1988 Yamaha Ysr50 Mini Crotch Rocket Street Legal 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?

3J’s Charity Track Day Raises $30k

Since 2003, 3J’s Motorcycle Track Days have generated nearly $450,000 for charity. This year, the event’s 20th annual, 3J’s raised more than $30,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities. Nearly 120 riders converged on Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California for a day of riding around the 12-turn, 2.28-mile road course.

Think You’re a Smooth Rider? Yamaha’s SmartRiding App Will Prove It

Yamaha has released a new app that records and evaluates riding habits. The free Yamaha SmartRiding app (available now in the App store) uses the Apple devices sensors to measure basic telemetry to evaluate how smoothly you handle curves. The app requires the device to be firmly fixed to the motorcycle in either a vertical or horizontal arrangement (the app is compatible with iPhones, iPods and iPads, though I’m not sure how many people will mount a tablet to their motorcycle).