The Estenson Vintage Collection Introduced in 1962, Yamaha’s first factory-built grand prix racing machine was a raw, monstrous little thing called the TD-1. Essentially a quick, fragile, track-going paint shaker on aluminum wheels, it was powered by a fire-breathing 247cc air-cooled 2-stroke mill derived from the YDS-1. While it was wickedly fast, the bike had a tendency to shake itself to pieces during races. The most common failure was the clutch shaking loose from the end of the crank at 10,000 RPM, cracking the end off the crank shaft, and blowing everything off the left side of the engine at speed. The bikes had a reputation for entering every race, but only running long enough to reach the podium. Throughout the rest of the decade, Yamaha engineers developed better engines, brakes, frames, and suspensions, and the bikes evolved from the TD1-A to the last of the class, the TD1-C. Even these last bikes were prone to failures, but they were a huge improvement over the original TD1. In 1969, Yamaha made two drastic changes to its GP program: It decided to get out of factory-sponsored racing, and it introduced the all-new TD2. Developed for privateer racers, the TD2 was a better bike in nearly every way than its predecessor. It was more powerful, more reliable, had less vibration and was overall faster and more agile. The upgraded 2-stroke engine generated a whopping 44 HP in a bike that weighed shy of 250 pounds wet, which is a very sporting power to weight ratio. It had a pair of massive, vented, two-shoe front drum brakes to haul the bike down from speed. The TD2 was a great success on the track, and TD2-mounted riders took home a slew of trophies until the bike was replaced by the R5-derived TD3 in 1973. The TD2 offered here is a 1969 model, and from its condition seems to have seen very little use in its 50-some years. Notably, it still has nearly all of its original as-built components, a rarity for this kind of machine. It sports a white and red livery with green number plates painted on the sides and front of the fairing, and, interestingly, Champion spark plugs sponsor decals. 1969 YAMAHA TD2 ROAD RACER
