The Heritage Special wasn’t just aimed at the well-heeled buyer, it was aimed at anyone who wanted a cruiser. The main difference between the Heritage Special and the KZ900 LTD was this: The LTD was a hot-rod machine, aimed at capturing customers away from Big Twins. The Heritage Special wasn’t the first Japanese cruiser, but it was one of the first to be built around a more affordable engine. However, the “Special” parts were definitely inspired by what was going on in the US custom scene at the time, with input from American dealers and product planners. Yamaha didn’t build its new cruiser, the XS650 Heritage Special, in Nebraska it was made in Japan. In many ways, it was an American motorcycle with a Japanese engine and frame. But, that bike was designed in America, featured copies of American aftermarket parts, and final assembly of many, if not all of the models, was done in Kawasaki’s plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. Just as the seeds of World War II’s Pacific Theatre were sown in the 1931 invasion of Manchuria, the first signs of Japanese interest in the cruiser market came in 1976, with Kawasaki’s KZ900 LTD. The weapon: The lowly, but reliable XS650, which was morphing into the Heritage Special.

Having already taken over most of the touring, off-road, sport and commuter motorcycle segments, the Big Four were going to start building American-style cruisers, and Yamaha was going to push the hardest in this category.

The situation: The Japanese manufacturers, having basically destroyed the British motorcycle manufacturers, were preparing to launch an all-out assault on the American industry.

Yamaha xs650 gravel crew style