I'll try to get it running...

[Kid Jedi]

#10 eh?  nice. Compared to other bikes from the era the vision is harder to turn in to a reliable running machine than a Kawi GPZ550 or a suzuki GS500. After you get her running right then you get to do the starter, a tank with FOUR points lower than the petcock that probably rotted out,  do the clutch bolts, a stator or 2, maby a R/R, rebuild the YICS, and then the whole flapper door thing.

Now here is where I might get my ass beat....
Compared to the honda VF700, Suzuki GS500, Kawi GPZ 550 The 82 vision was a unreliable lemon form the factory.  if you want to restore a bike to get to and from school keep looking.

IF you want project that could net you a wicked canyon carver with high touring possibilities, a great sound, that is cheap to buy, here is your bike, but be warned, if you are inexperienced she will probably spend the first month in your garage getting some major love.

Ask ANYONE here who has restored one if it was worth it, and they will tell ya HELL YA.

Bottom line: the bike needs more TLC than the average UJM, but your effort will not be wasted.


but what do I know ? ;D

[Tiger]

Compared to other bikes from the era the vision is harder to turn in to a reliable running machine than a Kawi GPZ550 or a suzuki GS500. After you get her running right then you get to do the starter, a tank with FOUR points lower than the petcock that probably rotted out,  do the clutch bolts, a stator or 2, maby a R/R, rebuild the YICS, and then the whole flapper door thing.

Now here is where I might get my ass beat....
Compared to the Honda VF700, Suzuki GS500, Kawi GPZ 550 The 82 vision was a unreliable lemon form the factory. 

:) This, of course, is all subjective shite based on the teachings of the old magazine write-ups of the period which in many cases have been proved incorrect. Infact, as we have discovered, some of the so called "experts" had never even seen in-the-flesh, let alone rode a Vision :o ::)

We have several Visionaries here on the ROV who have owned their Vision's from new, with none or very little of this B.S...

Diatribe like this is one of the reasons the Vision only lasted two years in North America...but several years across the globe... >:(

I've replaced the stator in the "The Mistress" once in four years and am at present running on a used Virago unit...and the Vision isn't the only bike that has had stator problems...look back at your list and check the history...

Hmmmm, gas tank....Never had to replace one because it rotted out...but yes it does happen if not stored properly at lay up!!!...but I've seen that happen with other make/models too...

I overhauled my starter during the winter as it needed brushes...this is the first one that needed doing of all the Visions that I have rebuilt/sold...Other bikes don't require a starter overhaul after twentyseven+ years is what your saying ::)

Never had a problem with air flapper door, as yet, etc, etc.....

As I have said many times..."THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE VISION" ::) If you get it free or for very little money YOU KNOW she needs work and in some cases extensive work!!! However, no worse than any other FREE/Cheap old/older bike of any make...

Your obviously not stupid...your handy with a wrench...so please stop the anal remarks based on second hand B.S!!!

RANT over...sorry for the thread high jack... ;)

                                8).......TIGER....... 8)

[kev10104]

Ya,what Tiger said.lol

[h2olawyer]

I am one of the smart people who ignored the "experts" in the early 80s and bought a new Vision.  Never regretted the decision.  In fact, I was really happy it had such a poor (if misinformed) reputation, as that allowed me to buy it new in 1984 for $1300!

The problems I've had (other than stator) are due to my laziness when storing it.  Yes, my fuel tank rotted - but once I figured out what to use & how to do it, I had that fixed within a week.  The stator issues I've had sure seem to be caused by a bad replacement R/R that always tested OK.  When I replaced the R/R, I got more than 2x the miles out of the stator.  Then that R/R went bad - reinstalled the previous one & got the typical (for me) 1000 miles before the stator fried again.  I now have another new R/R and stator.  I expect to get lots of miles out of it now.

I am in total agreement with Tiger.  ANY old bike needs work - even those owned by one person since new!  Inline fours are a real pain for carb synch and if there are internal engine problems, you have 2x more cylinders to deal with.  Sure things on the Vision could have (and should have) been designed better - but that's true of every motorcycle.  They're all a compromise among the engineering, sales / marketing and financial sectors of the company.

