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Rajdoot 350

Monday, April 26, 2010



Ajith wrote in to let me know about the existence of the Rajdoot 350, which was a licensed copy of the Yamaha RD350B, modified to suit Indian conditions. Even though production of two-stroke Yamahas ended in Japan in the mid 1970s due to emissions, these licensed copies were produced from 1983 - 1989.

Although the bike is basically a RD350B with a detuned engine and carburettors rejetted for fuel economy rather than performance, the front disc brake was replaced with a drum brake and the instruments were from the R5, making this strange cousin very similar to the bike which is the focus of this blog. The only Yamaha branding was on the sides of the engine - tank read "RAJDOOT". See below for an ad for the bike:



More information here.

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New Lightcycles from TRON Sequel

Friday, July 24, 2009




Not a Yamaha, and DEFINITELY not vintage, but I just had to post this tidbit about one of the baddest "motorcycles" ever, and how it is going to be revisited. Disney surprised everyone by premiering a teaser trailer for a TRON sequel at last year's Comic Con. That teaser trailer is below:



Well, today, a full-size physical model of the lightcycle from the new movie was unveiled at this year's Comic Con. Footage of the the model, as well as a glimpse of some concept sketches, can be seen here.

Far cry from the original 80s version seen below:

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TZ250 on Ebay!

Thursday, June 25, 2009



A friend passed this to me this morning:

Highly collectible Yamaha TZ250A fully restored to original specifications. Motor and transmission rebuilt with good crank.Transmission checked and shimmed. All new gaskets and seals. New barrels were stripped on the original chrome because original chrome tends to flake, and were re-plated by Millenium Technologies with modern longer lasting plating.

Complete T1A Hitachi race CDI ignition. The ignition was checked on a test bed, and the slow speed coil was rewound to original specs by Motorcycle Electrics in Colorado. Now has a big fat blue spark from very low revs. Carbs are correct including the phenolic resin spacers and brass clamps. The tacho is mounted on a set of NOS rubber dampers that I have had for years just waiting for the right project.

The frame is in great condition with none of those annoying cracks that TZ's are often afflicted with. Swingarm is OEM and I had to get new bottom bolts fabricated to the original design out of stainless steel. Hardware was replated in bright zinc where necessary.

This bike is 99% original and needs only the correct front fender to be perfect. Reproduction fenders recently became available from Meed Speed in the UK. It even has the correct forks with the gull top triple clamp and double diameter staunchions and big drum brakes along with those fiunky sping mounted exhausts. The bike had been retrofitted with later type mufflers, and they were removed and the pipes professionally repaired to orginal.

Paint on the frame, swingarm and bodywork is better than original Yamaha race type piant but it was not over restored. This bike would look great in your collection or private museum or take it out for a track day, but I would swap out the pipes if you don't want to damage your hearing.

The seat has been recovered with a Meed Speed cover and it's really hard to get the shape right. I think it looks fine, and it replicates the stock slight step in the foam. Fairing is the US style used by Saarinen, Roberts and Carruthers at Daytona. It is fitted with the optional left brake - right gearshift favored by British. The brake and gear shift veres can be swapped to the "normal" side in about 2 minutes.

It is fitted with two new/almost new AVON race tires, but they are already a few years old and I would strongly recommend new rubber if yu want to run it round the track. I have the 3.00x18 Dunlop Triangular KR76 front tire if you want it for museum display. There are two sets of footpegs with teh bike. A nice looking afytermarket set and aless pretty original set of pegs.

This is not some hastily cobbled together bunch of worn out parts or modified street bike bits. It's all TZ and i built this one to replace the one I sold a few years ago. As usual, when I finish a project I take lots of pictures and then start the next project. I'm an engineer not a collector, so it's time for it to go to a new home. It is a race bike and was manufactured by Yamaha as a race bike. It is not titled and cannot be titled. A bil of sale will be provided. It cannot legally be used on the street and is push started.


