This is such a boss thread. Love the retro 80's and earlier pics. Add the pics of @KingGrump rocking Cham in the 1980's......such a super topic.
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All Things Yamaha
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- abbi fisher controlled pressure distribution it's damned hard to kill a yamaha ski retro skis skier barbara ann cochran skis with two-year guarnatee the yamaha sports group us ski team vintage skis yamaha grx skis yamaha paramount ski yamaha skis yamaha sss skis you get a better chance on yamaha skis
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Andy Mink
Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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My first, and only, Yamaha was a YL-1. Wish I still had it. @Philpug remembers, um, dismounting it in an ungraceful manner but I don't recall that. If you took the pipes off that little 2-stoke 100cc motor sounded like hell unleashed. Note to self--wait for pipes to cool before removing. Still have the scar on my wrist from that stupidity.
It was white. this incident happened, I guess around 1980-81 at a mutual friends house. It was the first time I rode a motorcycle and when you are 16ishh...nothing really matters regarding not knowing what the eff you are doing. I took it up the road and as I was scaring myself I tried to slow down. As I was taking a corner I realized that the kickstand was not all the way up. It caught and fortunately, there was a lawn to roll into. I returned the bike to @Andy Mink with a slight dent in the front fender and some grass stains. I have never driven a motorcycle since.
We need a thread on motorcycle misadventures.
You just know a bunch of us have one. Mine was trail riding on an old 60 something Yamaha DT-1. I killed all of the witnesses so it can not be substantiated.
When I was a kid, my parents wouldn’t let me learn to ski because they were afraid I’d break my leg.
When I got older, after learning to ski, my mom told me if I ever bought a motorcycle, she’d write me out of her will. So, I learned to ride a motorcycle, and bought a used 1983 Yamaha, 500cc. (And my mom was impressed)! It was a cool bike. I dumped it a few times, but had many adventures on it. It was a good teaching tool for basic engine mechanics. As it aged, I changed out a lot of parts myself. Later on, I bought a new, fancy bike (Ducati), but I have more fond memories of the old Yamaha.
I never knew they made skis. I wonder why they stopped. I have always wanted a Yamaha grand piano, though.
The most interesting things in this photo are Ron Biederman's Yamaha DHs and Andy Mill's famous Eagle helmet (and of course, Andy). Taken at Tigne Europa Cup, December 1977.
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That would make a great poster.
Thanks. It caused a bit of a tiff at home when I got it. A Val D'Isere local that was friends of Andy, Karl and some of my longer term teammates took the photo and mailed it to me after my accident. My wife didn't like that a woman was taking the pictures.
Oh well. Ancient history.
So, in 1970-1972, I had a very cool bike. A BSA Victor 441. One cylinder. I got it through my older brother. The movie "The Thomas Crown Affair" with Steve McQueen was filmed in our town, I think in 1966. Movie production was a lot different in those days, and my 20 year old brother was hired to do a bunch of work that summer. He was a decent motocross rider, and one of his "jobs" was as an extra on a bike. We think that he is in about 10 seconds of the movie. They trashed a LOT of bikes. I just remember his borrowing a truck from my uncle, and arriving home with, I think, four identical semi-basket cases. He's a mechanical guy, as was my dad, and I was too, at 13. Project time a year later in the barn. With a few extra parts purchased {a couple of wheels, I recall}, we made two bikes out of the wrecks.
My mother was not eager to have me start to ride on the road. My dad kept trying to get her to calm down. It actually made things easier for her, and him, as I could get a motorcycle license a year before my car license, drive myself around, etc. I was away at school, so it was mostly summer, and some weekends. We lived in a rural town, with some great roads for riding, and not much traffic. And a very sleepy police force. What could go wrong? The bike was pretty distinctive. And it had a sweet sound.
One weekend in the late spring I was home for a weekend, and was riding at {for me} a pretty slow pace, maybe 35 mph. Our of nowhere this BIG German Shepard comes running at me, at a right angle. I should have nailed the throttle when I saw him. Instead I slowed, and I hit him dead center with my front wheel. A 120 lb, dog stops a bike on the spot. I when over the handlebars, and flew a long ways, about 30 feet. Broke my collarbone, demolished my helmet, and trashed a suede jacket which protected me. All considered, lucky. The dog was fine a couple of weeks later. Chasing cars a couple of months later!
