Main Switch Diagram

A reader of the blog recently wrote in asking about the positions on the main switch, particularly the rightmost position. Here's a scan from the 1972 R5 Owners' Manual which sums it up nicely.

RD 350 in Plymouth Meeting PA

My friend Brian forwarded me this Craigslist listing for a 1971 (?) Yamaha RD 350, tricked out with chambers, clip-ons, and aftermarket tank and seat:

i have for sale a 1971 yamaha rd 350 is is an unfinished project but all the parts are included with the sale of the bike. it has after market exhaust system and clip on's.The engine runs very sweet it has a clean title.

Might be worth it for the parts alone!

AMD World Championships

I'm not much for Harleys and the whole billet-chrome-crazed chopper scene, but I must say there's been some interesting stuff happening in the custom world lately, as things get less OCC and more creative. Check out the AMD World Championships of Custom Bike Building, especially the latest Euro Finalists. Some good stuff here, like the hot-rod Rock 'N Bike from Art of Racer in France. Not a vintage asian two-stroke, but sweet nonetheless.

Lee's Barn Find

Lee writes in to tell us about his find - this 1972 R5:

I thought you might like these pics of my "barn find", a 72 r5c. My buddy and I bought this, 2 GT185 Suzukis and a Honda CB450 for only $400. They were all mostly complete and extra dirty, but otherwise in decent shape. I only have about $200 and some blood sweat and tears into it so far and it runs great after some carb cleaning/tuning, custom baffles, new ignition switch, bars, grips, levers and some straightening of some tweaked bits. Check out the tank emblems I made on the CNC at work out of stainless steel (about 8hrs. of cut time), I couldn't bring myself to pay what they want for reproductions. Thanks for the website, it's very informative.

Nice job on those emblems! They look great! And great job on finding 4 bikes for $400 - not bad!

Keep up the good work, and let us know how you progress on those other bikes!

Martin's Gorgeous R5

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!

Two Wheel Tuesday!

It's that time again! Time to meet up at The Abbaye in NoLibs for Two Wheel Tuesdays!

Great turnout tonight, lots of good stuff... Jim brought out his new 749s, Skip brought his beautiful Triumph cafe racer, and later in the night a Ural with sidecar pulled up - and there were plenty of Ducs, Beemers, Aprilias and other Triumphs as well. Despite a valiant effort (and lots of pushing by Jim), we were unable to get the R5 to start...

Below are a few shots taken while we were there. Enjoy, and hope to see you next week!

R5, Super Cheap

Fellow vintage motorcyclist Brian sends me local bikes for sale from time to time. Today he spotted this '71 R5 in the Philly suburbs:

1971 Yamaha R5B 350cc 2 stroke twin, needs work - $500

R5B Being Parted Out

Thought I'd pass this on:

1971 Yamaha R5 350 - Parts for Sale

Can't vouch for the seller, but he has a complete bike and an lot of what seem to be good-condition parts... might find what you need...

Progress...

There is much progress across the pond (just look at all the innards there!) as Stephan Morris continues the renovation of his '72 R5C.

His work is getting me motivated to sort my bike out. Right now, the battery is holding a charge (so that problem is finally fixed) but the bike won't start. I just keep kicking until gas starts leaking out of the exhaust. Not good. Picking up a tune-up kit (points and condensors) very soon...

Rising Sun Tank

Chris Scholey from Ontario sent these pics in to keep us up to date on his project. Great paint scheme, no?



Can't wait to see the finished bike...