I Paid $500 For This Dirtbag Yamaha And I'm Going To Turn It Into Track-only Bike

Bradley Brownell

During nan AMA Vintage Days motorcycle event astatine Mid Ohio over nan weekend, I—completely accidentally, mind you—added a sixth motorcycle to my stable. Amid each nan two-wheeled shenanigans going connected astatine nan track, I stumbled crossed this 1992 Yamaha FZR 600 Vance & Hines Championship Edition motorcycle pinch a for waste motion taped to nan front. On Friday nan motorcycle was listed, sans title, for conscionable $1,000. I made a intelligence statement of it and kept connected trucking. Then, connected Saturday, nan value dropped to $700 and nan seller added "all offers considered" and I became somewhat much intrigued. A friend (and a fistful of lunchtime beers) encouraged maine to send a risky lowball offer. 

"Saw your Yamaha for sale. If cipher other gets it by tomorrow, I person room successful my van to haul it location and $500 successful Venmo pinch your sanction connected it," was my offer. Just 5 minutes later, nan seller texted backmost "If you springiness maine nan $500 now it's yours." I wasn't looking guardant to explaining to my woman why this stray was pursuing maine home, but a deal's a woody and I'm a man of my word. 

I couldn't person scripted nan speech of money for keys amended if I tried. The seller rolled up to meet maine astatine nan motorcycle connected a brutally basking Ohio time without a shirt. He told maine immoderate communicative astir really nan erstwhile proprietor stopped riding nan motorcycle almost 20 years agone and it had been sitting successful a car shed until he died. That feline was nan uncle of nan seller's friend and declare they're still looking for nan bike's title, but it's astir apt a mislaid cause. This magenta and yellowish motorcycle is hot, perchance successful much ways than one.

So what's truthful typical astir this brightly-colored 1990s monstrosity? Well, astatine its astir basic, nan FZR 600 was a beautiful awesome 1990s athletics bike. With an inline-four cylinder 599cc motor and a quartet of Mikuni carburetors, this motorcycle pumped retired a claimed 91 horses astatine 8,500 rpm (with an 11,500 rpm redline). At nan clip Yamaha was collaborated pinch Vance & Hines Racing for its mill racing, winning its first Daytona 200 pinch David Sadowski successful 199 and its first AMA Superbikes title pinch Thomas Stevens successful 1991. Both of those awesome milestones were completed pinch an FZR 600 wearing this ridiculously Rad-era magenta/yellow/black livery.

To observe nan title triumph and Yamaha's presence successful North American motorcycle racing, nan institution spun up a typical constricted version motorcycle pinch V&H. The motorcycle was already beautiful performance-packed from nan connection go, truthful they didn't do a full batch to group it apart. Each of nan astir 600 bikes built were painted successful Vance & Hines livery and fixed an version decal pinch a number (mine is #131), a Vance & Hines aftermarket exhaust system, and that's beautiful overmuch it.

Yamaha said nan FZR 600 weighed 458 pounds ready-to-ride, and erstwhile it was caller nan motorcycle was tin of 150 miles per hr without issues. With a 41mm telescopic beforehand fork and rising-rate rear monoshock, it was decently tin connected track, and stopping powerfulness tin whoa it down from those speeds acknowledgment to a brace of 298mm discs up beforehand and a 214mm disc astatine nan backmost wheel. Unfortunately, those who tally these connected way opportunity nan rear daze and nan beforehand brakes are nan first things to upgrade. 

Bradley Brownell

If this point is truthful great, why was it $500? A large logic is that missing title, of course. It besides benignant of runs for illustration crap. I haven't dug into nan test yet, but it seems there's thing incorrect successful nan fueling strategy that makes nan motorcycle unopen down aft a short clip running. When nan seller arrived to show maine nan bike, he stuck nan cardinal successful and fired it correct up pinch a speedy stab of nan starter button. While we were talking, possibly 1 to 2 minutes later, nan motor stumbled and unopen off. Hmm, concerning, but not capable to deter maine from striking nan deal. 

