YSR Daize
Within the different communities of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts, there is often certain subcultures or niches that emerge over the years that tend to gravitate towards different models or brands. For example some people absolutely love 2 stroke vintage dirtbikes and nothing else and set out to devote all their free time and money to making sure that they keep them on the road and well appreciated. Well what about 2 stroke mini superbikes? Yep, theres a whole subculture for that and Brandon Friedman of Brooklyn, New York set out to make an event centered around his love for the 1980's-90's Yamaha YSR 2 strokes. In 2019 he put on his first YSR Daize in Suches, Georgia and the event has quickly developed a following from fellow enthusiasts around the country. Brandon's event is quickly coming up yet again on July 16th, 2021 so we wanted to give a little backstory on the event, what got him into these fun little machines and why if you own a YSR yourself, you might just be inclined to dust it off and set a course for Georgia here in a couple weeks.
For some of our readers out there who don't know the history of the Yamaha YSR 2stroke motorcycles, give us a little background to start.
For some of our readers out there who don't know the history of the Yamaha YSR 2stroke motorcycles, give us a little background to start.
The YSR came into the scene around 1986 in Japan, with the first appearance in the states a year later in 1987. It was a scaled down, re-shaped YZR500 replica to appeal to the 2-stroke racing enthusiasts— powered by air cooled 50cc that packed a whopping 7hp. Unfortunately, the 80cc version never made it stateside, but Japan, Canada and parts of Europe got blessed with the extra power. The YSRs were built until 1992 (my birth year—not a coincidence), and sadly have not made a re-appearance since then.
What got you personally into riding these bikes and what about them lead you to finally put together this event?
When I was about 6 years old, my grandparents’ neighbor (big brother type of relationship), came screaming around the corner on a RED, WHITE, & BLUE YSR50 and I was instantly obsessed. Fast forward to about 2014 when I started getting into restoring motorcycles... Reacquainted with my first passion: the Honda Ct70, which my father introduced me to. This passion urged me to purchase my first one, and within a couple of months, my collection grew to about 5 of these hidden gems. I reconnected with my grandparents neighbor one day and he brought up the YSR50 that he used to have, and it’s was a wrap—I was on a hunt! I acquired my first YSR50 shortly after that, which was a 1989 YSR50 with the baby blue paint scheme (this is highly sought out due to the scheme only being offered for one year). Then I sought out to find other enthusiasts on forums and Facebook groups. I got very involved with the “Yamaha YSR50 Trading, Sale & Discussion” page on Facebook. Shortly after joining the page, Adam K (who is a great friend of mine) saw my passion and made me a moderator and later admin of the group page. After a year or so on the page I saw how big this once super-niche following is getting for these awesome little bikes, which ultimately prompted the determination that an event was necessary to bring all of our enthusiasts together. The first year of YSR Daize was in 2019.
So, having grown up in New York we heard you had some interesting stories about how your proximity to our good friends at the Indian Larry motorcycles shop influenced you a bit in some of your endeavors with motorcycles today. Do you care to talk a little bit more about that?
My family owns a plumbing company in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Every off day from school, I’d go into work with my father. I credit him for sparking my interest at a young age, & got me obsessed with anything with an engine (motorcycles in particular), and I can’t thank him enough for that. Especially because in this day & age, so many people get addicted to far worse things (though my wife has mentioned Motorcycle Buyers Anonymous a few times). Every time I came in with my dad, Jay, he made a point to stop by Indian Larry’s Gasoline Ally, being an avid rider himself. From the second you walked in that door, Larry made you feel like you were welcomed and wanted to share his passion with you… it was infectious. I remember walking in the shop, (I believe it was right after “Chain Of Mystery” bike was finished), and Larry stopped what he was doing to talk to my father and I about how the frame was built for that bike with the chain links & my mind was blown—he even let me sit on it. What’s more—Larry was such a humble dude… it was so cool to me during the early 2000’s when discovery channel was doing all the biker build-offs.. then, being able to walk into a shop around the block from our office, talk to that guy I watched on TV, & find him to be so down to earth, sharing his passion and knowledge. Anytime I stopped in that shop he stopped what he was doing to share what he was building or talk about a project. When he passed away, I remember being in shock. I think I wore my straw Indian Larry hat that was signed by him everyday for two straight weeks. The shop has moved a few times since the original location, but is still around the corner from our shop & is something my father & I will always hold close to our hearts. There’s nothing that puts a bigger smile on my face at the end of a work day to see Bobby walking down the block with his two dogs, he for sure is continuing that pristine Indian Larry Legacy. I have to give him a huge shout out for connecting me with Bear, of OBB!
