HE FIRST CENTURY OF THE MOTORCYCLE DRIC WINKOWSK\ and FRANK D. SULLIVAN with RICHARD E. MANCINI1981 Yamaha XSi100c The tuning-fork logo appearing on carly Yam: the Japanese eycle maker's pa iny, Nippon Gakki, instruments. The first Yamaha ned after Nippon Gakki’s founder Jha) was a two-stroke YACI, introdu 5: series of twin m Torakuse Ya single, the 125 din 19: appeared in 1957. And just aver two decades later, in 1978, the marque launched its first attempt at a four- cylinder superbike—the XS1100. With a muscular air-cooled 1101-ce twin-cam engine, the shaftdriven XS1100 had plenty of power and a top speed of 135 mph. Its bulky frame, however, was barely strong enough to support its massive powerplant, and as result there were considerable han- dling and stability problems at high speeds. But its otherwise smooth ride ade the bike, represented here by an iginal 1980 XS1100G, a good choice for towing a sidecar like this Ural rig. 1982 Yamaha Vision Witness the Yamaha Vision: a motor- cycle in many ways ahead of its time, yet also in the wrong place at the . Introduced in 1982, the on met with ¢ reclaim, formance and its looks, It a powerful aluminum V-twin engine with liquid-cooling for tighter tolerances, and a shaft drive and com- fortable seating that made long, terrupted rides enjoyable. Extremely agile for its time, the Vision handled well, transitioned smoothly and, unlike many bikes, did't require a downshift to pass comfortably. It was easy to ride and maintain, and many riders speak fondly of the V great first bike. And its sleek, “café racer*styling w hand- some black 1982 specimen illustrates, 3s, a8 th So why was it discontinued after two years? Well, 1982 also saw the intro: duction of the Honda Interceptor and the Kawasaki marketed “café racers” that left the Vision in the dust. —two successfullyFREDRIC WINKOWSKI 48 WEST 715" STREET New York, NY 10023 July 1, 2004 Mr. Robert C. Pemberton 209 Haynsworth Street Sumter, SC 29150 Dear Mr. Pemberton, 1 appreciate your writing to me about the error in “100 Motorcycles, 100 Years,” and 1 apologize for the misidentification of the photograph on page 141 asa 1982 Yamaha Vision. I have done some checking on the internet, and I see that you are correct. I will inform the publisher and will replace the photograph with a correct one in the next printing. Thank you very much for taking the time to write. Best regards, Fr ‘red Winkowski