See it here.

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Cole's Mean Green R5 Project

Thursday, April 30, 2009



Cole wrote in this morning with some photos of his great bike:

I've been lurking your site for a few months when I bought me a 72 R5c.... it supposedly just needed to have the carbs cleaned and the airbox reconnected to run. Well 4 months and lots and lots of parts later it is finally finished! Or at least finished for now. I attached a few pictures of it... It has a new top end bored out 4th oversize, new DG exhaust, new paint, tires, etc, bobbed rear fender.


Love that seat and the bobbed rear fender. Gives the bike such a purposeful look...



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Australian Restoration

Friday, April 24, 2009




Jeff Gascoyne is located in Kangaroo Flat, Australia (about 150 km north of Melbourne) where they have an active group of early Japanese bike enthusiasts. Above is Jeff's bike, and below is something Jeff wrote for the vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club Inc (Australian Branch), Central Victorian Region newsletter called Jap Torque:

I have recently completed a full restoration of a 1972 Yamaha R5C that I have owned since around 1978. It was used daily, mainly as a commuter, until the EPA sent me a letter in 1995 informing me that it was emitting excessive smoke, which it was. The bike has been a project bike since then with progress being very slow until quite recently.

The R5C was the forerunner to the RD models and in its day was quite a quick machine. Yamaha claim a top speed of 160 km/h plus. The engine is a 2 stroke air cooled, 5 port, parallel twin cylinder with a capacity of 350cc. The net weight of the bike is 141kg and the maximum output of the engine is 36 BHP @ 7000rpm. Maximum torque is 28.0 ft lb @ 6500 rpm. The braking system uses drum brakes front and rear. The fuel tank has a capacity of 12litres and the bike has a 5 speed gearbox. The bike was finished in mandarin orange.

The bike has been completely disassembled. The frame, swing arm, tail light bracket and some other parts have been powder coated. New swing arm bushes have been fitted, as well as front and rear wheel bearings and seals, steering head bearings and brake shoes.

The front fork legs were pitted and I sent them to Queensland, Rad Hard Chroming, for repair. They were great to deal with and did a terrific job. The forks have new seals and the aluminium outers have been polished and have been assembled ready to be fitted to the bike.

Most of the chromed pieces, i.e. mudguards, brake levers, chain guard, mufflers and various other pieces have been rechromed. I have used the local electroplater and have been pleased with their work.

The seat frame was very badly rusted with sections eaten away. I rebuilt the frame using sheetmetal and then encased the frame with fibreglass matting. I then sprayed it black with epoxy paint. It looks like it will do the job very well. I purchased a new seat foam and cover from HVC Cycle and had it fitted by a motor trimmer..

Nearly all of the fasteners have been replaced with stainless and any Phillips head screws have been replaced by socket screws. I know that this is not original but I hate Phillips head screws.

The engine has been fully dismantled and the cylinders rebored and fitted with new pistons and rings. The crankshaft and gearbox were inspected and found to be ok.

I have bought new sprockets that will suit an o ring chain (530) as the original chain is a 525 which is not available in an o ring chain. I have kept the same ratio, 40:15.

Obtaining parts has not been the problem I thought it would be. Richard Penna (a local motorcycle dealer) has been particularly helpful and it is surprising the stock he has. I have purchased parts from overseas from two places, HVC Cycles (www.hvccycle.com) in the USA have been excellent as have CMS (www.cmsnl.com) based in the Netherlands. Most parts I have been able to obtain are genuine Yamaha (i.e. handlebars, seals, petrol and oil hoses, etc.).

Painting was done locally and I have been very pleased with the result. I was not able to find the original paint code (mandarin orange and black) as I intended to keep the paint as close as possible to the original.

The bike runs perfectly, is registered and on club plates and I have recently joined the VJMC and have enjoyed catching up with like minded enthusiasts. I would be pleased to hear from anyone in regard to my project and would value advice and opinions given.