What can fellow YSR enthusiast's out there planning to attend have to expect from the event? Give us some details on the weekends itinerary?
YSR Daize is a mix of some awesome stuff:
Friday: registration/pick up your 2021 YSR Daize tee, stickers & raffle tickets, meet and greet, test and tune (with the change of altitude, many of us have to rejet our carbs when we gets to Suches, GA due to the elevation change).
Saturday: an action packed day—wake up early, eat some breakfast at the Two Wheels of Suches Restaurant, 10am kick stands up for the first ride. We try and do a hour and half-two hour ride. Come back and eat some lunch. Then, we do our raffles, which our incredible sponsors donate (really excited about this-we have some amazing prizes.. hint: full race suit, gift cards & sick merch.. among others!) Huge shout out to Adam and the boys from Iconic Motorbike for supporting my passion project from day 1. After the raffles we normally do an awesome photo shoot with professional equipment of all the bikes together, in addition to getting professional individual shots of every bike in attendance. Then will get another 2 organized rides in on Saturday. One loop that we try and get down is nicknamed “Georgia’s Dragon - The Suches Loop”—it’s about a 40-mile loop down route 180, which is known to be the curviest road in Georgia to highway 60 to US129. It’s a very challenging road, so I always want to stress to NOT push yourself too, and to hard ride to your ability! Bikes are fun, but safety is the priority.
Your website mentions that you will have something where participants can buy/trade YSR specific parts at the event so do you have a separate swap meet area or is this something that comes from the participants networking at the event and bringing lots of parts in with them?
What got you personally into riding these bikes and what about them lead you to finally put together this event?
When I was about 6 years old, my grandparents’ neighbor (big brother type of relationship), came screaming around the corner on a RED, WHITE, & BLUE YSR50 and I was instantly obsessed. Fast forward to about 2014 when I started getting into restoring motorcycles... Reacquainted with my first passion: the Honda Ct70, which my father introduced me to. This passion urged me to purchase my first one, and within a couple of months, my collection grew to about 5 of these hidden gems. I reconnected with my grandparents neighbor one day and he brought up the YSR50 that he used to have, and it’s was a wrap—I was on a hunt! I acquired my first YSR50 shortly after that, which was a 1989 YSR50 with the baby blue paint scheme (this is highly sought out due to the scheme only being offered for one year). Then I sought out to find other enthusiasts on forums and Facebook groups. I got very involved with the “Yamaha YSR50 Trading, Sale & Discussion” page on Facebook. Shortly after joining the page, Adam K (who is a great friend of mine) saw my passion and made me a moderator and later admin of the group page. After a year or so on the page I saw how big this once super-niche following is getting for these awesome little bikes, which ultimately prompted the determination that an event was necessary to bring all of our enthusiasts together. The first year of YSR Daize was in 2019.
So, having grown up in New York we heard you had some interesting stories about how your proximity to our good friends at the Indian Larry motorcycles shop influenced you a bit in some of your endeavors with motorcycles today. Do you care to talk a little bit more about that?
My family owns a plumbing company in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Every off day from school, I’d go into work with my father. I credit him for sparking my interest at a young age, & got me obsessed with anything with an engine (motorcycles in particular), and I can’t thank him enough for that. Especially because in this day & age, so many people get addicted to far worse things (though my wife has mentioned Motorcycle Buyers Anonymous a few times). Every time I came in with my dad, Jay, he made a point to stop by Indian Larry’s Gasoline Ally, being an avid rider himself. From the second you walked in that door, Larry made you feel like you were welcomed and wanted to share his passion with you… it was infectious. I remember walking in the shop, (I believe it was right after “Chain Of Mystery” bike was finished), and Larry stopped what he was doing to talk to my father and I about how the frame was built for that bike with the chain links & my mind was blown—he even let me sit on it. What’s more—Larry was such a humble dude… it was so cool to me during the early 2000’s when discovery channel was doing all the biker build-offs.. then, being able to walk into a shop around the block from our office, talk to that guy I watched on TV, & find him to be so down to earth, sharing his passion and knowledge. Anytime I stopped in that shop he stopped what he was doing to share what he was building or talk about a project. When he passed away, I remember being in shock. I think I wore my straw Indian Larry hat that was signed by him everyday for two straight weeks. The shop has moved a few times since the original location, but is still around the corner from our shop & is something my father & I will always hold close to our hearts. There’s nothing that puts a bigger smile on my face at the end of a work day to see Bobby walking down the block with his two dogs, he for sure is continuing that pristine Indian Larry Legacy. I have to give him a huge shout out for connecting me with Bear, of OBB!