After I'd sent nan seller immoderate integer dormant presidents trading cards successful speech for nan keys to nan motorcycle, he walked distant and I sewage connected nan motorcycle to thrust it backmost to my campsite. As it had conscionable a fewer minutes before, nan Yamaha happily fired up and revved freely. Not only did nan motorcycle thrust distant nether load, but I sewage it up to nan apical half of nan rev scope and shifted to 2nd and past third. When I got slowed down for traffic, however, it erstwhile again stumbled and died. Only this clip it wouldn't re-start and I haven't yet figured retired why. 

Is that it? In short, no. The tires are old, nan bodywork is loose and galore fasteners are missing, nan windscreen is broken, nan spot is falling apart, nan concatenation could astir apt guidelines to beryllium replaced, nan rear brake caliper is successful a twelve pieces successful a Ziploc bag, and more. The paint, 1 of nan bike's large trading points, is ragged and successful request of a fewer twelve touchups. Every portion of this motorcycle needs to beryllium refurbished, repainted, replaced, aliases redone. It isn't going to beryllium nan activity of a infinitesimal to get this motorcycle moving good again, fto unsocial track-ready. 

It was past registered 22 years ago. A batch tin hap to a motorcycle successful 22 years.

From nan small riding that I sewage connected this bike, it's each reasonably functional. The seller handed maine a cardboard container afloat of bits and spares, and a mini fistful of receipts. The motorcycle has a caller artillery from conscionable a mates of months ago, for which they paid astir $120. The waste besides included a Clymer and a Haynes manual, astir $40 each. Throw successful a fewer carburetor rebuild kits, a battalion of carb jets, a caller group of brake pads, and immoderate different bits and bobs, and it looks for illustration I bought a heap of parts and manuals and sewage nan motorcycle thrown successful for free. The full shooting lucifer costs maine little than 10% of nan bike's original $5199 pricepoint.

Bradley Brownell

Despite nan motorcycle not wanting to commencement now, proceeding it tally was reassuring. There's an motor location that wants to run, it conscionable needs immoderate help. I'll get it moving and dyno tuned earlier winter, and pinch immoderate luck it'll ne'er beryllium moving this poorly again. 

Goal number 1 is to get this instrumentality backmost up connected its feet, er backmost up connected its tires, and moving for illustration a apical again. Once that is sorted nan remainder will autumn into place. My secondary extremity is to get this motorcycle beneath 400 pounds successful ready-to-race shape. I'm going to do my champion to get this done arsenic cheaply and easy arsenic possible, but not astatine nan disbursal of safety. Yes, I'll almost assuredly person to walk much connected my leathers than connected this bike, but I for illustration my tegument and would alternatively support it. 

Bradley Brownell

I person nary thought what kinds of thigh times this point will turn, aliases what it tin do pinch modern rubber that it couldn't negociate successful 1992, but I intend to find out. Maybe nan motorcycle will get faster than it ever has been, but I cognize for judge I request nan on-track acquisition if I ever want to beryllium a amended rider. I had primitively planned to way my Ducati Monster, but it's conscionable truthful bully that I'm not judge I tin bring myself to do it until I've sewage much experience. I would still beryllium sad if this Yamaha gets wadded up into a ball aft high-siding maine into oblivion, but I tin spend to locomotion distant from a $500 way rat. Balling up my Monster or my Livewire would make maine sad successful a very different way.

I have traditionally avoided athletics bikes successful my riding tenure, vastly preferring an upright riding style and nary fairings. I'm not judge what it was astir this bike, but it conscionable drew maine in, and begged maine to return it home. From nan 2nd I sewage successful nan saddle, I knew it fresh maine for illustration a mitt and we would do awesome things together. With a fistful of bully motorcycle tracks wrong 2 hours of my house, including Mid Ohio, Nelson Ledges, and Pitt Race, possibly this motorcycle will beryllium nan 1 to hole me. Who knows, possibly I'll participate it successful AMA Vintage Days title adjacent summer.