Discovery

A great deal of the enjoyment I find in doing just about anything, is what I like to refer to as the "Discovery Period".  This is where my Mother, God Love Her, probably developed this idea of me being a "dreamer".  I built a lot of plastic models in my youth.  I mean I built many plastic replicas of WW II German aircraft all unique and won more than a few contests held at the local shopping mall.  I did not rush into these projects.  I researched all the volumes of books I could get my hands on.  As that was 1969, I was only 12, and the World Wide Web would not come into it's own for another 20 years.  I read everything about each aircraft being built to get the correct paint scheme, badges, cockpit detail, engine detail, etc.  I was not going to just assemble the model as the manufacture outlined in the instructions.  I was going to add my touches that would personalize the model and establish my connection with the whole building process and the history of the particular aircraft model.  I would run into problems with many of my modification and I wanted to know everything I could about the aircraft which inturn delayed completion by weeks I suppose.

Unknowing to me at the time, I was developing my own sense of assembly, modification and troubleshooting.  Through my life I have been able to develope my "Theory of the Methodology of Troubleshooting" based on these early modeling projects and struggling through Algebra, learning how to take instructions from my Dad who was a professional Avaitor all his life and my Freshman English Professor at Northrop University 1n 1975. 
The good professor told his class that it was probably next to impossible that any of us would be capable of knowing everything, especially if asked by an employer on the spot.  "But, he said, if you know your resources, then you can respectfully answer him/her that no you do not know the answer and that you certainly know where to find it and will deliver it in the morning". 
After processing the idea of removng all emotion, blame, desire, pain, monkey brain, what ever it is that will cloud your clarity of truth, then you can begin the process of discovery and objectivly "disect" the problem to discover the cause of the issue at hand.
Being aware of paradyme shifting can allow one to see the project in more than two dimensions.  I have to thank Apple Computer, Inc. for the fine training and support that they gave to their employees and contractors and for introducing me to the concept of Paradyme Shifting and it's inclusion in my theory of troubleshooting.
Discovery is where the creation process starts weather troubleshooting a problem or resurecting a forgotten machine.

So, I turned my attention to understanding the significance of the machine I had just bought and was going to ... what?  Just get it running?  Tear it down to the frame and do a 10 point restoration  Maybe instead of restoring it I could modify it and make it better than stock or even better than the manufacturer with more affordable modern parts?   What ...?

A web surf session through 10 web pages of search results for a 1967 Yamaha YCS-1 resulted in some interesting facts specific to the YCS-1.  The YCS-1 used the latest Yamaha invention of sleeving the aluminum cylinder with "special" cast iron and the use of Yamaha's "famous" Autolube system.

This is a picture of lovely YCS-1C with it's high pipes and all found on the internet.  It will be a nice restoration when completed, indeed.

It was obvious that I would need a service manual so a search on e-Bay resulted in a auction wimnning bid of $39.00 plus shipping from http://www.vintageobsolete.com/.  In a week I now had all the tools needed to do the job.  But not so fast.  I discovered a very clever Parts Cross Reference Manual on e-Bay from http://www.zeddersoft.com/ , for only $28.00 which included a downloadable file as well as a CD shipped to my address.  This software tool would allow me to search from over 3,118 different Yamaha models from 1965 to 1990 and cross reference any given part number on the YCS-1 to other models that may have used the same part.  This way I can expand my search for hard to find parts !

Now, I had my reference tools available so it was time to get the bike torn down for a closer examination.

Introduction

This is the beginning of a journey that will end with a motorcycle looking similar to this fine example ...

From this ... A local flea market find in Lockwood, MT.

The flea market is along the freeway just before the Johnson Ln. exit 455 East on route 94, just a few miles after the Lockwood exit. 

Since we take the Johnson Ln. exit to get home I developed a routine of looking over my right shoulder to see if there was anything new in the fenced compound.  Occasionally I would see an old car that fancied a closer look and my wife and would take a tour of the flea market that weekend.

