When you think of a Yamaha R1, what usually comes to mind is a 150+ HP liter bike with a racing heritage and championship DNA throughout. Well it’s not the only R1 nor is it the original R1 with that kind of heritage and DNA. The 1967 YR-1 Grand Prix was a greyhound in sheep’s clothing and it was the biggest dog to date.
In 1967, Yamaha introduced the YR-1 as their first ever 350cc street model. After years of competing against larger displacement British bikes…and winning (think Triumphs and BSAs of the time), Yamaha deemed the bike necessary for public consumption. Unlike its European competitors, the YR-1 was more technologically advanced with components such as oil injection, single housing speedo/tach, twin leading-shoe drum brakes (2LS), and aluminum cylinders in cast-iron housing. One of the most unique features of the bike was the ability to have its shift shafts, levers, and rear brakes switched to whatever side the rider was more familiar with––making it easy to use for both North American/Asian riders (left-side shifting) and European riders (right-side shifting).
36 horsepower, twin 350cc engine surrounded by styling that went head-to-head with anything of the time, painted in 3 colors; candy red, candy blue, & gloss black––made for a hell of a model introduction and better yet, a great collectors bike today. This bike started a lineage of amazing race-bred bikes including the YR-2, YR-3, R-5 and modern monsters like the R1.
This particular bike comes in the rarest color; gloss black, and with less than 5,000 miles on the clock. Looks like it could use a nice clean up and the chrome definitely needs a strong polishing, but owner states that it starts with just one or two kicks and is very rideable. It’s not a Triumph, BSA, or even a Honda CB, but that’s what makes this bike a neat option for a collector or someone desiring a more distinctive foundation for a custom. You can find this bike for sale in Manhattan, New York here on Craigslist for $4,500.