Best press quote:
"The Turbo Seca transforms itself from motorcycle to superbike and back again with ease, and the transformation is simply controlled by the right wrist."
Cycle World, June 1981

Quotable Quotes:

Hot on the heels of Honda's CX500 Turbo, the Yamaha 650 Seca Turbo, despite its futuristic looks, was something totally different. With air instead of water cooling, four instead of two cylinders, and, interestingly of all, pressurized carbs in place of fuel injection, the blown Seca took an entirely different approach to what a turbocharged motorcycle should be.

Many expressed doubts as to the durability of an air-cooled engine under duress of a turbocharger; those reservations would prove unfounded (80,000+ mile Seca Turbos that have never had major engine work or even blown a turbocharger are quite common). The pressurized carbs worked very well. "Best carbureted bike I've ever ridden"- Bob Miller, President, T.M.I.O.A.).

Without the Power-Up Kit it was the slowest of the Turbos, but with the Power-Up Kit installed, the Yamaha Turbo could trounce the Suzuki Turbo and be on par with a CX500TC. Disconnecting the wastegate would make it faster than the CX500TC, but slightly slower than a CX650TD and absolutely left in the turbocharged haze of the Kawasaki. Where the Seca Turbo failed was in the chassis department. Unlike the other factory Turbos Yamaha simply used a stock XJ650 frame for the LJ -- big mistake. A little more effort in this area could have made a world of difference in handling.

'82 Seca Turbos suffered from weak performance when they were initially introduced. Tired of being embarrassed by Honda CX500 Turbos in head-to-head tests Yamaha rushed out a "Power-Up" kit (free of charge!) that consisted of an inline boost pressure sensor/restrictor that fooled the turbo into thinking boost was lower than it was, and a washer that you stuck at the end of your right-side turbo exhaust muffler to increase back pressure. Both measures were designed to increase boost pressure and keep it in the cylinders longer. Peak boost went from an anemic 7 psi to a respectable 12 psi. The bad news for '82 Seca Turbo owners ('83 models came with the modification) is that Yamaha ran out of the kits in 1985. The good news is that you don't need it. Simply disconnect the vacuum hose leading to the wastegate actuator, clamp it shut, close up the hole in the actuator and experience the thrill of 14 psi. The poppet valve in the surge tank now serves as your "wastegate" to keep the engine from exploding. This also solves the problem of turbocharger wastegates failing to close, a common cause of power loss in Yamaha Turbos (blame it on the placement of the unit under the engine where it collects all sorts of road debris).

The Power-Up Kit, thicker forks and a larger 5-gallon gas tank in 1983 helped sales somewhat, but a price drop to $3100 in 1984 (an '82 could be had for $2800) helped more to clear the floors of unwanted Seca Turbos. Average Seca Turbos go for $2,500-3,500. Low mileage bikes bring about $3,500 to $4,500 today. Showroom/museum examples may fetch $5,000, but Seca Turbos in such a state are extremely rare. '83 models, with their 1mm thicker forks and 1 gallon larger gas tanks may bring a bit more.

More Quotable Quotes:

I miss my Seca Turbo. That bike took me places I never would have seen otherwise, most notably jail cells and emergency rooms. - J.B.

i loved my seca turbo , it was fast, i burned tires off in 4000 miles. I wrecked it but didn't hurt it in '88, scared me, so i sold it up here in Fairbanks, Alaska. Now i am ready to ride after 30 yrs i think. - M.B.

(I) had one of these in the early 1990s. It was a complete beater I bought for $500 to commute 130-180 miles round trip everyday for work at construction sites in southern California. I didn't put one penny into maintenance outside of oil changes. It was hideous but super comfortable for the time. Now I ride a Honda St 1300 and can say outside of the fairing noise the Yamaha, if it was in better condition, is the better commuter because the Honda is sooo heavy in tight traffic and the heat it puts out is really bad. Plus the 60-80 mph roll on of the turbo was good, for the era. - K.X.

Man I do regret selling mine! - S.L.(the lament of every former Turbo owner -ed)

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