Well, I guess it was July of '10 that I saw a couple of interesting motorcycles in the yard on my way home from an out-of-town job.  I would pickup little pieces of information as I exited the freeway that just kept fueling this desire, no need, to see just what these two little bikes were up close.  One appeared to be built at least prior to 1970 because I could see a chrome panel on the tank, so I was pretty sure it was a 60's vintage machine, most likely Japanese.  The other bike was something small and off road or maybe flat track but not in great condition from 50 yards or more.  From many drive bys, I was able to take a few pictures and compare them to pictures on the Internet at some very well established vintage motorcycle sites, like the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (http://www.vjmc.org/).  With the help of some pictureson the site, I determined that it was indeed Japanese and of the 60's and it was a two stroke and not a four stroke as I was hoping for. Still, I was only more primed to see just what this "barn find" looked like.

Finally a weekend arrived that we were not doing anything and I just drove us to the flea market rather than asking.  The flea market is always eye candy to a couple of "retro folk" like us. 

I went straight to the bikes and it was discovering a lost treasure and I wanted that tresure immediately! 

The bigger of the bikes was the Yamaha, the small bike was unkown until I found a Honda marking on the engine and a 50cc on the base of the barrel.  I still did not have a positive identification of the bike as it also had some nice looking Cerriani forks, flat track bars and a front alloy rim.  Very rough condition, restorable and those nifty front end pieces! 

But my attention was drawn to the Yamaha.  Some more walking around and then I asked Jack what he wanted for it.  Jack is one of the three Flea Marketeers and he is an easy to talk to local retired rancher and he looks after his market on the weekends and the grand children on the week days. He said the owner wanted $100.00 for the Yamaha and a different owner wanted $250.00 for the unknown Honda.  So I pushed Diane in the van and said we would be right back with the cash.

Typically, I needed to settle down and think about this purchase as I did not have my shed built yet and where was I going to keep such a project.  Ok, so some breakfast first and a chance to think about it.

This resulted in me convincing Diane that the Yamaha had so much more going for it at $100.00 and the unknown Honda having so little going for it (except those forks and rim) at $250.00. 

Although my darlin' wife was excited for me to find such a treasure, I sealed the deal by telling her it was going to be for her, of course.  And that's the truth !  This would be the perfect "tiddler" for her to learn  to ride on the street.  I would simply have the last word on how the bike was to be resurrected and  how it would be styled (or hot rodded) leaning more twords the sporting edge.  A "Special" rather than a total restoration.

She was on board with that !

Her next words were; "make up your mind cowboy before someone else grabs it ... whats it going to be ? 

We rushed back to the flea market and gave Jack the five, twenty dollar bills. Some other nut had just asked him about the bike and was interested and Jack told him that if I did not reappear with the cash he would sell the bike to him. What a break, all those weeks had gone by and not one looker, no interest in the bikes and then as soon as I show interest, another person appears.  I usually just miss the opportunity like that gentleman did, but not today.  This was my project. Oh ya and then I remembered to see if the motor was seized.  Thank fully not and it would not have made a difference one bit. 

Now that I had my vintage Japanese motorcycle in my daughter Rebecca's garage I wanted to know more about it. 

Remeber the VJMC website I mentioned earlier ?  Well, the next brillant idea I had was to join the club and utilize the resources and benifits that the club could offer me in my project. 

With the clubs help, I finally determihned what exactly I owned.

I had me a genuine 1967 Yamaha CS-1 180 Bonanza ! 

Here is another beautiful restored example of a YCS-1 in the same color no less.

I have taken on projects similar to this (if not larger, more complex, and much more costly) and have had not-so-satisfactory results, or worse F2C.       Failure 2 Complete.

Not This Time, Damit !

I am pledging to myself that this time I am going to see this project to completion and teach my wife how to ride it.  I would like to show it off as a well built "special" with a high quality of workmanship.  Possible attend a VJMC event.  Whatever. 

This motorcycle was going to be a personal statement about me.  No matter the cost or time.