Shawn A.
03-29-2009, 09:00 PM
For Sale: 1972 Yamaha YR5C 7532 miles VIN: R5-110008
1974 Yamaha RD350B 12356 miles VIN: 351-200645
The Story:
I’ll make this short; both of these bikes mean a lot to me. My first motorcycle was a white and red 1975 RD250. I would ride that bike all around my home town when I was out of school in the summer. I used to get teased by my best friend (Dan) who had a new 1993 Yamaha FZR600. I left for the Navy after selling the 250, and was gone for 6 years. Upon returning home, I caught back up with my friend, and he still had that FZR. He told me about a bike that was sitting inside a warehouse that he worked at; he said it looked like my old RD. We went and looked at it and found that it was a 1972 R5C. It was in great shape but it was complete. He bought it from his boss and stored it. A mutual friend of his and mine called me out of the blue one day and said his dad wanted to get rid of a old motorcycle that had been in his shed since 1978, and asked if I was interested. My friend and I went to take a look and found a 1974 RD350. We talked about it for a few days. We decided to restore them and ride them around for old time’s sake. So I ended up buying the RD. Years went by and nothing ever came of those two bikes. I got married and Dan was the Best Man at my wedding. I ended up selling the RD to another friend who was going to turn it into a street tracker. On Sep. 24, 2004, I got a call telling me my friend had died that morning of heart failure, Dan was only 29. After the funeral, Dan’s mom asked me to take the R5. She said she wanted me to have it because of the plans Dan and I had made with the bikes years ago. I agreed to take the bike but felt bad that I sold the RD a year or two ago. So I called that friend who I sold the RD to, and asked if he still had it. He told me it was exactly where I put it in his basement; he had never even moved it! So I bought it back. He even charged me more than I sold it to him for. It seemed to have collected a few missing pieces it needed. So I got down to restoring both bikes, I started with the R5.
The R5:
The engine top end is new, 1200 miles. NOS pistons and rings, 2nd oversize. Brad from HVC sourced the parts for me. It has a new clutch, new gaskets throughout the engine, carbs are cleaned and rebuilt, and they need to be tuned. The frame is newly painted. The entire bike was torn down and cleaned piece by piece. The chrome is original which means it is not perfect. The paint is original, so it too is not perfect. Both are shiny and clean up nicely, but not show quality. The seat has two cuts in the cover. When I finished this bike HVC did not have their new seat covers done for it. The forks seals are bad, and I have the seals, but no ambition to put them in. The tires are brand new Avon’s front and rear, and the spokes are new stainless pieces. The brake shoes are new as well. The bike has lower superbike style bars on it, but the originals are included. The numbers on the engine cases match those on the frame. Everything functions on the bike, even the oil pump. Since its rebuild, Amsoil has been used exclusively.
The RD:
The top end is also new, 600 miles. Pro X pistons and rings were used, 1st oversize. Again all parts came from HVC Cycle. New gaskets throughout the engine, TDR reeds, and NGK plugs. The frame on this bike was also resprayed and every piece was cleaned and rebuilt. This bike has fresh paint and Reproductions decals which have been cleared over to prevent “yellowing”. This bike has new seat foam and a new seat cover from HVC. The chrome is original, so it is not perfect. This bike has the same bars as the R5, but the original bars come with it. The carbs on this bike are from a 1972 DS7 250. The bike runs good, but the carbs were missing when I bought it, so I used these carbs from a project I had sold. Of the two bikes, this is the nicer bike, but both are in excellent condition.
Info:
The bikes are located 30 miles East of Flint, Michigan. They are and have been stored in my climate controlled basement under cover. They were ridden last summer about 4 times. They run great. I just don’t have time for them. They need to be used, and I have 2 young kids that can’t go with my wife and I on rides so they don’t get used that often. I know that letting them sit for this summer will lead to letting them sit for the next summer and so on. That is not what they are for. They need an owner who will use them. I want them to stay together if at all possible. I hope a collector will see them both, read the story behind them, and pick them both up. I have clean clear MI titles for both bikes in hand. I am asking $5200 for both of them. This is not a scam of any kind, and you may contact me at anytime with questions.
