1999 Yamaha Yamaha R7 1 Ow-02 on 2040-motos

Moto blog

You Have Questions, Rossi Has Answers

Prior to arriving at Laguna Seca for this weekend’s MotoGP race, nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi made a stop at Yamaha’s U.S. headquarters in Southern California for a meet-and-greet with his fans, and we were there to see The Doctor, along with Tech 3 Yamaha stablemate Bradley Smith, in person. As part of the trip, fans had a chance to participate in a Q&A session with the champ, where Rossi picked 12 questions at random.

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?

New Photos and Video of Yamaha PES1 Electric Concept

Yamaha has released additional images and a video of its new PES1 electric motorcycle for the concept’s debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. The new photographs, shot at Yamaha’s display at the Tokyo show, show more details about the PES1 concept, which Yamaha first announced earlier this month. The PES1 shares the same electric DC brushless motor, lithium-ion battery and monocoque frame as the PED1 concept which also took its bow in Tokyo.