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More Reader Mail

Tuesday, March 17, 2009




Frank from Rileyville, Virginia, writes in to share his bike and his "near miss" with my R5:

Pics of my bike, these are the only ones I have of it, but it hasn't changed any since.

It's a 71 R5 with RD top end, front end, and body, done by the previous owner. DG chambers, Y-boot with K&N, carbs re-jetted to match. Future plans include an electronic ignition, cafe seat, and clip ons. I have an R5 oil tank and side cover, I'll get them on too.

I've been visiting your blog since shortly after you started it. I remember being exited about the amount of enthusiasm you had for the bike and just how good it looked! It made me want to find the stock parts for mine and return it to stock! Anyway, I was looking through your pics and had seen a few that looked familiar, it didn't make sense since I've never seen your bike before. When I read that you bought it on Ebay, and the pictures were from the auction, it made sense. I was watching that same auction, I almost bid on that bike. I didn't for two reasons, I had a bike to resurrect and didn't have the time and money for two, and my wife would knock my head around if I bought another one. Just before all this I had 5 bikes, sold all but my R5. I regret not bidding on the bike since it was so nice after you cleaned it. I remember feeling a bit angry and "kicking myself in the ass".

But I can honestly say that I'm glad you got it. You've taken such good care of it and the contribution you have made to the 2 stroke community is immense. I come back to your site now and again because I know there will be something new and exicting on it.

My other favorite places;
SOTW
http://b5.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?&user=yamahaley

2 Stroke World
http://www.2strokeworld.com/forum/index.php

Mark Haas, genius of the 2 stroke
http://www.geocities.com/spoomym/rdmainpage.htm?200910

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Video "Tour" of a 1972 R5 on YouTube

Friday, August 22, 2008



Neat video overview of a modified R5 on YouTube.

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Steve's Father-Son R5 Story

Thursday, July 03, 2008



Steve wrote in with some nice things to say about the site, as well as a really great story to tell:

Hello, I wanted to first thank you for your very inspirational site. I check here often. I wanted to share my story and my bike with you.

I'm 36 years old and my dad had this old 1971 Yamaha R5 almost since I was born. It was always an "old motorcycle" that I never paid much attention to. He rode it rarely. Although, I have some cherished memories on the back seat, leaned into the sissy bar enjoying the thrill only a 7-year-old could understand. (See the attached picture for a pic of me as a boy on the back with my dad.)

For the last 15 years, it mostly sat, dirty and rusting in my parent's garage. "When are you going to get rid of that leaky motorcycle" my mom would occasionally say.

One day my dad chimes in "I think I'm going to put the motorcycle at the curb, sell it for $50." Something went off inside me. I HAD to have the bike. I had never ridden a motorcycle, never cared about motorcycles. Certainly knew nothing about fixing one. But I had to have this piece of family history. My Dad gave it to me for free on the spot. The next week I picked it up on a trailer and hauled it 60 miles home to my house. It barely ran and looked tired. One cylinder was misfiring. One carb barely working. Exhaust so clogged-up it couldn't go over 40 mph. There was a thick layer of grime and oil on everything. Did I mention my dad NEVER washed it? Seriously, maybe a fender got wiped off now and then. But for the most part, road grime and oil coated every nook and cranny.

I got it home and immediately began tearing it apart and sorting every bit. Did I mention I have never taken apart or worked on a motorcycle before? I spent over a year, part-by-part restoring the Yamaha in my garage. Bought an old manual, but did most of it on instinct. I found amazing satisfaction in figuring things out as I went. The bike was an absolute dream to work on. I was never intimidated, and every restored part was gratifying beyond belief.

