OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Yamaha => Topic started by: Nathan S on July 17, 2008, 09:30:20 pm
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Been thinking about this a bit...
If someone was to ask what the rare old Yamahas are, most people would start talking about YZ360As, MX125Cs, genuine HL500s, etc - and fair enough too, as these bikes were uncommon when new.
But I've been thinking about bikes the everyone talks about like they're 'everywhere', but that you never actually see or hear about.
A couple of months ago, I picked up a MX125A. Talking to multiple wreckers has provided me with absolutely zero parts - not even a hint of anything useful.
So I stopped and thought about how many of these bikes I actually know of. I came up with a grand total of two bikes (mine and Vandy's).... I know the late John Hine (sp?) raced one, but beyond that...
I know of more YZ125As!
What about MX100A/Bs or MX175s?
The first DT125s that are actually re-hashed AT1s?
Etc?
What are the qenuinely rare bikes in 2008?
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I raced one in the 90's before I got too fat. It must be out there somewhere. They were indeed pretty common back then but unfortunately they weren't competitive and gradually all faded from the scene, replaced with those boring Elsinores.
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They were indeed pretty common back then but unfortunately they weren't competitive and gradually all faded from the scene, replaced with those boring Elsinores.
Has history repeated??
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i've only ever seen one other "A" model at a meeting and that was a one off.
here at the BMCC meet the other week, i turned up with both my A & B {B is for sale soon} and Brad brought along his C. pretty rare to see those 3 all in the one place at the one time. should'v taken a photo.
AT's are pretty few and far between as well. i'd love to set one up for flat track/road race
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Part of the problem is that the vintage movement is going through its second generation of racers. The first generation pre '75 guys have probably kept a hold of their bikes thereby causing a current shortage of eligible bikes. AT1s were never common or popular and MX100s were rarely sold so there'd be few today. In the very beginnining of vintage MX back in the late 80's there was a big variety of 125s including TM125s, MX and YZ125a, Bultaco, Husky and the odd Maico or Sachs powered tiddler. It didn't take long for us to realise that the Elsinore was so superior to the rest and that started a gradual depletion of everything but Elsinores in the 125 class. At some meetings, especially dirt track, there would be whole fields of silver Hondas, just like 1974. Where those non Hondas went is the mystery.
Here's a cool AT1 MX that's currently for sale on Mark Holoways site. It's not as original as it looks though. That looks like CR Honda forks.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/Yamahaat1mx.jpg)
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i like the secret number plate..........
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Here is a picture of a fairly rare old Yamaha that a guy I know in Broken Hill owns. He has only just finished the bike early this year after a very lenghty resto where he had to custom make a lot of the parts. From memory there are a lot of modified Suzuki bits used inside the engine due to the non existance of Yamaha parts
(http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s120/coljay/DS1Yamaha.jpg)
Don't quote me on this, but from memory it is a 1959 YD1 and there are supposedly only a few of these still up and running in the world, I might be wrong with some of the previous as it was January when I took the pick and spoke with Scruffy)
CJ
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Here is a picture of a fairly rare old Yamaha that a guy I know in Broken Hill owns. He has only just finished the bike early this year after a very lenghty resto where he had to custom make a lot of the parts. From memory there are a lot of modified Suzuki bits used inside the engine due to the non existance of Yamaha parts
(http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s120/coljay/DS1Yamaha.jpg)
Don't quote me on this, but from memory it is a 1959 YD1 and there are supposedly only a few of these still up and running in the world, I might be wrong with some of the previous as it was January when I took the pick and spoke with Scruffy)
CJ
"fairly rare old" :o. Ya kidding me. Does rocking horse poo mean anything ;).
Thats the second one that I know that's been restored. It's a Liberty Yamaha ag bike. Probably the first 'Japanese Ag Bike.
I understand the story is that the SA distributor at the time, Liberty Yamaha, couldn't give away the Yammies so they modified them as ag bikes. What you see is their handiwork. They were only sold in S.A. and weren't an offical Yammy model. Don't quote me ::) but I believe that's the story.
I was amazed that one had survived and restored, and now a second :o. Great to see - manic dedications 8). Great resto's, great work and detail.
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Gee, she's a tidy little bike Col,
very nice
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P.S.
Yammy period suspension, YDS weight, the rough S.A. outback farms and that tank rack gives a whole new meaning to 'balltearer' ::) ;D.
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DT2MX and RT2MX. I've probably seen and owned more yz250a's and b's than these models over the last ten years or so. You never really see them at meets etc.
It's funny though you'll be after a certain model bike for instance yz400c I was after and couldn't find one for years and then all of a sudden you own one and they come out of the wood work.
This same thing is happening at the moment with a boat I'm chasing a Lewis Bros Skiff (you sit down the back) rare as and I'm in negotiation of one in NSW and all of a sudden I've found 3 simalar boats forsale in S.A. So now the decision is now harder to make.
