Classic Dirt Bikes "1977 TT500 Yamaha Fourstroke" 

I have a 77 TT -500 for 42 yrs , 3 rebuilds and updates include it490 forks 2" longer swingarm, 4 mm larger carb , fox shocks 3" wider rims 19" front 18" and 11" travel suspension . A friend runs his in AMA flattrack 500 class extremely fast half mile tracks .. Swaps tires and sprockets and plays in the dirt ....

I have a XT500 ... 1977 ... In my collection right now ...

The plate around the front sprocket is a great addition. Chains snap and destroy that part of the case which is why you don't see a lot of sprocket covers as snapped chains strips the mounting points off the case.

Love your videos of these great machines, can’t see anyone looking at the bikes of today in 40 years and getting excited

I had one of these back in the early '80s. Pretty sure it was a late '70s model. Yamaha made two different versions of the 500cc four stroke. The TT500, like this one, the XT500, which was street legal and had all the street legal equipment. Those were called "dual purpose" bikes back then. In 1988, Honda came out with the NX series bikes, and called them "dual sport" bikes. The name caught on, and now any street legal dirt bike is called a "dual sport" I had the TT version, much like that. Aluminum tank, white plastics, black painted engine. I live in Arizona, U.S., and back then a non street legal bike could be ridden just about anywhere but actual streets and highways. Arizona is a desert state, and the TT500 made an excellent desert sled. You could go really fast across the open desert on it. It was never intended to be either a serious enduro or MX bike. Yamaha had the IT series 2 stroke enduro bikes and the YZ MX bikes. The TT500 was more of a serious playbike. Yamaha also used that same engine, in a more polished form, unpainted, but still kickstart only, in a street bike, the SR500. It never sold well at the time, probably because of it's lack of an electric starter. All of these bikes are now highly sought after in the U.S. I have seen them go for some pretty high prices on Craigslist. Being 63 with bad joints and severe arthritis, I couldn't even get on one now. And now, you have to have a street legal bike to ride anywhere but private property.

I've become addicted to your videos buddy, from about 77 to early eighties my dad got us into dirt bikes and I remember alot of these bikes you show on your channel, and now I'm backinto dirt bikes full force.

Excellent

The Thumper is and still is the best 4 stroke single 500 made. It was made to last, compared to today's modern tech. I have a XT, and a SR500 built for racing. Young people scoff at but my babies will keep going up in value when theirs are tanking. Parts are plentiful, fair costs, and loads of help on forums. Cheers all.

Swingarm looks like a pre-1980 Suzuki RM/PE item. Great looking bike.

Hi there, This is a 79 model cause of the fuel tank ne the front end, tripple tree is also different from ab77 model..nice video though👍🏻💪🏻

These bikes are like a tractor they just pull for ever, I have one a 1977 model and it’s all stock, I always wanted to Change it up alittle with better suspension but I think I’ll leave it stock, nice bike for desert racing

In Australia It came out being Xt 500 with lights ect for road worthiness & TT for off road. I remember a few blokes racing these at the time, as there was a Top A, grade scrambles rider having a CCM , which of coarse tore up the tracks, but these were really expensive so the TT was a more affordable choice . On the seventies American show "Chips" featured a TT on an episode called "Supercycle" Where a TT was doing wheel stands on the freeway reaking Havoc. My cousin Had an Xt.

Going by the shape of the tank ,and it having leading axle forks , it's not a 1977, it's a 1979 model. And as far as I know TT's never came with lights etc for street use , but had a lighting coil ,and you could put them on the road, as I did with my '78 TT all those years ago , really wish I didn't sell it.

I would leave it just the way it is. Simply beautiful

I bought one new. And I installed what looks like the same exhaust system. Man I loved that bike. Sadly it got stolen and I never went and bought another. But I still have my 80 sr500.

I removed that stupid window crap and the metal piece bolted on the cam and replaced it with a C model rubber plug. Top dead centre for starting porpoises in where compression is. And don't get me started on those unecessary external oil lines. There are perfectly good internal feed passages.

This was the largest Japanese single at the time . Lots of people had plans to make cafe racers using this motor .

if you can find them the T.v adds for yamaha in australia are outstanding .to be honest its what started me bikes

Isn't that a later model, the 77 (as I remember) had yellow paint on tank, I had one of these (orange) and I'm pretty sure it was 79?

Thanks for sharing this video. I have one of these 77s. It’s been in the family since new. Low miles and mostly stored inside. What do I do with it? I tried to sell it once but held firm at $1000 and the guy offered me $950. I’ve been watching AFT recently. Can I make a FT bike out of it?

I want one

I like that the owner kept it nearly stock

It's not a 77 as the early TT didn't have the window. XT always did. Didn't handle offroad in stock form.