This was a beautiful piece of machinery. I rode one of these in 1973. The bike model is correctly LS2. At the time there was no such series as the RD. These came in years later. Trinidad & Tobago. West Indies.
My very first bike at age 10 in 1973, bought from a neighbor for 400 bucks to ride in the local woods. Yea a street bike for first dirt bike, put a set of 2.75. inch knobbies on it and when I fell over in the trails I had to wait for someone to ride by to help me pick it up. Wish I had one now and NO they were never called RD 100 just a little old LS 2...
Yeah that also is my first bike at the age of 12 and 77 and I also put knobs on it to ride in the trails and I live next to a swamp and the mud we get stuck between the tire and the fender and it wouldn’t turn that was always fun to try to ride like that
Very nice! This takes me back to my high school days--For those of us who could only afford small bikes at the time, a common argument was which bike was better--The Honda SuperSport 90 or the Yamaha RD 100.The Honda had a bit more low end torque, but the Yamaha was a total chick magnet!
Fun liitle classics! I miss mine. I had it given to me by a friends great aunt who wanted someone who cared to get all cleaned. It had 1200 original miles in 2008.
Great bike! I just picked up a '72 LS2 with about 4,000 miles on it. It's crazy how the only places you find these nowadays is in people's barns or in museums! I just need a battery, new tires/tubes and possibly a chain then she should be running strong! I hope to restore it fully some day but for now it's my college campus cruiser. Lucky guy, getting to ride one when they were fresh out of the showroom.
Great little bike. My dad bought one new and I eventually inherited it after he went to a RD 400. I rode the hell out've that little ring dinger, a good bike to learn on, since it topped out at about 65 MPH ! [ In Canada, the bike didn't have the RD moniker , just known as the LS2 100.]
Had a couple of RD bikes the first was my first motorcycle ever a 1975 RD60B 2nd year was red with black stripes got it in June 1978 was a learner bike the next was a 1974 RD 200 twin cylinder was blue with black and white stripes on the tank got that one in June 1983 enjoyed both bikes 2 stroke street bikes are definitely a thing of the past my cousin raced a 1977 YZ 80 dirt machine winning a few races in the 80cc class such great memories.
The nomenclature "RD" was not used by Yamaha until 1973. The first RDs were the 350, 250 and 125 The RD 200 came in 1974 and was an electric start (god only knows why a 200 2-T would need an electric start) and then smaller RDs followed. That's an LS2, not an RD 100. I had both the LS2 and later the RD 125. My RD 125 was a 1975 version and my LS2 was just like this one - 1972 - both which I bought new.
You are correct about the designation RD. The YCS1 was 180cc as well as the CS2. The CS2 evolved into the CS3 as a 200cc. The evolution continued into the RD 200 in 1974, and the final in 1978. All were electric start motorcycles. The crankshaft mounted armature of the starter functioned as a generator once the engine was started. Trinidad & Tobago. West Indies.
This also was my exact bike when I was 12 years old same color and everything bought it upstate New York for 300 bucks with about I think 500 miles on it
That was a quick ride... couldn't find any Honda MB5s to humiliate? Lol, good video, nice bike- good find! My favorite line: "It's a good smell, though." That pretty much sums up the two-stroke experience and all the memories connected to that "smell."
I rode a few thousand miles on one exactly like that back in the early/mid 70's, I was about 13 -14 y.o. It was my favorite out of 4 other similar power bikes we had such as a Kawasaki 90 and a Honda 100 road and trail. We rode the streets in rural areas of TN, the cops didn't bother us, we wore helmets and the bikes being low powered were not able to really go that fast, mine could go 78 MPH downhill, about 72 flat. I always wished I had a 125, which I think could go about 83 according to the catalog, but than again, being that young and dumb I'd have probably crashed.
Wow absolutely gorgeous. Keep her in mint condition please for the sake of 2 stroke heritage. I didn't know there was an Rd 100 twin. Areal head turner.
Its a nice bike, and spectacular with the 100cc twin.. But they have a reputation of not being too bulletproof. The one cylinder RS series is supposed to be much better, but they dont have the beautiful sound the LS2 has.. I'd think that if you always use good oils and synchronize the carbs often, it will last as long as any other. If the carbs are out of tune one of the cylinders will run better and cause a too lean mixture in the other, which will run hot.
Super little yam screamer all we never got the 100 in England all the small yam twins are gems i had a 200 don't sell it dude your regret it dude .keep ya pipes clean !
Are you sure this is an RD series bike? A guy here (in Norway) stubbornly claims that these bikes are named LS2 100 as the only designation. He says he had several and nothing on the title or frame says RD. They should have the same name regardless of where they were sold??
Just got one of these babies a few months ago with 4k in beautiful condition. Been rising it in my city to many looks and stares! Would love to learn how to do the inspections but the manual seems hard to follow. Any suggestions or videos out there that might help I can seem to find any?!!