Somehow, it seemed the layer of grime had sealed in the bike pretty well. No major damage to fix. Only surface rust to deal with. Solid electrical and a very happy motor after a top-end rebuild. I learned all about taking carbs apart. I repainted the frame (with the engine still in, don't ask) and stripped and repainted the bodywork to match the original. I kept the bike as original as I could. Only replacing the stock bars and mirrors. I found a few loose parts like the badges on eBay. But for the most part, I kept her original. There wasn't a square inch on the bike that didn't get my attention to bring her as close to new looking as my meager budget would allow.

This is my baby now, I still putter with her in the summer and ride her when I can. Did I mention I have a Ducati Monster that has drawn my attention lately? But the Duc cannot compare to the old soul of this girl. Every so often I get my son on the back (see other picture) and hope he's enjoying it as much as I did. Now if only I could find a nice sissy bar.


Steve also sent along some great photos:




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Sunny's R5

Wednesday, June 25, 2008



Sunny sent in a photo of her latest acquisition... looking good!

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Dave's R5

Monday, May 12, 2008



Dave wrote in to share some pics and info about his build:

I ended up with this bike and two others from a friend who knew I wanted one of these things real bad. They were all parts bikes and for some reason each one had a part needed to make a complete bike.

This is the first time i have done a ground up but it was worth it, The R5 is a bike that will stand out in history as a Giant killer and I had to have one. I started this project in the winter of 2004 and had it compleated in the summer of 2005 with the resources I had and have been working on it ever since. This is a rider and it will always be!

Currently I am putting a fresh top end on it so I will let you know how that works out.





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Yahoo! Yamaha R5 Group Bike of the Month

Tuesday, April 01, 2008



Unless they're fooling with me (it is the first of April after all), my bike has been crowned Bike of the Month for April 2008 on the newly renovated Yahoo! Yamaha R5 Group.

For the unaware, this Yahoo! group is populated with folks who are most knowledgeable in all things vintage Yamaha. Without their help many of the problems with and parts missing from my R5 would never have been sorted. I thank them very much!

Be sure to check them out, and to sign up if you haven't already!

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yamaha-r5-group

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Martin's Gorgeous R5 on EBAY!

Monday, August 06, 2007



Martin wrote in this morning to inform me that his YR5 (featured previously on this site here an here) is currently up for auction on Ebay UK.

Here is his auction description:

Yamaha YR5 350cc 2-stroke twin also sometimes designated the R5

This is an original UK bike, it has some history to suggest that it was raced in the early 70s and then converted to road use. It has only had 3 owners. The 2nd owner died in 1980 after which his widow stored the bike until it was sold to a family friend in 1999, since then it has stood almost unused for 7 years until I bought it last year.

I recommisioned the bike from the ground up

New battery

Full service,

Mot,

Hagon rear Shocks

New screen & Nosecone,

Reground Fork Stanchions and seals

The frame has been powder coated

and many parts chromed.

It has been a great bike to ride and has always drawn crowds at places like Matlock Bath. But unfortunately I suffered a seized the engine when the right hand 2 stroke oil pipe came loose.

After searching all year I have managed to find some original NOS pistons, rings& gaskets from America and Japan and have had it rebored by PJ engineering (motorcycle engineering specialists of Wolverhampton).

So far it has been rebuilt and started, that’s it. It sounds ok and has not currently done any miles.

I realised this bike is too rare to use regularly. So I have bought myself an Aprilia 250 because I enjoyed the two stoke so much

This bike deserves a collector, or Yamaha Dealer as a show piece, it would be great to parade or show.

The bike is in a Phil Read replica colour scheme, It has original Mead speed sports fairing, race tank & seat. The wheels have been upgraded at some point to RD400 alloys.

The exhausts are 1970’s originals and are stamped into the metal “Codnor Light Fabrications” this is a Derbyshire company that we now know as Micron.

It is fitted with Piranha Electronic ignition and starts first or second kick every time.

