1968 Yamaha 347cc YR1
Frame no. R2-01065
Engine no. R2-01065

The traditional British method of building a 350 - to sleeve down a 500 - usually resulted in an overweight sluggard with little more performance than a 250. The customary Japanese approach - over-boring a 250 - achieved exactly the opposite: a machine as light as its quarter-litre sibling yet with sufficient performance to see off much larger machines. Yamaha's first step towards a full 350 was the YM1 of 1965, which featured an engine stretched to 305cc to compete head-on with Honda's similar-sized CB77. The first true 350 – the YR1 – first appeared at the beginning of 1967 and was produced alongside the 250cc YDS5, with which it shared the innovation of aluminium cylinders with a shrunk-in iron liner, replacing the heavy cast-iron type used hitherto. It is also notable as the first Yamaha to incorporate a horizontally split crankcase, a feature that was carried over in 1970 to the next-generation 250, the YDS7, and all subsequent models. The YR1 was a seriously quick motorcycle, able to embarrass British 500s on the drag strip while offering a top speed that just exceeded the magic 'ton'. A rare example of this landmark Yamaha model, the example offered here appears substantially original with the obvious exceptions of the handlebars, control levers and seat. Offered for restoration, it displays a total of 42,095 kilometres (approximately 26,000 miles) on the odometer and comes with copies of Dutch registration papers. No reserve.