This is a simalar boat I'm talking about.
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hey adam i had one off those a few years back had a alumminium buick v8 in it was a crazy thing to drive the work man ship in the timber was really cool still had the old race numbers on it
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Got any pic's paul.
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no adam i was a long time ago i origialy swapped it for a yx falcon 351 winsor sedan that had a smokey engine from memory and it sat in my yard for ages unused ,back in those days it wasnt worth that much , i would of traded it for something else so im not sure what happened to it but i remember takeing it to eildon or boony doon (when there was water) the thing was a fast little boat but sitting up the back felt funny
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Adam..My uncle Royce raced a Lewis skiff back in the late 50s-early 60s. It originally had an L head mopar six and then he bought one of Bill Warners speedway Super Modified 283 Chevys, complete with early Hilborn injection and fitted it. He raced it under the name Kerry-Lynn and later raced a string of Everinghams under the same name, mostly all with small block Ford engines. During that time I knew that he'd kept the "wooden boats" as he called them, the Lewis and a Sanger drag hydro he never put inthe water. My uncle died years ago and I lost touch with his family after they moved to Byron Bay in the late seventies while I was living overseas.
I recently spoke to my aunty on the phone and she told me that the boat had been in the shed covered in shit until about 10 years ago when she moved into a nursing home and sold everything. Unfortunately she has no idea who she sold it to and can't remember how much other than "it was hundreds, not thousands!". Sorry mate, no photos.
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Back to Nathans eternal question as to "what are the genuinely rare bikes in 2008"? I've always had a soft spot for craftsmen built low volume bikes like my Cheney Yamaha and certain Metisse models. These bikes were rare when new and rarer now. I don't mean the replica Metisse and Cheneys being made again, I mean the stuff that will never be replicated such as the Metisse DT1 and Bultaco and Cheney Suzuki and Yamaha 2 stroke units.
Blair Harley bought a number of Carabelas into Australia but I haven't seen one in years, where are they? They were as common as Coopers back then and Coopers are still reasonably well represented. Not so Carabelas. I also agree with Adam. I've seen a shitload of YZAs over the years but could count the DT2MXs on one hand and can't recall seeing an RT2MX ever. DT1MX and RT1MX weren't sold in volume here. My mate Warren Wilson bought Peter Scaysbrooks Vic Lyon prepped DT1MX red tanker back in the day and it was the only genuine one I saw in Australia. My genuine RT1 came into Australia in parts in the boot of Pete Geohegans Mustang and it's also the only one ever saw in Australia even though I'm certain there were more.
I recall seeing a line of around 10 RH74 and one or two RN74s at Hazell and Moores Elizabeth st showroom in 1975. Nobody wanted them as they had old school suspension and didn't rate when compared to the new RM model range.
They were as cheap as chips in a bid to get rid of them. My mate almost bought an RN but once he was told that there were no parts available over the counter, he changed his mind and bought a 440 Maico off Blair Harley instead. I haven't seen an orange tanked TM400 for years either come to thin of it.
Any of the pre Uni Trak Kawasakis are rare, especially the pre KX f11m, f31M AND f81m.
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Funny but you see the occasional dt2mx and rt2mx on ebay usa but no where near as many yz250a's.
I also agree the orange tank TM 400 also is scarce in oz firko.
Also black rt1's aswell with red stripe.
I agree with Nathan on the yz125a's though as I thought finding my first was so long an winded and I got a basket case then all of a sudden I had 5 or 6 in the shed I even got given one as a trade for a 38mm Mukini carbie. Thanks Ribbo.
There is a few MX125a and b's around but I think alot of them have been left in the shed or thrown to the tip.
It's also amazing when a friend or another person see's a photo or one of my old yz125a's they say I had one of those or a cr125m.
Cya
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whats the purple side car thingo in the background ? that looks very interesting - very pricilla queen of the desert.
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Freakshow,
The picture was taken in the yard of Premier Sidecars, and the purple thing is the sidecar body of Rob Wilson's old Suzuki GS1000 outfit.
CJ
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Freakshow,
The picture was taken in the yard of Premier Sidecars, and the purple thing is the sidecar body of Rob Wilson's old Suzuki GS1000 outfit.
CJ
Does Mr Wilson do much off road sidecar work.??
cheers
http://www.premiersidecars.com.au/
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Wilso has made some off-road sidecars (we used to ride together as a team, Wilso as my passenger, and build observed trails outfits back in the late 70's/early 80's as Bushpig Sidecars). He is actually closing down/selling up the Premier Sidecar business at the present time, so I don't think he would be building any in the near future, but you could all ways give him a call.