Front brake is disc with braded hoses using a standard RD350 front calliper & disc, so parts are no problem

I have some correspondence that the last owner past on to me from Padgett’s of Batley, plus Classic Bike, Yamaha, and Len Manchester motorcycles. This seems to support the case that the bike was prepped for racing, as many where from new and then put on the road by the 2nd owner. This seems correct as the fairing tank seat exhausts etc are all period early 1970,s but the rear light is from an RD400 which was not made until 5 years into the 70,s

Also included are the original Yamaha workshop manual and several magazine articles from magazines of the time in the early seventies

This is probably the only surviving example of a Yamaha proddy racer put on the road in the uk. Grab a real pierce of nostalgia.

I am selling as I have 5 bikes and my daughter is about to turn 16. I need the space for her 1st bike!!!!

The bike is MOT,ed and Taxed to October. The tax is free as it is tax exempt! The bike is in immaculate condition and is ready to show

Please ring for extra photos and spec.
Martin 07988800194

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More on Martin's Gorgeous R5

Thursday, May 24, 2007





A few posts ago I presented Martin's beautifully restored R5 road racer (see Martin's Gorgeous R5 April 13, 2007). I asked Martin to elaborate a little more on the bike, to tell me the specs, the restoration, the original history, etc... Well, he responded - check out the before and after above!

Here is a little of its' known history:

I purchased the bike in 2006 and it was in the condition shown [in top photo]. It was in running condition although all of the fibreglass was crazed.

The bike was originally sold by Granby Yamaha in 1970 and set up with the full sports fairing from new... The bike has only had 2 previous owners the first for 2 years and the 2nd from 1972 to 1980 when I an told he unfortunately died of cancer, the bike was then looked after by a friend who started it regularly and rode very occasionally.

On the day I collected the bike it started with no problems and I took it into my van to my local dealers where it passed its MOT test . So I arrived home with a fully working motorcycle after it had been mostly out of use for 20 years!

The 2nd time out the oil pipe came loose and it seized on one side. After some fantastic help from Governors Bridge Motorcycles in Atherstone UK (01827 712906) who had a brand new pair of 1st oversize Dykes type pistons in stock I decided to completely restore the bike.

The forks where slightly pitted so I sent them for rechroming and machining to Philpot's in Luton who did a great and speedy job, the barrels where rebored by Paul Jones at PJ Motorcycle engineers in Wolverhampton UK. I have used Paul for years and he is without doubt the UK's best 2-stroke specialist.

Finally I repaired all of the tank, seat & fairing myself. The fibreglass was completely rubbed back through the gel coat, then had several lays of finish re-applied to deal with the crazing. Mark Burgess at Jawell paints in Wolverhampton who I use regularly helped with advice, and the final finish was 1 coat etch primer, 1 coat high built acrylic primer, 2 coats of 2 pack white gloss which was hand matched by Mark to a sample of the original fibreglass colour, and the stripe is in 2 pack Rosso Corsa. The paint scheme has been based on Phils Read's 1969 factory bike.


Thanks for sharing, Martin!

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Martin's Gorgeous R5

Friday, April 13, 2007



You all know how much I love road-going racers (see posts here and here).

So you can imagine my joy when I received an email from Martin in the UK. Pictured above is his beautiful 1970 R5 sold by Granby Motorcycles of Ilkeston, England. I don't have much info yet, as the email was brief. All that is known is that, much like my bike, this one has been fully restored after spending 20 years in a garage.

Love the work done here - all the style of a racer (fairing, fenders, tank, seat, chambers) with the necessities of a road bike (lights, etc). I love the way the original sidecovers and oil tank were incorporated... everything looks in place!

I've asked Martin to elaborate a little more on the bike, to tell me the specs, the
restoration, the original history, where the parts came from (fairing, seat, any custom fabrication he's done), etc... I'd love to write up an article about this great bike. Hopefully he has more pics, particularly any in-progress or pre-restoration - that would be great!

I'll post more info when I get it.

Thanks Martin!

