Kyle Chandler’s First Motorcycle Was A Yamaha You Wouldn’t Expect
Kyle Chandler is stepping into the DC Universe as Hal Jordan in HBO’s Lanterns, playing an experienced Green Lantern tasked with showing John Stewart the ropes. But long before Chandler was wearing a power ring or acting professionally, he was learning how to handle something considerably more mechanical, a Yamaha Vision 550, and he didn’t exactly acquire it responsibly.
While attending the University of Georgia, Chandler cashed a tuition check from his grandparents and used the money to buy one of Yamaha’s more unusual motorcycles of the 1980s. For an actor now playing one of DC’s most recognizable superheroes, you might expect his first motorcycle story to involve a Harley-Davidson, an old Triumph, or maybe one of the Japanese superbikes that dominated the 1980s. Instead, Chandler started on one of Yamaha’s strangest experiments from the decade, a short-lived V-twin that was considerably more sophisticated than its relatively obscure reputation suggests.
The Yamaha Vision 550 Was Ahead Of Its Time
The motorcycle Chandler chose wasn’t one of Yamaha’s obvious hits. The XZ550 Vision arrived in the U.S. for the 1982 model year at a time when Japanese manufacturers were rapidly experimenting with new engine layouts, chassis technology and increasingly specialized performance motorcycles. Yamaha already had the successful Seca 550 in its lineup, but the Vision approached the middleweight category from an entirely different direction.
At its heart was a 552cc liquid-cooled 70-degree V-twin. Yamaha gave it double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and an oversquare 80mm bore and 55mm stroke. The engine could spin to a 10,000-rpm redline, giving this relatively small V-twin considerably different characteristics from the low-revving twins riders might normally associate with the layout. Power went through a five-speed transmission and shaft final drive. The combination was unusual because Yamaha essentially blended sporting engine characteristics with equipment buyers might have expected from a more touring-oriented motorcycle.
Yamaha Vision 550 Specs
|
Engine |
552cc liquid-cooled DOHC V-twin |
|
Configuration |
70-degree V-twin |
|
Transmission |
5-speed |
|
Final Drive |
Shaft |
|
Redline |
10,000 rpm |
|
0-60 MPH |
4.9 seconds |
|
Period Tested Weight |
462 lbs |
Those specifications translated into respectable performance. Cycle World recorded a 4.9-second 0-60 mph time, giving Chandler’s first street bike enough acceleration to keep things interesting. The Vision wasn’t simply built to deliver straight-line performance, either. Yamaha positioned the compact V-twin to help centralize mass, and period testing praised the resulting handling. Cycle World found the Vision quick to change direction while retaining good stability and cornering clearance, eventually going as far as considering it a better overall motorcycle than Yamaha’s own Seca 550. On paper, Yamaha appeared to have created a genuinely interesting middleweight.
The Yamaha Vision Was More Ambitious Than Successful
Unfortunately, building an interesting motorcycle doesn’t guarantee anyone will buy it. The Vision struggled to establish exactly where it belonged. It had the high-revving engine and handling ability of a sporting motorcycle, but its shaft drive and overall design also pushed it toward sport-touring territory. Early examples also developed a reputation for carburetor problems, further complicating the Vision’s chances of establishing itself against increasingly competitive Japanese rivals. Yamaha wasn’t willing to give up immediately.
For 1983, the company made significant changes to the Vision. The carburetor was revised, the suspension received updates, and Yamaha added a full fairing that gave the motorcycle a much more obvious sport-touring identity. It was an attempt to address some of the weaknesses of the original machine while giving buyers a clearer idea of exactly what the Vision was supposed to be. It wasn’t enough.
The Vision disappeared from the American market after just two model years, leaving behind a motorcycle that never achieved the popularity its engineering arguably deserved. Yamaha would go on to produce plenty of motorcycles that became far more recognizable, leaving the XZ550 as one of the more obscure Japanese sport bikes of the early 1980s.
That short lifespan is also what makes Chandler’s choice considerably more interesting today. His first street motorcycle wasn’t some predictable icon that everyone wanted. He spent his tuition money on a technically ambitious Yamaha that was trying to do something different.
The Yamaha Vision 550 Is Still Surprisingly Affordable
Its obscurity has also kept the Vision surprisingly affordable. A 1982 Yamaha XZ550 Vision recently sold on Bring a Trailer for just $3,882, putting one of Yamaha’s more unusual 1980s motorcycles within reach of everyday enthusiasts. While better-known Japanese performance bikes from the era have attracted serious collector attention, the Vision remains an inexpensive way into something considerably more unusual.
Motorcycles Stayed With Kyle Chandler Long After The Yamaha
The Vision might have been Chandler’s first street motorcycle, but riding wasn’t simply a short-lived college rebellion. Years later, motorcycles were still part of his life while filming Friday Night Lights. Chandler recalled taking road trips while co-star Connie Britton followed along in her 1972 Ford Mustang, traveling between places including Los Angeles, Las Cruces, Marfa and Austin. That makes his latest role an amusing fit.
Hal Jordan is one of DC’s greatest pilots, a character defined by his willingness to strap himself into something fast and head toward danger. The first footage from Lanterns even gives this version of Jordan another enthusiast-approved machine in the form of a black Buick Grand National.
Chandler’s own automotive story started considerably earlier and on two wheels. Before Friday Night Lights, before Hollywood and decades before becoming Green Lantern, he was a college student willing to trade a tuition check for a 10,000-rpm Yamaha V-twin. His grandparents probably would’ve preferred he just bought the textbooks.
Source: MensJournal, BringATrailer, CycleWorld
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