Yamaha knocked out several YPVS 350 models, this was the first. Replacing their RD350LC wasn’t going to be an easy task, it was and still is a bike that’s loved by many. They needn’t have lost any kip, their follow up stroker was a smash hit.
The bikini fairing and belly pan gave it an instant identity. The fact that the nose cone could lead to high speed weaves only added the appeal. You could fit a fork brace and a steering damper anyway! Not too many remained standard, rear mudguards were hacked down, indicators thrown away and centre stands whipped off. Standard exhausts went the same way, in their place arrived expansion chambers and hours of fun jetting the carbs to suit. We all knew someone who had an older brother that could tune our barrels, some sensible owners took there top ends to people who actually knew what they were doing. You could get a stage 1, 2 or 3 tune, some people probably had all three!
The further from standard the bike looked the better, so when did it all go full circle? Nostalgia is a funny thing, maybe that’s why ex YPVS owners pay fortunes for those standard parts they wouldn’t have thought twice about throwing away whilst the ink dried on the HP forms. Standard or modified, there’s room for both, but what way ticks your box?
