for sure.

[@FredericExcalibur-lu5re]

650cv à 2500tr/min...😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Parfait pour labourer !

[@donaldhudson2235]

Why? Is it when you show the part where he raced it At the Indie mile And when they gave him the checkered flag when he went down to back straight away. He had the checkered flag in his left hand and he did a wheelie all the way down the back straight away. Why do you always cut that part out? And in 1978 They made 7 that had the power valve. The rest were standered 2 strokes and they were putting out a 150 horses when they quit making it at the Crank shaft. 😊 😊 😊

[@volkerpetersen-xh6fk]

Tolle KI-Sprache! Zum kot ähh weghören. Widerlich

[@williamhoffman4337]

It only dominated because it wasn't strictly legal

[@josvandencamp8441]

Because it wasn't a production bike?

[@williamhoffman4337]

@josvandencamp8441 yeah , then they made enough of them to homolgate it , about 600 I think

[@donaldhudson2235]

No, It was just. Ahead of its time. And when they quit making it, it was making a 150 horsepower at the crank Shaft.. The only made 7 or 8 in i thank 1978 That had a power valve. The rest were just basic to stroke.

[@williamhoffman4337]

@@josvandencamp8441 yes , formula 750 was for production based machines. The tz never had a generator or any road equipment

[@kerrywilton8266]

@@donaldhudson2235 Yamaha never made a power valve 750. There were just u deer 600 made in total.

[@captainaxle438]

I think it was just stupid that they didn't design the porting to be more low end usable power. I'm sure they could have been better machines

[@kerrywilton8266]

How do you suggest rearranging the porting? Less that what they have would make better mid range but when you have a gearbox to suit, give it the porting for power. He biggest limitation is the shape of the transfer ducts, which can’t be changed due to cylinder spacing. Modern ignitions and exhausts help, but the basic architecture is the problem.

[@captainaxle438]

@kerrywilton8266 yes they know more than I do for sure. But some amateur ideas I have, what about as in car engines, more cylinders and layout equals more torque and power. V8, V6 and then there's heavier flywheels. A dual flywheel like a 2 speed design. There's clutch possibilities like the slipper clutch but backwards to prevent HP hitting to sudden. If you can create beastly power you should be able to harness it and apply it. Like voltage regulator but mechanically. I still think they could have done better