A look back at the Yamaha RD Two Stroke range of the 1970’s and 1980’s with Steel City Classics
68.1 هزار بار بازدید -
2 سال پیش
-
Taking a trip down memory
Taking a trip down memory lane looking at the evolution of the Yamaha Two Stroke motorcycles back in the late seventies and early eighties.
The RD story can be traced back to 1957 when Yamaha’s first 250cc, based on the German Adler 250 was designed. The design was the first post war offering from the Adler but as part of wartime reparations BSA took many of its features for the Ariel Arrow and Leader ranges.
During the mid-50s Yamaha took their chance to develop the YD1 and it first hit the race track in 1958 at the Catalina Grand Prix, a sixty mile on-off road event which proved an ideal testing ground for many manufacturers. The road version of the YD1 enjoyed 247cc with single carb and offered 14.5hp (later versions were improved to 18hp) from an air cooled parallel twin.
Yamaha entered its first World GP in France summer 1961, the same year they sent a team to the Isle of Man and scored a sixth-place finish. The YD2 arrived soon after with electric start which was smartly followed by their export market hero; the bikes that really put Yamaha on the worlds motorcycle map, the YDS1 & 2.
Legendary pilots raced for the marque in 1963 including Read, Redman and Agostini, the same year their unique ‘Auto-lube’ system was unveiled at the All Japan Motor Show. With a larger race programme and a development machine called the RD56 they took second and fourth in the 250 class at the Isle of Man in 1963 before winning the same class but at world championship level in both 64 and 65.
The road 350cc named the YR1, which was never actually sold in the UK, arrived in 1967 and boasted 36.5hp, this machine set the benchmark for all Yamaha two stroke twins to follow.
Steel City Classics is a brand new classic motorbike showroom near Chesterfield and Sheffield in the UK with a wide range of bikes on display. Come and join us for a chat about all things two wheeled.
The RD story can be traced back to 1957 when Yamaha’s first 250cc, based on the German Adler 250 was designed. The design was the first post war offering from the Adler but as part of wartime reparations BSA took many of its features for the Ariel Arrow and Leader ranges.
During the mid-50s Yamaha took their chance to develop the YD1 and it first hit the race track in 1958 at the Catalina Grand Prix, a sixty mile on-off road event which proved an ideal testing ground for many manufacturers. The road version of the YD1 enjoyed 247cc with single carb and offered 14.5hp (later versions were improved to 18hp) from an air cooled parallel twin.
Yamaha entered its first World GP in France summer 1961, the same year they sent a team to the Isle of Man and scored a sixth-place finish. The YD2 arrived soon after with electric start which was smartly followed by their export market hero; the bikes that really put Yamaha on the worlds motorcycle map, the YDS1 & 2.
Legendary pilots raced for the marque in 1963 including Read, Redman and Agostini, the same year their unique ‘Auto-lube’ system was unveiled at the All Japan Motor Show. With a larger race programme and a development machine called the RD56 they took second and fourth in the 250 class at the Isle of Man in 1963 before winning the same class but at world championship level in both 64 and 65.
The road 350cc named the YR1, which was never actually sold in the UK, arrived in 1967 and boasted 36.5hp, this machine set the benchmark for all Yamaha two stroke twins to follow.
Steel City Classics is a brand new classic motorbike showroom near Chesterfield and Sheffield in the UK with a wide range of bikes on display. Come and join us for a chat about all things two wheeled.
2 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1401/06/24 منتشر شده
است.
68,112
بـار بازدید شده