Yamaha TY250

Yamaha TY250

You would have thought it impossible to find a factory number one bike off the production line! I found this on Ebay, it really is a true number one and confirmed by Yamaha. I didn’t just find this one – I found another and that is also a Yamaha off road style bike a DT175.

I’ve always like off road type bikes, they are fun – hard work – but fun. The first time I took my KTM EXC 200 out off roading in North Yorkshire all day in the floods – I was buggered! I couldn’t hold anything or move for a full week – the weekend after I was racing my Slalom Kayak on a championship race and had just recovered that night – I was so strong and fit and absolutely blew everyone away – what a way to cross train!

The TY was a series of bikes I remember from the 1970’s, a School mate had a new 50cc – how I don’t know? No one had any money around us in those days! That was a stylish bike, as was the 125, 175 and 250’s.

It’s not a powerful engine it’s not made for speed. The real reason why I was looking for a Yamaha was – I got it into my head to buy every bike that I had used a piston from in my Lambretta tuning. I was searching for a Yamaha IT175/250 or a DT175 and a 250. I used these pistons many times and this is how I found this bike.

I’d already bought the number one DT175 when I saw this I couldn’t believe it, I ummed and arred for a few days – in the end I couldn’t imagine another would pop up – I had to have it. Both bikes hopefully will stay together and not be split up.

I’ve only ridden it once the day it turned up. Straight up the banking at work, around the waste land, down the hill at the back of work and around to the front of the building – did that a couple of times and realised my knees are still knackered and was so painful I washed it and put it up on the racking after the lads all climbed up the pick up of the Austin Morris to help me.