CJ (aka Slob)
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Here is a picture of a fairly rare old Yamaha that a guy I know in Broken Hill owns. He has only just finished the bike early this year after a very lenghty resto where he had to custom make a lot of the parts. From memory there are a lot of modified Suzuki bits used inside the engine due to the non existance of Yamaha parts
(http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s120/coljay/DS1Yamaha.jpg)
Don't quote me on this, but from memory it is a 1959 YD1 and there are supposedly only a few of these still up and running in the world, I might be wrong with some of the previous as it was January when I took the pick and spoke with Scruffy)
CJ
"fairly rare old" :o. Ya kidding me. Does rocking horse poo mean anything ;).
Thats the second one that I know that's been restored. It's a Liberty Yamaha ag bike. Probably the first 'Japanese Ag Bike.
I understand the story is that the SA distributor at the time, Liberty Yamaha, couldn't give away the Yammies so they modified them as ag bikes. What you see is their handiwork. They were only sold in S.A. and weren't an offical Yammy model. Don't quote me ::) but I believe that's the story.
I was amazed that one had survived and restored, and now a second :o. Great to see - manic dedications 8). Great resto's, great work and detail.
Here's some additional 'expert' info that may interest you.
"That's Trevor's beautiful 1959 YDS1 LIBERTY Yamaha.
Its has been a long struggle to get it into that condition.
I notice that the posting on the link below is not historically correct.
The YAMAHA Factory actually produced this model of bike and it is truely
a Genuine Yamaha made motorcycle. It is definitely NOT cobbled up by a
private person. The misconception may have come about as a South
Australian who was the Yamaha distributor in the early days approached
the Yamaha factory to consider making such a off road model. Yamaha
replied by making the RANCH model which was sold across Australia.
regards Neil"
and
"Hello Graeme
It's not the same bike and the other LIBERTY RANCH MODEL you saw at the
VJMC Rally a few years ago now is owned by Micheal. I have helped both
of them with parts to make their restorations more complete.
regards Neil"
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...I haven't seen an orange tanked TM400 for years either come to thin of it.
I've never seen one but I bumped into this the other night; not exactly orange but is this what you refer to?
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and again.
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http://www.classicyams.com/classic-yamaha-owners/stories-from-australia/new-zealand/yamaha-yds-1-ranch-liberty-of-mick-bulman.html
"Mick Bulman from Australia has many rare bikes.
One is the “legendary” Yamaha YDS-1 Ranch model. Here is Mick's story:
The Yamaha YDS-1 Ranch model was apparently developed here in Adelaide (South Australia) by the owner of Liberty Motors, a gentleman named Frank Johns, unfortunately not alive anymore I believe, and as such they are always referred to as “Liberty Yamaha’s”. The genuine YDS-1 parts book that I have does include a supplement for the special parts that were made for this Australia only model. I am not sure if the motorcycle was delivered partially assembled from Japan and then had the special parts attached here in Australia or wether it came in all assembled. I believe they only came into Australia through Adelaide as they only ever have been found in South Australia or the NW region of NSW and Queensland where they were probably sold from Adelaide anyway.
The Yamaha YDS-1 "Ranch" machine is so rare that Yamaha Japan has completely "forgotten" about this motorcycle. It was never mentioned.....!
There are many parts on this Yamaha machine that are unique to the model, besides the obvious like high pipes and carrier.
There is no provision for a light inside the speedo-tacho unit so Yamaha (Yazaki) made a special case for the instrument that did not include an opening for an instrument light. The tail light only has a single filament bulb and no extra wiring as the bike does not have a brake light.
The sump guard is very heavy and quite roughly made as are the foot pegs and brackets. It has a single carburettor, the front mud guard is from the scrambler kit, and with the large rear sprocket it will do just about 80 km/h flat out.
The tank badges and transfers were surprisingly easy to get. Over the years with the demise of Liberty Motors, parts were sold off all over and a friend ended up with a lot of badges and transfers. Interestingly both of my MF-1's had a Liberty transfer on the right hand side and did not have the Yamaha logo on the headlight nacelle.(I got into contact with Mick as he is also restoring a Yamaha MF-1, that story will follow!)
Here is another picture of the Yamaha YDS-1 Ranch machine. I think that I sweated more on this restoration than almost any of my others. In total it probably took about 10 years to finish it off, although I did others during that time. At one stage I wanted to sell it in a half finished state but I am now very happy that I did not sell it and finished the restoration myself.
I do think we have to agree that this is really an outstanding motorcycle to own and ride!
Congratulations to Mick !"
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There ya go - two rare birds side by side at the recent VJMC rally 8).
Beleive it or not, I think there is a third one being restored. Bloody amazing :o :P.
(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/OzVMX/rally34.jpg)
(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/OzVMX/rally35.jpg)
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A little more to the story, if you are interested ::).
;D
http://www.classicyams.com/classic-yamaha-owners/stories-from-australia/new-zealand/yamaha-yds-1-ranch-liberty-of-mick-bulman.html
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I belive joe from joes motorcyles has one in his private collection at home that needs to be restored.he offered it to me for $500 he may still have it.