1980 Yamaha YZ-465G
I bought this bike from a fellow in Tigard, Oregon in the spring of 2002 who wanted $850. I haggled with him over the price for a couple of weeks on the phone. After all he didn't have a title, it was 23 years old, and I had to drive a long way... When I finally got down and saw the bike I couldn't believe my eyes. It was almost new. It looked as though it had been ridden maybe six or seven times. It still had the showroom BOB HANNAH #1's in place and there was hardly a scratch on it. It still had the kickstand in place, all the original plastic and not a single dent on the pipe or original silencer. I was still pretty naive about vintage bikes, so I still tried to haggle with him, and got the price knocked down to $750. He was the third owner, he had bought it from a friend who had had it sitting in the garage, under boxes and tarps for 7 years without ever riding it. It wasn't running. When he got it home he cleaned the varnished old gas out of the carburetor, put in some fresh gas and it started right up. That 2nd owner said he had gotten it from the original owner, an older guy who rode it a bit in the desert down in California with his kids, but who had sold it as being too powerful. Powerful it is. I haven't popped the cylinder yet as it is still incredibly strong, but I plan to after this season. I can't wait to see if it's still on the original bore. I bet it is. It just looks that new.
Before I ever raced it, I bought some Maier side panels and a DG pipe and Silencer. Not so much to improve performance, or because it needed it, but as I wanted to preserve the originals in their pristine state. Since then I have also replaced the entire front end with some 43mm forks and triple clamps off of an '84 YZ-490. It was a simple bolt on switch. I still have all the original parts and plan on including them whenever I eventually pass the bike on to someone else. Not for a while though, I'm still winning races on it. This thing gives me the hole-shot almost every race. It must be the bike, 'cause I'm just not that good. The bike is incredible.
I have found a good home for this bike, and while the deal isn't done yet, it looks like he wants it. So this one might be racing you again very shortly. Maybe this time under someone who knows how to ride!