Post Sale Update: This Lady Yamaha sold for $1,275 after 10 bids on eBay in Clermont, Florida.
Back in the day, Yamaha apparently offered a special edition of the 50cc Newport scooter that was marketed to women in the most stereotypical way possible – they made it pink, added fringes to the seat, and slapped a basket on the front. It did not sell well.
According to Ed Youngblood, the U5E was introduced in 1967 under the name of “Lady Yamaha”. Power was handled by a 50cc rotary-valve engine with automatic clutch. The last time I featured one of these, I shared this ad but I couldn’t determine what any of the text said beyond the headline of “For Ladies Only…The Lady Yamaha”. Thankfully, Ed was able to figure out more of it, including the following quote: “The new Lady Yamaha is a radical departure in motorcycling. Now the female cyclist can have a machine all her own, and not worry about the males wanting to borrow it. After all, what man would want to be seen riding a pink motorcycle trimmed in fringe?” Apparently, it wasn’t just men that didn’t have an interest in riding a pink motorcycle trimmed in fringe.
This example (VIN: M5-521418) has 577 miles and it’s titled as a 1969 because that’s the year it was sold (the Lady Yamaha was only offered in 1967 and 1968). The seller states that he drove it for 4-5 miles when he acquired it and then put it in dry storage. Everything is said to work, and there’s some minor paint touchups as well as “slight corrosion on the exhaust and rear wheel.”
Find this Yamaha for sale in Clermont, Florida with bidding up to $310