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On the Road: 1979 Yamaha XS750 Special

Search for vintage plate-worthy bike led Saskatchewan rider to a quirky, and comfy, classic cruiser

Greg Williams
Jun 20, 2021  •  June 20, 2021  •  4 minute read  •  Join the conversation
Nicknamed the Unicorn by owner Michael Rogalski, there are several unique features of the 1979 Yamaha XS750 that set it apart from other models of the era, such as a kickstarter (rare for a late 1970s machine with a 750cc engine), three cylinders, shaft rear drive and vacuum operated gas petcocks.
Nicknamed the Unicorn by owner Michael Rogalski, there are several unique features of the 1979 Yamaha XS750 that set it apart from other models of the era, such as a kickstarter (rare for a late 1970s machine with a 750cc engine), three cylinders, shaft rear drive and vacuum operated gas petcocks. Photo by Michael Rogalski

A love for motorcycles runs in the Rogalski family. Nick Rogalski ran a 1942 Harley-Davidson 45, then a vintage Indian Chief. In the early 1980s, he bought his kids an old two-stroke 150cc Kawasaki to use on the family’s Saskatchewan acreage.

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Nick’s enthusiasm for powered two-wheelers was passed to son Michael, who has continued to ride. While Michael Rogalski’s first bike was small, he progressed to larger motorcycles as he gained confidence in his riding skills. Over the years, Rogalski has had a variety of street motorcycles, including a 1981 Honda CB900 Custom.

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“A couple of years ago, I was looking for something that was pre-1987 so I could licence it from March to November, which is about the length of Saskatoon’s riding season,” Rogalski says, and adds, “Vintage plates run less than $15 a month.”

For comparison, Rogalski owns a 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa that he says costs him $270 a month to plate. He did find a 1981 Honda CB900 Custom – just like the one he’d had when he was 24. It was available from a dealer in Moose Jaw, but Rogalski says, “The CB900 Custom was a bit more than I wanted to spend, and I was afraid the nostalgia was stronger than the reality of that bike, which was heavy.”

Late in 2019, he found a listing on Kijiji for a 1979 Yamaha XS750 Special. It had been sitting unused for a few years but was relatively clean and had only 14,000 kilometres on the odometer. When he went to look at the Yamaha, Rogalski found the brakes were stuck, and the bike wouldn’t roll. However, he was able to get the bike to fire up and run for a moment. Knowing it would take work to get the machine back on the road, Rogalski made an offer.

“I asked, ‘Would you take a dollar a cc (cubic centimetre)?’” Rogalski explains. “And the seller said, ‘Give me $800 and it’s yours.’”

Rogalski got the bike home to his garage and started looking it over but didn’t get too far into the resurrection process until late in 2020.

