1974 Yamaha Mx 250 on 2040-motos

Moto blog

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?

What Would Colin Edwards Do?

As fast as Colin Edwards is on the track, the Texas Tornado may be even quicker behind a microphone. We saw some of that last year in the Yamaha-produced “Man-Cation” video with Edwards and his then-Tech 3 teammate Ben Spies, and Edwards can always be relied upon for a good quote at press conferences. The producers of MotoGP’s official video podcast “After the Flag” have taken notice of CEIII’s wit.

2015 Yamaha XJR1300 and XJR1300 Racer Announced for Intermot

In a time where air-cooled icons like Harley-Davidson, Indian, BMW‘s boxer engine and the Ducati Monster have all embraced the radiator, it’s a bit surprising to know Yamaha is still offering the XJR1300 in Europe. Featuring the world’s largest-displacement air-cooled Inline-Four engine in production, the XJR1300 lives on in 2015 with a new custom-inspired look and a cafe racer variant. The 2015 XJR1300 was inspired by a custom from builder Keino called “Rhapsody in Blue” as part of Yamaha’s Yard Built program.