Located in Menlo Park, California is a completely original 1978 Yamaha TZ250 with less than five miles. To quote the seller:
1978 Yamaha TZ 250, less than 5 break in miles if that .
This example has never even broken in. Garaged since new, will need new rubber & seals. Campagnolo 5-spoke alloys, fairing & duck-tail seat. Minor dings & scratches from sitting for so long, you will not find another one in nicer or newer condition.
Some information about 1978 TZ250s from Motor Bike Search Engine:
Introduced in 1978, the ‘E’ version of Yamaha’s all-conquering TZ250 production racer featured a new chassis frame. Retaining the same ‘monoshock’ rear suspension layout (complete with adjustable pre-load and compression damping) as its forebears, it relocated the famous twin-cylinder, two-stroke water-cooled engine some 20mm further forward. Mounted on special alloy plates, this remarkable unit boasted Hitachi’s automatically advancing / retarding CDI ignition system and Mikuni VM34SC carburetors. Reputed to develop 53bhp @ 10,500rpm, it was mated to a six-speed gearbox and reined in by front / rear disc brakes. A stepping stone in the careers of such riding greats as Kenny Roberts and Tom Herron etc, the TZ250’s influence reverberates to this day.
The asking price is firmly set at $7,500. It would be nice to see this time machine cleaned up and on display–it would take some serious work to get it back to racing condition. See this fantastic barn-find on Craigslist here.
AG
I actually “discovered” this bike in a garage in Colorado two years ago. The bike was in a garage two blocks from my parents house. The owner always had the garage door open and I noticed it when walking my kids around the neighborhood in the stroller. The bike had been sitting in that garage since 1978. The owner was a very friendly retired police officer and I visited with him and his wife at their house for a few hours one afternoon in Jan. 2008. Mr. Welch indicated he was not very interested in selling, but would probably pass it on to his son. I’m guessing that’s how it ended up in Menlo Park. Small world. I snapped one photo, and my jaw just hit the floor when I saw the “404” photo on your website. Always had hoped that someday he’d sell it to me. I actually drove by the house while at my parents for the holidays. Garage door was closed, hopefully Mr. Welch is still with us.
When you actually sit down and look at all the different components you suddenly realise what am amazing and often overlooked feat of engineering it is