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  1. Michael Rogalski gained a love for motorcycles from his father, Nick. Now, Michael has passed that enthusiasm to his own son, Simon, a third-generation Rogalski who has taken up an interest in powered two-wheelers. Simon has been riding a 1974 Honda CB400 Four, and has taken his dad’s ’new' 1979 Yamaha XS750 for a few rides.
    Michael Rogalski gained a love for motorcycles from his father, Nick. Now, Michael has passed that enthusiasm to his own son, Simon, a third-generation Rogalski who has taken up an interest in powered two-wheelers. Simon has been riding a 1974 Honda CB400 Four, and has taken his dad’s ’new' 1979 Yamaha XS750 for a few rides. Photo by Michael Rogalski
  2. After buying the 1979 Yamaha XS750 in late 2019, Michael Rogalski didn’t start resurrecting the machine until late in 2020. He removed accessories such as the handlebar mounted windshield, sissy bar and luggage rack.
    After buying the 1979 Yamaha XS750 in late 2019, Michael Rogalski didn’t start resurrecting the machine until late in 2020. He removed accessories such as the handlebar mounted windshield, sissy bar and luggage rack. Photo by Michael Rogalski
  3. The somewhat odd-ball three-cylinder engine is one of a few quirky things about this bike.
    The somewhat odd-ball three-cylinder engine is one of a few quirky things about this bike. Photo by Michael Rogalski
  4. With the shaft rear drive on the 1979 Yamaha XS750, owner Michael Rogalski was limited on tire choices due to clearance issues.
    With the shaft rear drive on the 1979 Yamaha XS750, owner Michael Rogalski was limited on tire choices due to clearance issues. Photo by Michael Rogalski
  5. With the vacuum operated petcocks, there is no positive off position. Over time, the seals fail, and allow gasoline to seep into the engine, ultimately filling the crankcase with an oil and gasoline mixture.
    With the vacuum operated petcocks, there is no positive off position. Over time, the seals fail, and allow gasoline to seep into the engine, ultimately filling the crankcase with an oil and gasoline mixture. Photo by Michael Rogalski
  6. With the shaft rear drive on the 1979 Yamaha XS750, owner Michael Rogalski was limited on tire choices due to clearance issues.
    With the shaft rear drive on the 1979 Yamaha XS750, owner Michael Rogalski was limited on tire choices due to clearance issues. Photo by Michael Rogalski
  7. Purchased for $800, this 1979 Yamaha XS750 has become a reliable daily machine for Saskatoon’s Michael Rogalski, a second-generation motorcyclist who inherited his passion for bikes from his father, Nick.
    Purchased for $800, this 1979 Yamaha XS750 has become a reliable daily machine for Saskatoon’s Michael Rogalski, a second-generation motorcyclist who inherited his passion for bikes from his father, Nick. Photo by Michael Rogalski

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“There are several things about the XS750 that make it interesting to me, and actually make it a bit of a unicorn – in fact, I’ve nicknamed it the Unicorn,” Rogalski says, and explains, “It’s a three-cylinder, it has a kickstarter, it has shaft drive, and it has dual vacuum operated petcocks.”

Those last items that caused some grief. Over time, the seals go in the gas petcocks, and they only have three positions – prime, run or reserve. There is no positive off position, and in Rogalski’s Yamaha gas had seeped past the worn seals and filled the crankcase with a gasoline and oil mixture.

“I took seven and a half litres of gas and oil out of the cases,” Rogalski says.

He bought kits to repair the petcocks and went further into the fuel system, removing the carbs, completely dismantling them, cleaning them, and reassembling them. The seven-spoke mag wheels were renewed with fresh bearings, and he spent $305 on mounting and balancing new tires. Brake calipers were freed up and the rotors and pads both front and rear scuffed up before being put back together. Fresh fluid was introduced into the brake master cylinders and bleeding them returned fully functioning brakes. In terms of the electrical system, it checked out fine, but all lightbulbs were replaced.

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In late March 2021, with fresh oil in the crankcase, Rogalski had the Yamaha XS750 running again.

“I set off on a 35-kilometre journey when it was about 13 C and ended up riding it more than 400 kilometres that afternoon,” Rogalski says, and laughs. “I was waving to guys who were still ice fishing.

“When the bike is idling, it doesn’t sound that much different than any other Japanese multi-cylinder motorcycle, but when the revs climb to 4,000 it begins to sound like a race car,” he says of the aural characteristics of the three-cylinder Yamaha.

When the revs climb to 4,000 it begins to sound like a race car.

“With an upright riding position, it’s really comfortable to ride and it’s really enjoyable to go for a spin in the evening and put 50 or 60 kilometres on it, not really going anywhere, but just cruising around and checking things out,” he adds. “So far, only one thing has broken. The orange plastic needle in the tachometer snapped off inside the instrument.”

That hasn’t stopped him from enjoying his new ride, and in just two months, he’s added more than 1,000 kilometres to the clock.

He says, “The Unicorn is living up to its name as it is rare that a neglected bike takes so little work and money to turn into a daily rider.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca

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