When my mother arrived at the hospital, I beat her to the punch, told her that I was going to repair it, and sell it right away. Which I did. My brother kept his for quite a while. I never rode it. Now dirt bikes, with no pavement, was a very different story.
History repeats itself. Our son has a BMW airhead that's for sale right now. He's ridden a lot, but he has not been able to ride as much as he would like over the past 3-4 years. He feels that he's just not as "sharp" on the road on a bike as he would like to be. Has to think these days. Not as much second nature. Plus he lives in an area with a TON of distracted tourists in the riding months. He said "just not worth it, now. For sale!" Mom is happy.
Plus his very serious GF really hates it. She fakes it like she doesn't, but the relationship is far enough along that she can come clean. Prefers four wheels to two.
Mine was a Yamaha DT-1 250CC one of the real original motocross bikes. I was about 17 living in Anchorage 1970 or so. When I got the bike it was running okay but pretty well down the trail for salvage. Only toy I have ever owned where I got a ticket for excessive noise in my garage. It had some carboration issue where when it got a load on the engine, it would just bog down and die.
I was out riding a power line in the Chugach mountains behind town, riding solo of course because I was a young idiot. Climbing a really major grade and it bogged down and died. I tomahawked down the hill a few headstands and stopped myself. This was like the 3rd or 4th time it lugged out that day, so not a very happy camper. Climbed back up to that bike from hell and got it running got it pointed down the hill while I stood next to it. held the clutch and brake put it in gear revved up to as close to redline as I dared and turned it loose. It went a surprisingly long ways down the hill before the flippy twisty stuff started happening. Took my helmet off and started walking for town.
For all I know the remains of that bike are still out there.
I was out riding a power line in the Chugach mountains behind town, riding solo of course because I was a young idiot. Climbing a really major grade and it bogged down and died. I tomahawked down the hill a few headstands and stopped myself. This was like the 3rd or 4th time it lugged out that day, so not a very happy camper. Climbed back up to that bike from hell and got it running got it pointed down the hill while I stood next to it. held the clutch and brake put it in gear revved up to as close to redline as I dared and turned it loose. It went a surprisingly long ways down the hill before the flippy twisty stuff started happening. Took my helmet off and started walking for town.
For all I know the remains of that bike are still out there.
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These arrived this afternoon ...
Fresh out of their shipping box .
1976 !
What were you doing in 1976/1977 ?
For once , for once ... the bindings fit my boots !
No redrilling required .
This will be fun to ride ...
Too stiff for powder but excellent on hard pack .
The usual slopes conditions here .
I am soooo glad ...
After Spalding , Yamaha would be my favorite ski brand .
Snow tonight ... snow tomorrow ... if you believe the weather channels ...
Be careful with the bindings, those heels are prone to explode
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Yes , I am aware of it ...
But I am willing to take a chance : it will not be the first *&?$%* plastic binding to break under my weight , the worse being the white ones .
It usually happens when I put the skis on .
By the way , what about the Salomon 957 ... do you think they are worse than these ?
It it is a worm heel 957E, I would have no problem skiing that...even on any ski..a regular 957...ehh...but I would have more confidence in either them than that Look heel.
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''Safety Last'' , Phil , as they say at Jskis .
Tried them yesterday evening ... I survived !
It was kid of ''Back to the Future'' ... very heavy skis , very responsive , made to go fast .
I wish I could have a slope to myself but sadly , all these little families with kids ... and one intermediate slope open ...
The bindings held !
Maybe I am lucky ... plastic is a fickle material after all these years . But it is worth it !
Tried them yesterday evening ... I survived !
It was kid of ''Back to the Future'' ... very heavy skis , very responsive , made to go fast .
I wish I could have a slope to myself but sadly , all these little families with kids ... and one intermediate slope open ...
The bindings held !
Maybe I am lucky ... plastic is a fickle material after all these years . But it is worth it !
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I forgot these ... found a few months ago ...
Too small for me and it is a shame because I would have loved to go down '' the Pustule '' in full Yamaha .
Anyway it will not be for today nor tomorrow because the monsoon took away all our snow . This much rain here in December is not good : remember the weather guys were saying that the winter would be exceptionally cold with record snow !!
That's what happen when you legalize drug usage ... the clouds the meteo people see are mostly THC ...
Well ... you have to be zen ...
The first three are some of the yamahas I have. Two I found in the trash.
