Hi, my name is Rob from Minnesota. I just wanted to tell you how excellent the web site is for these bikes from the past. Most people have forgot them and info has been very hard to find 'til now. Good job on this and great info.
Have you ever gone about getting an extra key made by anyone?
Just stumbled across the site and saw your most recent post about lost keys, i think i may be able to help. A few months ago i ended up losing both the keys to my 75' xs650b which led me to frantically start searching for replacements or what i hoped wouldn't be the only option, a new ignition. I ended up coming across motorcyclekeys.com which is run by John Blakenship out of California. Send him a copy of your title, license, and the 4 digit code, which will typically be stamped right on top of the lock (very common on bikes of this vintage) and he'll send out as many copies as you want. I ordered two keys and had them shipped priority, total bill was $35, not bad and they work perfectly. He's an easy guy to deal with and very honest, a great example of the type of mom and pop approach thats rapidly disappearing.
3,000 original miles when purchased. 4,480 miles currently. The bike was found in storage where it was parked for 25 years. It has a small dent on the gas tank which happened at some point in storage, otherwise it is in excellent condition. Serviced by licensed HD-approved motorcycle mechanic. The color is metallic orange and black. The bike comes with the original owner's manual and complete original toolkit, as well as period shop manual. Everything in great shape - no exterior rust, no dry rot, no cut wires, 99% original.
What's been modified:
- Clubman bars
- Raask drilled aluminum rearsets
- bent kickstart lever (to clear rearsets)
- NOS dental mirrors, both sides
All original parts retained. Many extras, such as Napoleon bar-end mirrors, period sissybar, oil tank, sidecover, etc. Matching frame/engine numbers. About $1000 put into restoration. Needs new battery (which is on order).
Hi, I'm Paul van Vessem and I live in the Netherlands, Europe.
I have restored an Yamaha R5 of 1970. It took me 3 years, because there are no nos-parts available. When I was finished I had a lot of parts left.
So I decided to build a caferacer.
Specs:
Engine,case/gearbox RD six speed. Cilinders R5, modified. KN filter, DG pipes etc.
It only needs to be painted. It runs great.
Wish you lots of succes with your site.
Hi Lawrence,
After a long hiatus, I'm back to working on my R5C project. I've got the bike stripped down to the frame, as you can see here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtroy/sets/72157624609357225/
I've made a list of items that are going for powder coating and painting (see attached). I wonder if anyone can add to the list? Did I forget anything? If you want, post this list on your site. It might be helpful for others doing a frame-up restoration. You may also want to post the PDF copy of the parts catalog that I found (also attached).
Please also ask whether anyone has advice for removing the steering lock from the frame. I've drilled out the rivet but the lock still won't slide out (see photos at the link above). Is there some trick to getting it out? I'm hoping it won't be necessary to drill the lock to pieces to get it out!
Lawrence,
I've been enjoying your R5 blog... Good stuff, man.
I keep hearing about upgrading the R5 transmission to a 6-speed out of an RD. I'm due for a transmission rebuild on my R5C, and I'm wondering if I just need RD internals, or a complete RD case for the upgrade. Maybe you can shed some light on this. I can't seem to find any information on the subject other than that it's a wise swap.
Thanks for all the good reading and pictures.
Hello again, Chris "Rooster" Reagan here from Nashville tn. I'm writing to update on my r5 project(I had wrote in last year about the then pending project, I had soon there after broken my wrist whilst test riding a cb cafe bike then forgot to get back to you) here is a pick of final mock up, my complements the reading chair quite nice I think. The tank is one from a 76 xs500, the seat is my old Harley sportster tank hacked in twine by my buddy. Nut and bolt resto, everything blasted sanded painted powdered or shined. Medium port job, Pretty standard running gear otherwise. She's gonna b a beaut can't wait to retire the Harley for the rest of the season and shake down my yamahama mama. Finished picks will follow if I can decide on a color scheme, thinking reverse 70's Robert's livery (black with yellow checkers). I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks for the site, your fellow R fanatic, Rooster Reagan
