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Mighty two-strokes: Yamaha R-3
Back
in 1969, Yamaha launched its third generation
350 two-stroke twin road bike, the R-3. Here's
our mini profile
(May 2024, Guy 'Guido' Allen)
If you're
looking for the modern YZF-R3 four-stroke, see our
buyer guide at bikesales.
As the shots above from Mecum Auctions show, there's
something a bit special about late 1960s motorcycles:
light-looking, a few curves and the promise of fun.
The bike you see here, a restored
example from 1969 (the model continued into 1970)
sold for Au$6700 (US$4400, GB£3500). Even back then, we
reckon that was a great buy.
Yamaha launched its predecessor, the YR-1 Grand
Prix, in 1967 and the progress from there was rapid.
Aside from feeling a bit like a racer with lights, for the
time, one of its distinguishing feature was a transmission
layout which allowed for the fitment of a left- or
right-hand shifter. (And yes, we believe Yamaha was
referencing this bike when it launched
the YZF1000 R1 in 1998.)
From there the series went YR-2 in 1968,
YR-3 in 1969, and YR-5 (which represented a major
technical advancement) in 1970. The next big jump happened
with the RD350 in 1973.
For its day, the R-3 was a serious performer. Claiming a solid 35hp at 7500rpm, the 347cc parallel twin two-stroke it weighed a mere 154kg. That was good enough to give it a 100mph (160km/h) top speed with a determined rider and perfect conditions. In any case, it was enough to give most 500cc four-strokes a serious run for their money.
Lively acceleration, reasonable
reliability and simple construction won quite a few fans.
Even today there is some residual love for the model, such
as the wonderful
blog at biker.net. The pic shows friend Ginger, his
1966 Chevy Impala and of course the Yamaha. We're not sure
which was first in his affections...
We can also recommend a quick
restoration blog from another owner.
Meanwhile there's an impressive variety of advertising out there for this model, mostly pitched at the USA market. We particularly like this moody highway scene.
There were several lifestyle ads, all of
which show women and men riders.
Of course there was a Scrambler version,
and we suspect this variant would be very hard to find
these days.
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