Cole's Mean Green R5 Project

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...

Australian Restoration

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.

Stolen R5?

Got this email over the weekend, thought I would pass on the info:

I just came across your site tonight wish i had found it sooner you have great information

I am trying to get this information out on my ride that was stolen yesterday.

metalic purple 1970 r5-350 engine & frame #009571

If any one comes across anyone looking for parts or selling parts this bike was stolen in Boaz Alabama on 3-20-2009

Any info appreciated. I will forward on...

Off to the Shop!

It's been a long time coming. After two seasons off, the bike is going to be revived. Once again, it takes a birthday and awesome friends.

This past weekend the bike was trailered out to the 'burbs by our friend Jim in his cool enclosed trailer, and just today it was picked up for service. Not long now until she's back on the road, smoking it up.

I will post findings and repair info as I get it. Stay tuned!

More Reader Mail

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 exciting 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

Project R5 in Myrtle Beach - SOLD

UPDATE - BIKE HAS BEEN SOLD!

Joe wrote in with some nice things to say about the site, and to request I pass on some info about his R5 project for sale in South Carolina:

Do you know anyone willing to buy a project bike? I bought it for $300 and have only put about $50 into it... but I've had a fellow put $50 bucks down on it 6 weeks ago; but has never come back... So, I'll happily take $300 for it. I put on a front brake handle, and front right "original" turn signal lens, also carb floats.

I’d love to post it for sale on your site. I am in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I’ve had the bike in my yard for sale, and have had several bites… but no takers, yet.

Get in touch with Joe if you are interested...

Video "Tour" of a 1972 R5 on YouTube

Neat video overview of a modified R5 on YouTube.

Steve's Father-Son R5 Story

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:

Sunny's R5

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

Dave's R5

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 completed 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.