This is a 1969 Yamaha TR-2, and it’s currently located in San Diego, California and is looking for a new home. In order to go racing with its first-ever 350cc two-stroke race bike, Yamaha also had to build around 400 of these bikes as racing homologation specials. This example is one of those bikes, and total mileage is unknown.
It’s powered by a 348cc two-stroke parallel twin engine, which made a claimed 39.7 kilowatts (or about 53.2 horsepower) at 9,500 rpm when new. It uses dual 34mm Mikuni carburetors, and has a points ignition system.
This 1969 Yamaha TR-2 reportedly received an engine refurbishment in 2023 that included replacement of the crankshaft, bearings, connecting rods, and piston rings. All that said, it is not clear whether it runs. The seller makes no mention of it, and the accompanying video (part slideshow, but there’s a walkaround in there as well) does not show a startup. It's also unknown whether a glorious racing history is included with this machine.
Features include that beautiful, period-correct fairing, a clear Gustafsson windscreen, an oil tank tucked inside the tail, drum brakes at both ends, an aluminum belly pan, a steering damper, and a six-gallon fuel tank.
Gallery: 1969 Yamaha TR-2 For Sale
Suspension consists of a telescopic fork up front and a swingarm and dual shocks in the rear that have preload adjustability. It has clip-on handlebars and a single gauge up front, a tachometer from Yazaki Meter. It has a 9,500 rpm redline.
The engine and frame feature the matching number R3-900115. This bike does not come with a title or a current registration and is being offered by the seller at no reserve on a bill of sale only.
It’s currently located in San Diego, California, where it has been listed for sale on Bring a Trailer via a dealer called Symbolic International. The listing ends on Friday, September 22, 2023, at 2:48 p.m. Eastern. At the time of writing, the bid is up to $9,000 on this no reserve auction, and a total of nine bids have been placed so far.
We can’t predict the future, but past auctions for 1969 Yamaha TR2s show a range of prices over the past decade. In 2016, one example in Italy brought in €23,400 (about $24,953 if converted on September 21, 2023). Another one sold in the UK in 2018 for £9,000 (about $11,072). Yet another one sold in the UK in 2022 for about £7,475 (or $9,195). These bikes also had notes about things like being sold on a bill of sale, an engine not turning over, and so on—although cosmetically, they looked quite nice in the photos.
