Faults:

Enclosed chain rear seal.

General Comments:

Great bike to ride. Comfortable and great grunt, so no effort or screaming motor to get action when required.

Regular inspection and cleaning of the bike and adjustments meant great reliability.

Purchased the bike in October 81 and rode to Perth W.A. from Brisbane QLD in 2.5 days; long hours in the saddle only stopping for fuel and tucker or a nap. Some cramping in my upper thighs led to me purchasing after market highway pegs for my return to Brisbane 2 weeks later with 11500km on the clock.

Used the bike in all manner of terrain and it was awesome on gravel roads; maybe the low centre of gravity.

Original pipes with that balance box rusted out in 2 years, so fitted an after market set and they are still on the bike.

Original chain and sprockets are still fitted. The enclosed chain in grease has certainly paid off.

Faults:

Enclosed chain drive was not that good of an idea, hard to check for correct chain tension and wear etc. so I removed it and modified it back to normal.

Starter motor will always be a problem, so get a good one; you can replace the pins in the centrifugal clutch part of the starter if you can find some, and cut them down to the right size, as I have done in the past.

Rear pot will wear quicker than the front due to heat and low oil pressure. I suggest putting an oil pressure gauge on and keeping an eye on it.

General Comments:

I have owned and ridden this bike over 100,000km, and it still keeps me very satisfied as far as great torque, fantastic in those big sweeping corners, and can keep up with the best of them in the tight stuff.

This bike was nicknamed The Volatile Vibrator, and rightfully so, but once you get used to its vibes, it's not a problem.

These bikes are getting on now, and if you were to want to keep one, then I suggest you collect spares as there are not many good ones left, and you will need them for future engine rebuilds and so on.

Carbie diaphragm is no longer available, nor is the starter motor through Yamaha.

Faults:

Head gaskets, fork seals.

General Comments:

I bought my 81 XV1000 (no 920s here in Australia) in 1985 - smooth ride, powerful bike.

Problems included head gaskets blowing and enclosed chain seal failing.

I converted it to a cafe racer - Ducati 900SS replica fairing, custom made 2 into 1 stainless steel exhaust, 38mm mikuni slider carbies. This greatly increased performance (and fuel consumption).

Great bike to ride through twisty mountain roads. They are hard to find now, but I think they will acquire a cult status of sorts.

Faults:

Don't know, but it does need some TLC (tender loving care)

General Comments:

I have replaced a lot of bits since I bought it, but what would you expect with a 26-year old bike? - Brake pads, fork seals, chain and sprockets, exhausts (Mufflers), float valves (both) and numerous minor fittings.

I've had to re-coil a number of threads that had been stripped by previous owners and glued up (probably the same owner) including one of the main rear engine mounting bolts.

The fully enclosed drive chain is a good idea; supposed to give 50K+ chain life, although it is a pain to change chain and sprockets.

Very comfortable to ride, even at slow speed around town and through traffic, but the steering feels a bit heavy as it really wants to fall into corners, and significant counter-pressure needs to be applied to maintain a constant radius corner. The narrow handle bars are a real bonus when moving between stationary traffic.