I bought the Yam in 1980 for the grand sum of £75. It was a 1974 model with TLS front brake and had the rounded lines that I felt looked a lot better than the squared off look of later models. From day one it gave an indication of what life was going to be like with this fine example of Yamaha’s advanced two stroke technology. The main problem, it wouldn't start for a while the day I went to pick it up.
In town the bike tended to oil up a bit, twin smoke trails emitted out of the exhausts until there was a chance to open up the throttle. The engine cleared it’s throat and a lovely two stroke howl came on at 5000rpm, together with a nice power surge. Acceleration up to 60mph was quite exciting, but the tall top gear means that higher speeds need much foot play with the gear lever. The bike is definitely disdainful of slow speed commuter work.
The handling is definitive early 70s Jap, with a soggy back end and forks that bounce about when pushed too hard, although in normal use the handling’s adequate. Pillions have a weird ride sensation thanks to the footrests mounted on the swinging arm. Petrol consumption is greedy, with 45mpg being average, motorway work yielding nearer 30mpg.
The bike will cruise at 70mph with about 10mph left in reserve for overtaking, although I often cane the engine along with 80mph on the flat and 90mph downhill. Problems? Where do I begin? Number one has to be the-baffles clogging up with lumps of carbon after sedate riding followed by all out thrashing. This can be overcome by riding everywhere with the revs around the 9000rpm rediine when the motor feels really crisp and even the handling sharpens up a little.
The TLS front drum is excellent with plenty of power and instant response in the wet, although be careful with the drums, there are some pattern shoes around that lock up the wheel in the wet - I once had the front wheel slide from under me, only some quick foot work and the fact that the bike weighs only 270lbs saved me. The front light is the usual dreadful thing and the switches work: OK but nothing special.
The left-hand big end collapsed after 18000 miles but I rebuilt the crank myself using a fly press and a precision lathe for final lining up when the boss wasn’t looking. Working on the bike is cramped and the air filter hoses an absolute bitch to replace - a lot of running problems can be attributed to someone leaving one of these incorrectly fitted. Also, it’s worth carrying a spare set of plugs as some of ‘em don’t last very long.
I replaced the points after 48000 miles but only because I couldn't file them any more - they cost £14 a pair. There was no discernible change in performance after the new ones were fitted. I'd had a re-bore done at 32000 miles - with the crank rebuild, it’s been reliable up to 60000 miles. I still cover 300 miles in a day on occasions, although the seat feels very hard after 100 miles.
On the way to Rider Rights Day, I smelt petrol and looked down to see the engine covered in fuel as the pipe had loosened off. 28000 riders make no trouble and get no publicity whilst if one of us gets out of line, the daily rags unfurl banner headlines. Very fair! Back along the Edgeware Road, petrol pours out, there’s nowhere to stop and I'm in real fear of someone throwing a fag out of a car window. I eventually found a dealer who gave me some tubing.
The bike is now 14 years old and is still going strong. I have fitted new forks (£25 from Raffety Newman) but that’s been the only outlay on parts. tyres last for 5000 miles on the back and 28000 on the front, an indication of the front end lightness - adding a top box puts the bike into a permanent state of the front end pawing the air.
Chain life is bad, seldom more than 5000 miles.
Wet weather does weird things to the bike indicators flash by themselves, the electric starter starts running under its own steam and even the clutch becomes sticky. Spraying WD40 on the bike usually helps. The slim dimensions and low mass make filtering through’ traffic relatively easy and the bike will squeeze through gaps that other bikes can’t take. Lots of young kids gawp at the bike as it’s quite rare these days. For thrills per mile and value for money, it’s hard to beat these seventies strokers.
Ray Hunt
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