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Shinohara RD/TZ

Sunday, January 28, 2007



I have always been into the whole Yamaha streetbike-to-GP-racer conversions. I've even come across official Yamaha R5-TZ conversion instructions as well as some aftermarket conversions, but these were always for making the road bike race-ready. What I was looking for was a hybrid - all the look and grunt of a GP bike but without the full-faired body, and with all the lights necessary for a street-legal bike.

Well, take a look at the above. This guy solves the problem of a legally-lighted TZ by hiding small headlamps in the forks and tucking a small taillight in the bumpstop. At first glance it looks like a TZ with the front fairing removed. Bad ass... Click here for more images...

I have attempted rough machine translation on the page, and it says:
Comment of [yusuke]
Is concerning DX but…
It is no [chi] [ya] [tsu] [te] TD3, (laughing)
Still, as for the place where the hand is inserted there is Sawayama, but
Slowly spending time, we would like to keep finishing.

Engine
 The core of the crank it puts out.
Around front
 For SR. It is heavy, being long, there is no [iitoko] is.
Chamber
 ○ [ni] make.
 The front owner attached with being defeated, but
 You do not understand whether according to rumor, with with setting [ru] whether it has not come out.
 The extension above is bad, is.
Original back step
 The step position of TD3 was made in reference, but this position is a certain meaning training, (laughing)
Meter
 The electric rammer of the manufacturer, pivot.
 With the stepping motor, being accurate, it does the movement where the response is good.
Electric apparatus
 In addition to there is no light/write case, because you have supplied the battery in the seat cowl
 It recreated the harness entirely.


Via DOUBLEULTRA.

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Concept Renderings

Sunday, January 14, 2007



Brian forwarded me this great portfolio of vehicle designer Heikki Naulapää. I've seen his work before in the very interesting Aprilia Magnet 3-wheeler. I also found this great Aprilia RAM concept concept pictured above.

Dig the reverse grips and levers, front swingarm, seamlessly blended multiple exhaust, and aggressive helmet-forward riding position. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on this guy...

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R5 at Rolex Vintage Festival

Monday, September 04, 2006



Just got back from the last leg of the MINI Takes The States cross-country rally, which terminated at the Rolex Vintage Festival at Lime Rock Park earlier today. Among the thousands of drool-inducing vehicular wonders, I found this incredibly original 1971 R5B being used as the pit-area runabout for the team that fielded this excellent 1940 Riley Special #5. The owner(s) weren't around at the time when I was snapping, so I didn't get to talk to anyone, but I thought I'd share here anyways:

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Slick Tank/Seat Combination

Wednesday, June 21, 2006



Cobra makes aftermarket parts for metric cruisers and Harleys. They also create show bikes. I'm not usually one for Harley customs, but the special all-in-one seat and tank on their "Trakker" showbike (above) really caught my attention.

I'd love a solution like this for the R5. An all-in-one gas tank, oil tank, battery holder, taillight, turnsignals, plateholder and seat. If the seat above were a little deeper, and had the standard cafe-racer-like bumstop bulge behind it, it would be spot on. Imagine it made of aluminum...

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Moment of Zen

Friday, April 28, 2006

I know it's not a Yamaha, but just listen to this Honda RC174 replica...

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YSR Jet Bike

Monday, October 31, 2005

Um, yeah, that's not a typo - a jet-powered Yamaha YSR pocketbike.

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Photoshop Wrenching

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

After looking more at the TR3 versus streetfighter R5 I was talking about a few days ago (June 5th), I started thinking... I like that bike because it's so stripped down... why not strip it a bit more?

Using Photoshop I "modded" the original bike and deleted the mirror and the tail light. I know to be street legal you'd need them, but they can be incorporated somehow else (french the taillight into the seat section, and figure out some way to mount mirrors in more discreet locations). I also removed the Yammy logo for kicks, just to keep them scratching their heads. Finally, the rev counter looked so lonely to me perched up there all by itself, so I took it off too. Why not? Just listen and you'll know when to row a gear or two...