Shawn Alexander
3439 German Rd
Columbiaville, MI 48421
1-810-793-0566
shalexan@yahoo.com
1974 Yamaha RD350B 12356 miles VIN: 351-200645
The Story:
I’ll make this short; both of these bikes mean a lot to me. My first motorcycle was a white and red 1975 RD250. I would ride that bike all around my home town when I was out of school in the summer. I used to get teased by my best friend (Dan) who had a new 1993 Yamaha FZR600. I left for the Navy after selling the 250, and was gone for 6 years. Upon returning home, I caught back up with my friend, and he still had that FZR. He told me about a bike that was sitting inside a warehouse that he worked at; he said it looked like my old RD. We went and looked at it and found that it was a 1972 R5C. It was in great shape but it was complete. He bought it from his boss and stored it. A mutual friend of his and mine called me out of the blue one day and said his dad wanted to get rid of a old motorcycle that had been in his shed since 1978, and asked if I was interested. My friend and I went to take a look and found a 1974 RD350. We talked about it for a few days. We decided to restore them and ride them around for old time’s sake. So I ended up buying the RD. Years went by and nothing ever came of those two bikes. I got married and Dan was the Best Man at my wedding. I ended up selling the RD to another friend who was going to turn it into a street tracker. On Sep. 24, 2004, I got a call telling me my friend had died that morning of heart failure, Dan was only 29. After the funeral, Dan’s mom asked me to take the R5. She said she wanted me to have it because of the plans Dan and I had made with the bikes years ago. I agreed to take the bike but felt bad that I sold the RD a year or two ago. So I called that friend who I sold the RD to, and asked if he still had it. He told me it was exactly where I put it in his basement; he had never even moved it! So I bought it back. He even charged me more than I sold it to him for. It seemed to have collected a few missing pieces it needed. So I got down to restoring both bikes, I started with the R5.
The R5:
The engine top end is new, 1200 miles. NOS pistons and rings, 2nd oversize. Brad from HVC sourced the parts for me. It has a new clutch, new gaskets throughout the engine, carbs are cleaned and rebuilt, and they need to be tuned. The frame is newly painted. The entire bike was torn down and cleaned piece by piece. The chrome is original which means it is not perfect. The paint is original, so it too is not perfect. Both are shiny and clean up nicely, but not show quality. The seat has two cuts in the cover. When I finished this bike HVC did not have their new seat covers done for it. The forks seals are bad, and I have the seals, but no ambition to put them in. The tires are brand new Avon’s front and rear, and the spokes are new stainless pieces. The brake shoes are new as well. The bike has lower superbike style bars on it, but the originals are included. The numbers on the engine cases match those on the frame. Everything functions on the bike, even the oil pump. Since its rebuild, Amsoil has been used exclusively.
The RD:
The top end is also new, 600 miles. Pro X pistons and rings were used, 1st oversize. Again all parts came from HVC Cycle. New gaskets throughout the engine, TDR reeds, and NGK plugs. The frame on this bike was also resprayed and every piece was cleaned and rebuilt. This bike has fresh paint and Reproductions decals which have been cleared over to prevent “yellowing”. This bike has new seat foam and a new seat cover from HVC. The chrome is original, so it is not perfect. This bike has the same bars as the R5, but the original bars come with it. The carbs on this bike are from a 1972 DS7 250. The bike runs good, but the carbs were missing when I bought it, so I used these carbs from a project I had sold. Of the two bikes, this is the nicer bike, but both are in excellent condition.
Info:
The bikes are located 30 miles East of Flint, Michigan. They are and have been stored in my climate controlled basement under cover. They were ridden last summer about 4 times. They run great. I just don’t have time for them. They need to be used, and I have 2 young kids that can’t go with my wife and I on rides so they don’t get used that often. I know that letting them sit for this summer will lead to letting them sit for the next summer and so on. That is not what they are for. They need an owner who will use them. I want them to stay together if at all possible. I hope a collector will see them both, read the story behind them, and pick them both up. I have clean clear MI titles for both bikes in hand. I am asking $5200 for both of them. This is not a scam of any kind, and you may contact me at anytime with questions.
Shawn Alexander
3439 German Rd
Columbiaville, MI 48421
1-810-793-0566
shalexan@yahoo.com