2007 Yamaha R1 (maryland) on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Jefferies' TT V&M R1 for sale

We got a tip-off about a former David Jefferies TT R1 for sale on eBay. The owner says it's from the 1998 TT but I'm pretty sure it was the one he raced in 1999. Here's a little bit more background about the V&M TT effort in 1999: In 1990 Jack Valentine gave up racing to concentrate on running V&M Racing, and after being sacked by Honda at the end of the 1998 season, the team set about to do some giant killing.

Custom R1 for Riders for Health

This R1 will be auctioned in 2010 to raise money for Riders for Health. The bike was donated by Yamaha and the paintjob was designed by Aldo Drudi - the guy behind Rossi's helmet designs. See the similarity?!

Filling a void with an RD350LC

Last winter I managed to fill a void in my life when I stumbled on a very reasonably priced Yamaha RD350LC.  It was a tad scruffy, had the wrong exhausts but most importantly it was blue and white with all numbers matching.  I had the usual euphoria when the deal was done but I underestimated how much pleasure this particular purchase would continue to deliver another eight months down the line. The difference with this old bike is, instead of just taking it for the occasional ride I was talked into doing a full nut and bolt restoration.  Having never taking a bike apart completely before, initially it was quite daunting but I soon found the RD is easy to work on so it turned into a truly satisfying experience.  I’ve had some help from LC enthusiasts with the rebuild, however, the stripping, sourcing and organising was a total labour of love.  And call me sad but it has made me bond with this bike like no other which only adds to the feel good factor.  The bike cost £1800 and I’ve spent around £1000 but I reckon my mint Elsie is now worth a fair bit more.   I fancy rejuvenating a Fizzy  next time but there’s lots of other cheap 70’s and 80’s winter projects  out there so why not have a go yourself?