Scrambler . . . oh yah . . . just trying not to reveal my true age !
To be exact, It's a 1962 YDS2 Japanese "Scrambler" . . . a model that we never got here in the US of A







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They made an YR1 350cc in 1967 called a grand prix and also made a YR2-c 350cc Scrambler version in 68 or 69 before the R-5 came out in 1970. My step dad sold Yamaha's back then and I remember the Scrambler version in a green color like the 1970 CT1

good call Mark! I thought the R5 was the first,now I stand corrected!

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Since this thread has sort of evolved into a Yamaha history class

Did you know . . .
Yamaha trained a monkey to ride one of their bikes as a publicity advertizing stunt . . . in response to the newly introduced Honda Monkey.



Gave Kawasaki the idea for their Mach 1 model . . .



Had a factory dirtbike team clear back in the 50's . . .



That the invention of the Autolube system was Yamaha greatest pride & joy for many years . . .





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really cool stuff Enduronut! the 50's Yamaha team looks like they are aboard YA1s. if I remember correctly they were very similar to the DKW of the time and they were 125s. I think they were made in 1955-56.

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(shared from FB)

Genichi Kawakami.
He is the president for the "Yamaha Corporation" fourth generation and is the “Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.” founder
Genichi who was born in Shizuoka same as Soichiro Honda.
He had a strong spirit of rivalry with Soichiro Honda.
He developed a new product with leadership and a strong sense of pride. He expanded the global company and put up Yamaha.

Hey Dave, I still have a Chiltons Yamaha Repair & Tune Up Guide covering 50,60,80,100,125, 250 and 305 Scramblers and Racers first printed in 67( this is 4th printing hard cover), a Yamaha Service Manual covering 250-305cc Twins from 1962-1966, a Yamaha Service Manual that covers YM-2 305 and YDS-5 250, and a Yamaha Parts List covering YDS 3 & YM 1. I had a 305 street version of the Big Bear Scrambler several years ago. Let me know if you are interested in any of that. Kevin

Its been quite awhile since I posted about any progress on the bike in this thread...not much progress as I have been busy working on other projects..

Lance did deliver the gas tank to me .....so I decided to install the tank rubber and install the new badges and mock things up.

As with any motorcycle ..the gas tank is the heart of the bike and wow this paint scheme has some pop.

Lance did a fantastic job on the tank



Since I had to drill the new badges I left the clear plastic protection on them also need a few more screws...just mocking it up for now



Needless to say I am very happy with the results

To get the paint colors for the tank.......I printed out the photos in this article by Tom White

motocrossactionmag.com/more-stuff/vintag...-250-ascot-scrambler

I printed the jpgs out on an HP color laser printer and ten took them to the paint store and found the closest paint chips to both the beige and red.


Here's a photo of the are article photo and the freshly painted tank



I think the colors ended up very close to the printed photos from the article. Since that was my only reference and he states the paint is original.




The badges I found are not correct...but for the price the will do for now..



I wanted to see how close the powdercoated CZ parts I had done matched the tanks red ?
The powdercoat red is a bit darker....red is one of the toughest colors to match.

I do have more of the red tank paint for the rest of the bike's red parts.

For now I think I will just admire the beautiful lines and shape of the Ascot's tank ...
Thanks Lance for a superb job on the tank.