Other modern singles to look out for

Yamaha SRX600

Despite poor sales of the SR500 in some markets, Yamaha persisted with the big single, adding the SRX600 to its line up in the mid-1980s. The roadster look was replaced with something very café racer-like, with clip-ons, rear sets and an unburstable 600cc engine with a balance shaft from the XT600E trail bike. Yet Yamaha still didn’t fit an electric starter until the late 1980s.

The SRX had beautiful lines, it handled well, it was light, and it could run rings round bigger sports bikes in the right hands. It had superb brakes and front suspension, pulled from the FZ600 and YPVS RD350 parts bin. The frame was either based on The TZ racers or the Seeley Suzuki racers depending on who you ask. The SRX offered a claimed 41bhp, 10 more than an SR500, and a 14 second quarter-mile time. Pop a noisy exhaust and big Mikuni slide carb on it and it will fly. Like the SR500, the kick-only model had its starting problems. If starting a warmed up SRX, avoid giving it any