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First Photos

A friend in Ohio purchased this Yamaha Moto-Bike at the Barber Vintage Festival and sent it to me for restoration.  It’s a 1975 Model B. This makes it a year older than the Moto-Bike I restored for my cousin a while back.

The bike was being ridden when purchased. It is missing the rear fender, chain guard and kick stand. The pedals and handlebar grips are replacement parts and not close to original in appearance.

The crank is loose and the right crank arm hits the swing arm. This has been happening for so long the crank arm has worn through the tubing of the swing arm.

Moto-Bike Models

Yamaha’s Moto-Bike was made for three years (1974-1976). There are differences between the model years that makes it easy to identify what year a moto-bike was made. A good collection of photos can be found at BMXmuseum.com.

1974 (A Model):

  • Solo saddle with “MOTO-BIKE” silkscreened on back.
  • Cottered crank
  • Rubber pedals
  • The lower body portion of the fork was painted to match the frame.
  • The rear fender,  chain guard & handlebars were chrome plated.
  • Serial number is stamped on bottom side of bottom bracket.

1975 (B Model):

  • Same as A Model except…
  • Banana seat. The top shock mounting point on the frame was lengthened to provide an anchor point for the seat brace.
  • The handle bars and the chain guard were painted flat black instead of being chromed.

1976 (C Model):

  • Same as B Model except…
  • Single piece crank.
  • Rat trap pedals
  • The fender and chain guard are made of plastic instead of steel.
  • The fork legs are polished aluminum instead of painted steel.
  • BMX knobby tires instead of the older diamond tread “Tractor grip” tires on the A & B models.
  • Serial number is stamped on right hand side of headset tube.

Electronics Relocation

The CDI, fusebox, battery box, started solenoid and regulator/rectifier have been relocated from within the frame to beneath the seat. A bracket for the starter solenoid was welded to the frame. Everything else is mounted above the fiberglass fender.

The wiring to the regulator/rectifier had to be reworked to move the connector adjacent to the battery box.  The connector was in the was in the way of the rear seat bracket.