2009 Yamaha Venture Royale on 2040-motos

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Type:Touring

Moto blog

Yamaha MT-10 SP Project Bike - Update 1

Everythings installed and initial impressions. It’s been about a month since we introduced Motorcycle.com’s 2022 Yamaha MT-10 SP semi-long-term project bike. In case you forgot the premise of this whole thing, Yamaha offered us the opportunity to hang on to an MT-10 SP for an extended period of time, and since I have a soft spot for the bike, I decided to give it some tasteful upgrades to address some key weaknesses while also unleashing some trapped potential.

Rumor: Yamaha Developing Inline Three Roadster

French motorcycle outlet Moto Revue reports Yamaha is developing a new three-cylinder middleweight. Citing an internal Yamaha document, Moto Revue reports the new naked model will feature an inline Triple engine, aluminum perimeter frame, upside-down fork and a triple-pipe exhaust like the MV Agusta F3 and Brutale 675. Yamaha has produced a Triple before, offering the XS750 from 1976-1979 before replacing it with the XS850 in 1980 and 1981 (pictured above is the 1981 Yamaha XS850.) The potential new model is still likely to be years away, so its look is yet to be determined, though Moto Revue does have a rendering that borrows some of the design elements from the FZ8.

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?