Most of all, this site is tops for knowledge, devotion and friendly help anyone with any old motorcycle could ever want or need.  The Vision likes to be ridden often and will reward the rider with snappy performance and reliability.

H₂O

[Kid Jedi]

Did this bike get slandered in the 80's? i havent read any bike reviews, i was going off of my own experience with MY vision. I have put in about 3x the work other ujms needed to be restored...

[akvision]

Kid,
Lucky has a CD that has every piece of trivia about this bike.  Get him at his email.  The CD is definitely for "V" owners.

By the way,  FYI, I have a nephew that asks me questions from time to time.. When I respond, "Well, I don't Know!"  He says...
But But But, You know everything!

I love him for it..

I know that you are one of those guys..... "You Know Everything."  (It's a complement.)   Thanks for making this site what it is.

[inanecathode]

Kid, if you think a gpz is easy to get into rideable shape i suggest you get one and try it yourself. They're incredibly fragile machines and the fueling is twice as delicate as the vision.

The vision is easy to fix up. Just clean the carbs, make sure its charging, and change the oil. The only reason they get a bad rap is they confuse people because its not an inline aircooled side draft carbed bike like every other mid sized bike since 1959.

[Kid Jedi]

Kid, if you think a gpz is easy to get into rideable shape i suggest you get one and try it yourself. They're incredibly fragile machines and the fueling is twice as delicate as the vision.

got one with 109K, a 1982 gpz550. did a FULL rebuild, tranny to cams traded it for my first car, 1985 Nissan King Cab 2.4L

I try to only talk about bikes I have split the cases on.

[Rick G]

Having worked in a greasy hole on OR., for 3 years, where we got all the old bikes that the Stealers wouldn't work on, I worked on lots of old bikes , every brand out there and most models. They were no easier or harder than the Vision, to bring back to life . Some were the same bike year after year, some people don't learn, that they need to set them up for the winter .Just try getting the carbs out and back in on an old four . I've got two pry bars 24 inches long !! For carb removal and installation.

I've had a Vision engine  down six times , more Honda CB750's than I can count, 450/500 Suzukis, Gpz's , VT Hondas, you name it. I find fours a major P.I.A. Two cylinders are enough, OK three if your greedy, but four, forget it ! Not for me. I hate the high rpm buzz.

Its fine by me that Visions are bad mouthed , it let me buy the first one for 500.00 and the 7.5 parts bikes for next to nothing. Going into a badly under funded retirement , I picked up every Vision I could get my hands on. Mostly these weren't the caliber that Tiger gets , they were parts bikes and they have kept me running for 10 years and I hope 10 more.

[Kid Jedi]

Don't get me wrong. I love my vision like no other bike, there is a reason I am putting all of this work in to mine, when i have an 03 bmw f650cs beggin for attention.  8)  I think that the vision that rolled of the assembly line is kinda cruddy, but with all of this support for her its pretty easy to work out the quirks. All bike have quirks, & visions have em in spades. H2O's stators for example. She aint the easiest thing to work on, and that if you are looking for basic transportation there are bikes that better fit the bill.  I Hate the guys who think there bikes are perfect and refuse to see the shortcomings of there own bikes. All bikes have strengths and weakness, I just like to view mine with no illusions.

The Yamaha Vision. The perfect bike.*

*In theory

Now I am having a blast trying to make that theory a reality with modern tech. :D

as for your special carb removal pry bars i totality agree with ya, I custom ground a screwdriver and specialy designed pair of pliers to make carb removal/ installation possible on the 1988 KZ1000P I had to do a valve replacement on today.

Also I think the vision deserves A LITTLE of the bad mouthing it received.  In the U.S. when you buy a bike people here expect it to be perfect and not have ANY problems till at least the second owner. Dumb ass Americans in my opinion. but in other, smarter countries, such as Europe, people understand that bikes are prototypes and shift happens, and don't mind having the dealer work on there bike for a week or 2. Americans want their instant gratification (I hate Americans)
In other more civilized regions *Cough* CANADA *Cough*  people understand this kinda thing.

I think that the slander the vision received was more cultural than actually based on fact.