Old Yamaha Race Trikes, anyone have one or photos or info on them?

[200XMichigan]

What were the Yamaha race trikes in that add made from? I am assuming they used some stuff they already had. The gas tank look rounded and unlike any tank they used on a trike. If anyone has any pictures of them that would be awesome.

[Vealmonkey]

I can tell you this, before yamaha had an official tri z trike to race, alot of the yamaha racers had custom frame and dirt bike engines. A racing team you may want to look up while doing your research, and they made aftermarket frame also, was "IIIb Lightning". They had some wild machinery and were featured in 3 wheeling magazine a couple times. They also raced the yt125 and the yt175. Brands to look up doing your research, Pro Tec, Kyosho 3x3, both were big yamaha aftermarket companies. Also someone on here copied a "magazine" racing project and you can see the pics in this thread of mine.
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php?86220-Pro-Tec-175-Beginning&highlight=
The trike to watch for belongs to member Tecatekid, his is the copy of the "magazine project"
yt175.

[200XMichigan]

Did you look at the old Yamaha add that was just posted on here. In the add they show a racer who talks about Yamaha's then they show the track and it looks like no trike Yamaha ever produced. It has what looks like a rounded metal tank, fenders look unlike other Yamahas too. I have seen the ProTec build and its awesome. But this trike looked like nothing Yamaha ever made.

Really cool looking trike. There were two very brief times in the video that it is shown. Someone must have a picture of one somewhere.

[mymint87]

Dickson made one similar if not the same one as your describing or pointing out in the vid... and I think it made the cover of a 3wheeler mag, I have a video of it sitting on the side of the racetrack with a broke frame.....what many trikers don't know is that some famous builders of old had design failures and went through trail and error periods just as some of our members and modern day trike fabricators do

[dcreel]

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Decorated%20images/003-2.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Decorated%20images/001-5.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Decorated%20images/002-3.jpg

In that yamaha video there was a spot that showed the yamaha race trike going through a mud pit. I think that video was taken at the time of this article in 3Wheeling mag August 81

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Decorated%20images/005-2.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Decorated%20images/004-2.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Decorated%20images/006-3.jpg

[bigbadktm]

wow 3b racing used to be right down the street from me, how funny, too bad they arent still around...I wonder what is in that spot now

[200XMichigan]

That is awesome. That's exactly what the trike in that video looked like, nice to see a clear picture of it. It looks like genuine Yamaha fenders on it. You got any more vintage race pictures? Especially the Yamahas.

[Vealmonkey]

The jumping pic looks like yz80 tank and forks. Custom triple trees and yt175 front fender and I can't tell about the front brake, maybe a drum. Rear fender looks to be an aftermarket honda copy as well as the seat. They made their own frames in house. More than likely some yz engine. They were cool machines.

[200XMichigan]

It almost looks like the rear fenders are YT175 with the mud flaps removed and some of the nose cut off. Sure is a cool trike.

[blue27]

That Billy Orazio on the Honda that ran against Ace Williams in the mud race magazine is still around and live in Louisanna. Bandito90 and I met him at Jefferson Swap meet this summer, he is into Honda Dreams now, but was telling us a story about that race. The Yamaha that Ace is on was an ex Broc Glover MX bike converted into a trike, he found this out by looking at the frame vin. it started with OW which stands for a factory race bike. It was a cool story.

[dcreel]

That Billy Orazio on the Honda that ran against Ace Williams in the mud race magazine is still around and live in Louisanna. Bandito90 and I met him at Jefferson Swap meet this summer, he is into Honda Dreams now, but was telling us a story about that race. The Yamaha that Ace is on was an ex Broc Glover MX bike converted into a trike, he found this out by looking at the frame vin. it started with OW which stands for a factory race bike. It was a cool story.

Makes you wonder where that bike is sitting today? And whether it's sitting outside in the bushes or not..

[200XMichigan]

It will appear someday. I'd did a search and someone mentioned seeing one in a junkyard in Texas but the guy wouldn't sell it.

I am trying to research it and make a list of parts and am basically going to use parts to make a knock-off and in a lesson in fabrication and welding for myself. Don't worry folks no trikes will be harmed. There is a massive pile of Yamaha dirt bikes and one YTM200, which basically is just a frame and forks, and a pile of extra YT175 stuff I bought as parts for mine, as well as 30 or more bikes to donate parts. The goal will be to make a 250 air cooled Yamaha 3 wheeler, with a gravity metal tank, so it looks like the old race Yamaha.

[the great gazoo]

Wow! Just when I thought I'd seen every old Yamaha racer this one pops up! Thanks for posting it Dcreel! Great stuff.

[mymint87]

looks like yz80 tank .isnt that what you need?

[Vealmonkey]

I have an 81 yz80 tank now. I'm in the process of doing some fitting and figuring. It's still not quite "right". LOL Plus someone screwed up that mounting for the rear brake. And I"ve also found all the parts for the rear brake build from the original maker.

[200XMichigan]

Are you building one of these? That would be awesome.