This blog started when I owned and MZ Skorpion Traveller and a bike magazine dismissed it with the phrase 'you can't tour on a single'. The Skorpion's gone and I now have a Triumph Bonneville, but I can't be bothered changing the title of the blog!
Sometimes I come across something and think 'I've got to feature that'. This week it's the Yamaha YM1.
The YM1 was produced from 1964 - 66, and was a 305cc two stroke twin which was basically identical to the more common 250cc YDS3.
A fine looking bike, and I particularly like the two tone saddle.
What brought the bike to my attention was a couple of pictures posted on the wonderful Facebook Japanese Vintage Bike Club of a YM1 that had been towed behind another bike.
Pretty impressive, eh? But not as impressive as the distance the bike was towed. The owner, Greg Davis (not the comedian), towed this from Vancouver, Canada to mid-Ohio, USA, for a friend who wanted to restore it. This is a journey of at least 2,500 miles/ 4,000 km!
The Vespa 150 TAP is a Vespa scooter modified for use with paratroops
(Troupes Aéro Portées, or TAP). Introduced in 1956 and updated in 1959,
it was produced by Ateliers de Construction de Motocycles et
Automobiles (ACMA), the licensed assembler of Vespas in France at the
time.[1] Modifications from the civilian Vespa included a reinforced frame and a three inch recoilless rifle mounted to the scooter.[1][2]
The 150 TAP's mounted M20 75 mm recoilless rifle,
a U.S.-made light anti-armour cannon, was very light in comparison to a
standard 75 mm cannon but was still able to penetrate 100 mm of armour
by HEAT warhead. The recoil
is counteracted by venting propellant gases out the rear of the weapon
which eliminated the need for a mechanical recoil system or heavy
mounts, enabling the weapon to be fired from the Vespa frame.
The scooters would be parachute-dropped
in pairs, accompanied by a two-man team. The gun was carried on one
scooter, while the ammunition was loaded on the other. Due to the lack
of any kind of aiming devices the recoilless rifle was never designed to be fired from the scooter, the gun was mounted on a tripod which was also carried by the scooter, before being fired.
The "Bazooka Vespa" was relatively cheap: Vespas cost roughly US$500 at the time, and the M20s were plentiful. Roughly 800 of these scooters were deployed in the Algerian War.
From Wikipedia.
Built the CL350 up to a rolling chassis last night, then read that Larry had just done the same with his project Honda - spooky or what?
I wheeled the bike out tonight to take some photos, it was dark so had to use the peanut sized flash on the camera, but it doesn't look too bad.
I placed the tank, saddle and rear mudguard on to give you more of an idea of how it will look.
Most of the recent work has been on the wheels. They were reasonably OK when I got the bike, but when I got the tyres off (oversized Continental rear, original 1972 Yokohama front), the insides of the rims were a bit rusty. I cleaned them up with a wire brush, treated the rust with Kurust, then gave them a coat of silverpaint and new rim tapes. Both wheels needed trued and the spokes tightened, so that was trusted to a local shop.
New SKF bearings, EBC brakeshoes, Continental inner tubes, and Barum tyres were fitted. I could have used cheaper Chinese parts, but there are some things you don't skimp on!
I'm particularly pleased with the Barum tyres as these were actually cheaper than so called 'budget' tyres from the Far East. I've had some scary moments on these in the past but the Barums are made in the EU (Czech Republic), so will be made to some sort of recognisable standard (unlike the Far Eastern tyres). Barum seem to be very popular with the classic brigade, and have the right 'look' for a bike of this period.
I also gave the brake plates a coat of paint and replaced any scruffy looking nuts and bolts.
This is just a 'dry fit' to see how everything will go together, but I'm pretty pleased with it so far. Hopefully I'll get some more work done before the evenings get too cold to work in the garage!
Talking of Larry and I doing similar work on our bikes on the same day, is this coincidence or synchronicity? I've read explanations of sychronicity, but couldn't make head nor tale of them! - Good album by the Police, though!
"The bike is, according to MV, “Unique both in design, performance, and
absolute riding satisfaction.” With its 125-horsepower 3-cylinder
engine, high-spec and fully adjustable suspension, steel tube trellis
frame, single-sided swingarm, 170-kilo kerb weight, full suite of
advanced electronic rider aids (ABS, multi-stage traction control,
ride-by-throttle etc.) and standout styling, we’re sure that may well be
true."
