Yamaha's First Rotary Jets

[Rizingson]

The Yamaha YG1, first introduced in 1963, was a popular small motorcycle known for its sporty design and practical features. It featured a 73cc single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with a rotary disc valve and a four-speed transmission. The YG1 was praised for its reliability, ease of maintenance, and enjoyable riding experience, making it a successful model for Yamaha. Just like Honda's C100's the little YG1 was Yamaha's bread and butter during the early to mid sixties which kept the company afloat. 

Here's my 1963 and 1964 YG1 Yamaha's. Both are pre-mix models as Autolube wasn't released until August of 1964.


The 1964 is a survivor, I did a partial restoration on the '63 as it had more patina than I liked.


The easiest way to identify the '63 from the '64 is by the tail light. In 1964 the tail light was enlarged from the round '63 to meet new DOT requirements beginning the first of the year in 1964.

[RDnuTZ]

very cool! 1 of the 1st bikes I rode as a kid was Trailmaster 80 and I can see some of the design ques from yours made it into later products.

[Simmons1]

Very nice old bikes.

[m in sc]

man those are cool.