Here's the before and after...



Anyways, again, much props to the Go-Getters for this amazing machine. The bike is great as-is... I'm just messing around...

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Wow...

Sunday, June 05, 2005



This is exactly the type of bad-ass TR3 versus streetfighter R5 I was talking about in a previously posted conversion (January 10th)... streetable, all attitude and totally hot. I'm speechless...

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Another cafe Yammy

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Came across this caffeinated Yammy the other day, thought I'd share.

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Seriously SWEET Café Racers

Monday, April 18, 2005

Like the title says... take a look for yourself... This is the attitude I want the R5 to have...

UPDATE: New site here, with videos and stuff. Damn, the R5 needs to look like the "black whale"...

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R5 Streetfighter

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Sweet R5-based streetfighter from HVC

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Akira's cycle

Monday, April 04, 2005

This may have nothing to do with R5s, or with Yamahas, but it does have something to do with Japanese motorcycles... well, sorta. Someone actually made a full-size working version of the motorcycle driven by the hero in the Akira anime... and now someone's gone ahead and made one from a scooter!

In related unrelated news, check out the sub3wheelers... and you can hack together a cheaper version here...

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Want to convert an R5 into a TR3 replica?

Monday, January 10, 2005

I had already linked to another R5-TR3 conversion, but the parts listed were from Yamaha, and most are no longer available. Well, Jamie Linxwiler put together an up-to-date article on building a TR3 Replica R5/RD350, using parts and resources that are currently available. It seems like it's remarkably simple and straightforward process... and making a hybrid, street-legal version with the TR3 tank and seat could be very interesting... time to start saving sheckles...

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Tasty Lunch

Friday, June 11, 2004

A bunch of guys fom work and I stopped by Fast by Ferracci after lunch today... what a treat. Lots of Yamaha goodies (including branded mesh jackets... damn!) and a bunch of drool-inducing sportbikes. Of particular note was this monster from Benelli which utilizes dual fans at the rear to suck hot air out from the radiator under the seat... wild in both theory and looks.

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Cool café mods

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

I had come across James Franzen’s unbelievably cool café Bimmer in my search for cool bikes. The Bimmer has a great one-off solo seat - I emailed him to inquire about it, as to how to go about making or finding a similar one. Here is his response:

The seat was a one-off unit made by a guy that designs stuff like this for a
living - so the unfortunate thing is he's the one with the fiberglass tricks
and not me.

From your site I can tell you've seen "Glass from the Past."
You might want to look at airtech's offerings:
http://www.airtech-streamlining.com
But their server appears to be down this morning.

I am considering some of this guy's offerings on an old Ducati single I'm
building up:
http://www.dropbears.com/c/cmf/stock.htm
It's in Australia but the US dollar goes farther there.

Because I want to run the old Ducati single with a bumstop seat and no rear
fender on the street, I'm designing a tail light/ brake light/ turn signal
unit that is ultra small - only 1/2" extension beyond the license plate and
super bright - with license plate illumination included. I only have
photographs of the prototype as the refined product is in fabrication now:
http://www.culayer.com/ASAP.htm

One last thing - a guy that saw my seat tried to make his own copy and
documented it on a website:
http://www.postaldave.com/seat/seat.html

That R5 will make a sweet café racer! Good luck to you!

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Took a peek...

Thursday, May 06, 2004

Stopped over the shop after work yesterday to take a peek at her. Mike got her started up, and yup, she smokes... nice bluish crap billowing out the pipes. Should be good after a few more starts and a good hard run (the old “Italian tune-up”). She actually has a deeper, throatier sound to her, granted not a H-D, but a lot better than the "ring-ding" I was expecting after reading so much about it...

Anyways, waiting for the shifter and rubber, was shipped on Tuesday.

Russ brought out his cool Yamaha XS1100(?) Franken-racer, complete with self-fabricated hand-laid fiberglass tank and seat and rearsets. Sweet.

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