My Yamaha R5

[Diablo007]

A recent post regarding an R5 has me reminiscing.  My first motorcycle was an R5.  I was going to Purdue and wanted transportation.  This was about 1989 or so.  Someone listed a 1972 Yamaha in the classifieds for $250.  Being the good son I called my Dad for permission to purchase it.  He says, 'no'.  So I bought it anyway.  I may have disobeyed him, but I did purchase insurance and bought proper riding gear.  Nowadays we call it PPE.  Rode it for quite a while.  Eventually it stopped running between Purdue and my girlfriend's place past the end of S.R. 25.  I'm guessing that the 2-stroke oil ran out, but then again I'm pretty sure my girlfriend's uncle told me to make sure there was oil.  This was back in the late '80's or early 90's so who knows now.  In any case, I borrowed my fraternity brother's truck and brought it back to the frat house.  I came back to HI that year and gave it to my 'big brother' in the frat.  He managed to get it to his father's farm in Monticello.  We stayed in touch and when I was financially stable enough to have it shipped to me I tried to get him to have it shipped.  That never happened.  His dad sold the farm but the buyer agreed to hang on to the R5 since I wanted it.  My 'big bro' never came through.  One of my best friends while at Purdue had a son studying there.  He and his girlfriend drove to the farm to see if they could get the R5 and ship it to me.  No one was home so they left a note in the mailbox.  The farmer called them, he had put it on the side of the road a couple of months earlier.  It disappeared before the end of the day.

Attached are the pics my 'big bro' sent me when I first asked him to take it to the dealership that was willing to crate it and send it to me.  It is still the most beautiful motorcycle I've ever owned.

[Diablo007]

Last pic.

[Striker1423]

ouch, so someone has it, but not you :(

[m in sc]

I restored (yeah like actual restoration which is not my normal cup of tea) a 71 years ago, they are pretty for sure.