1981 Yamaha Xs on 2040-motos

Yamaha XS tech info

Engine Size (cc):400 Warranty:as is vintage bike For Sale By:owner

Moto blog

I can die happy!

As an eighteen year old Kenny Roberts was my bike racing God.  I loved Barry Sheene but as a Yamaha FS1E rider I always wanted the little American to win simply because his bike resembled mine.  The coverage of Grand Prix in the late seventies was sketchy but I clearly remember watching the epic Sheene/Roberts battle unfold at the Silverstone GP on my council estate telly.  The Dutchman, Wil Hartog was hanging in there for a while but as the laps unfolded it became a two way battle with Sheene looking favourite to win.  Sheene lost the most time as the pair lapped a certain George Fogarty so my hero Roberts eventually won by just three hundredths of a second.  I’m not sure what happened next but being a Sunday we would no doubt be skidding around later in the day at the Pines chippie pretending to be Roberts and Sheene.  Fast forward thirty four years and a boyhood fantasy came true as I headed out on Chris Wilson’s 1980 Roberts machine for the Barry Sheene tribute laps at last weekend’s Moto GP.  It crackled into life instantly and felt as sharp as any of the more modern 500s I used to race.  The temperature gauge had a maximum marker on 60 degrees so to begin with I was nervous as it didn’t move but being a hot day (although still keeping my hand on the clutch) I convinced myself it wasn’t working.    The bike felt tiny, not helped by the fact I only just squeezed into my 1989 Marlboro Yamaha leathers.  It still felt rapid though as I played out the 1979 classic in my head while getting tucked in down the Hanger straight.  Steve Parrish was also out there on one of Barry’s 500cc Heron Suzukis so we did our best to copy the famous last lap at Woodcote Corner where Sheene came so close to winning his home GP. As a lad I would have said the chances of me riding round Silverstone on a GP winning Kenny Roberts machine were zero, but in the words of Gabrielle, dreams can come true!

My Cadburys Boost YZF 750 comes back to life.

After winning my 3rd BSB title in 1998, as an end of season bonus, Yamaha UK kindly handed over my beloved Cadburys Boost YZF 750. There were three of these ex factory bikes in Rob Mac’s team; one went to me, the big man still has one, and the third was sold for a sum that was never disclosed. I had three cracking years on this special machine battling against team mates Whitham, Walker and Hislop and breaking most lap records along the way. The hard charging Bayliss, Reynolds and Rymer were also thrown into the mix on occasions just to make life even more interesting.

Off-Road Riding on a Yamaha Zuma 125 [Video]

Off-road capability isn’t the first thing people consider when shopping for a scooter but it is one of the more surprising traits of the Yamaha Zuma 125. In his review of the Zuma 125, Tom Roderick says the scooter “radiates a more adventurous attitude” than most scooters, with its knobby tires and hand guards making it capable for the odd excursion off the pavement. But if you’re still not convinced, Yamaha‘s Taiwanese arm has released a video featuring the Zuma 125 (or BWS 125, as it is known internationally) getting rough and rugged in the dirt.