By the mid 1970s, the Big Four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers had already seen the end looming for the two-stroke street bike. Emissions laws, noise regulations, and a new emphasis on fuel economy were ringing the […]
Tag: Yamaha
Blue Smoke: Yamaha RD350LC Hybrid
Andy Underhill’s resto-modded RD350, boasting YPVS power… Introduced in 1980, the Yamaha RD350LC was the next evolution in two-stroke street performance. Though it succeeded the larger displacement air-cooled RD400, the LC — aka the “Elsie” […]
Yamaha XTZ125 “Retro Scrambler”
Argentina’s LBC Motorcycles builds a 70s-inspired scrambler… The Yamaha XTZ125 is a lightweight dual-purpose bike built to be tough, reliable, and versatile in a range of environments. In factory trim, the 125cc XTZ looks much […]
Street Thumper: Yamaha SR400 Restomod Roadster
DOTi builds another single-cylinder roadster… The Yamaha SR400 has become a cult classic in many parts of the world — a short-stroke thumper derived from the legendary Yamaha XT500. Introduced in 1978, the SR was […]
“Jappalachian” Yamaha RT360 Scrambler by Redtail Works
Redtail Works builds a dirt-ready two-stroke enduro… Introduced in 1968, the Yamaha DT-1 would change motorcycling forever, offering the world a lightweight and affordable 250cc two-stroke dirt bike that was street-legal — the “godfather enduro,” […]
Build in Progress: Yamaha RD350 Springer
“When there is a love for two-strokes, speed, and handcrafted work, there is only one right thing to do…” These are the words of one of our favorite builders, Wilco Lindner of the Netherlands (@builtbywilcolindner), […]
Balinese Blaster: Yamaha Scorpio 225 “Daini”
Enduro meets Bobber in this Bali-born custom… The Yamaha Scorpio Z has become one of the most popular custom donors in Oceania, especially Bali and the rest of Indonesia. From the factory, it’s a standard […]
Yamaha “SRXT500” Vinduro by 86 Gear
From Street to Scrambler… By 1971, BSA and Matchless had both gone out of business, and with them the British 500 singles whose torque and character had proved perfect for such a wide variety of […]
Aberg Tribute: Yamaha HL500 Restomod
Se7en Six Collective builds a fitting tribute to the late Bengt Aberg… In 1975, Yamaha introduced the single-cylinder four-stroke XT500, a dual-purpose “enduro-adventure” motorcycle that would win the first two Paris-Dakar Rallies and lay the […]
Scrambler Road Cross: Yamaha “SRC600”
A Dutch motocross racer builds himself a dual-terrain ripper… In 1983, Kawasaki and Yamaha decided to challenge Honda’s domination of the big-bore dual-sport class. Kawasaki introduced their KLR600 and Yamaha their XT600 — a bike […]