1965 Yamaha YM1

In 1953 Japanese musical instrument maker Nippon Gakki decided to use some idle manufacturing capacity to build motorcycles. Named after one of the founders of the company, Yamaha produced their first motorcycle the YA1 based heavily on the DKW 125 design liberated from post war Germany.

By 1957 Yamaha had developed a 250 CCtwo stroke twin cylinder that became the basis for the YD1. In 1964 Yamaha introduced the first 2 stroke oil injection system, Autolube, which ended the need to mix oil with the gas in two stroke engines.

In 1965 Yamaha introduced their first stroked 250, the 305 CC YM1. It would become a 2 year only model when Yamaha pursued their fast and successful reed valve two strokes beginning with the YDS3 and YR1. The YM1 was the top of the line Yamaha for 1965 and ‘66 never to be seen again.

The 1965 Yamaha YM1 used a 305 CC air cooled two stroke parallel twin motor that made 30 HP with a five speed transmission at a pudgy 340 LBS. The bike featured Autolube and paired reliability with two stroke performance.

This particular 1965 Yamaha YM1 is in Muskegon, Michigan and is listed as a very clean older restoration with 16,304 miles on it. The bike is currently using pre-mix although the Autolube pump is included in the sale. The bike is currently bid to $99.95 with a Buy It Now price of $2,400