Kickstarting the Yamaha SR400 is a great deal of the personal pleasure and interaction derived from this 399cc four-stroke single. The start routine is aided by a bar-mount compression release, sight window for finding the sweet spot past TDC and modern fuel-injection—it all conspires to make for easy assisted living with Yamaha’s retro-inspired thumper. There is lots of flywheel effect felt on the road, and power comes in early, making for easy launches. The torque curve reveals a midrange lull that lend a sense of command and control but run up near redline the engine provides good acceleration.