What can fellow YSR enthusiast's out there planning to attend have to expect from the event? Give us some details on the weekends itinerary?
YSR Daize is a mix of some awesome stuff:
Friday: registration/pick up your 2021 YSR Daize tee, stickers & raffle tickets, meet and greet, test and tune (with the change of altitude, many of us have to rejet our carbs when we gets to Suches, GA due to the elevation change).
Saturday: an action packed day—wake up early, eat some breakfast at the Two Wheels of Suches Restaurant, 10am kick stands up for the first ride. We try and do a hour and half-two hour ride. Come back and eat some lunch. Then, we do our raffles, which our incredible sponsors donate (really excited about this-we have some amazing prizes.. hint: full race suit, gift cards & sick merch.. among others!) Huge shout out to Adam and the boys from Iconic Motorbike for supporting my passion project from day 1. After the raffles we normally do an awesome photo shoot with professional equipment of all the bikes together, in addition to getting professional individual shots of every bike in attendance. Then will get another 2 organized rides in on Saturday. One loop that we try and get down is nicknamed “Georgia’s Dragon - The Suches Loop”—it’s about a 40-mile loop down route 180, which is known to be the curviest road in Georgia to highway 60 to US129. It’s a very challenging road, so I always want to stress to NOT push yourself too, and to hard ride to your ability! Bikes are fun, but safety is the priority.
Your website mentions that you will have something where participants can buy/trade YSR specific parts at the event so do you have a separate swap meet area or is this something that comes from the participants networking at the event and bringing lots of parts in with them?
The back area by the cabins of two wheels is where we set up camp and is where the swap meet takes place.
What era or year range of the YSR do you guys focus on mainly at the event?
The era range of YSRs we focus on are the 1986-1992 YSRs. Other bikes are welcome such as the late 80s and early 90 NSR 50/80s. If it’s a small frame, two-stroke.. bring it out and have some fun!
What model of the YSR do you tend to see the most of at the event?
The YSR50 is the most popular YSR in attendance. Usually the red/white color scheme is prevalent, as it was the most produced variant.
Being that you now put on an event that is centered around the love for this awesome Yamaha 2 stroke what is your current YSR80 collection looking like now and which one is your favorite? Yep yep
This is a hard one…. My YSR collection has been narrowed down to my 3 bikes from the 8 I’ve had over the years. I have gotten rid of all my 50cc bikes and only have 80cc versions and larger. I have my 1986 YSR80, imported from Japan that went under the knife for a frame-up restoration with all NOS OEM plastics & tank, with every period correct after market part that was available. I was given the opportunity to own a piece of YSR history a few years ago and couldn’t pass up... A 1987 YZR 80 (we change the YSR to YZR when the engine is swapped for a YZ80 engine) built by the famed JLF - John Luciene. This bike was the first YZ80 swapped bike he built featuring a rare custom banana style swing arm, 1986 YZ80 liquid cooled power plant, dt100 forks, 2” frame extension, custom Brembo f04 caliper set up for front and rear disk brakes, and a rz350 radiator. This bike was designed and famed moto gp champion Eddie Lawson had taken the second rendition of the bike built by John. The latest build is a YSR with a Yamaha blaster 200cc power plant, with a Lectron 30mm carb. Project name is Murphy’s law: everything and anything that could have went wrong with a build has, but I’m still pushing, and hopefully will have it ready by YSR Daize 2021! My favorite at this present moment would have to be the JLF Race bike, as it is so reliable and such a blast. That might change once the blaster build is complete.
The event happens down in Suches, Georgia but you are actually based up on the East Coast, so would you tell us a little about why you chose this area of Georgia to host the event and what it offers for the YSR enthusiast's who will attend?
The first year I went down to GA blind—I worked with another member on the page and he suggested this location. I saw the grounds of Two Wheels and how it’s a camp ground catered to motorcycles, and kinda just ran with it! I’m looking in the future to expand to multiple events throughout the states to enable more of us enthusiasts to connect.
Give us a little more info on the YSR ride that you guys do centered around the event?
The roads down there are amazing. Freshly paved every year (something that you don’t see up in the north east)! Route 180 is my favorite road we ride—probably because it’s the most challenging and I don’t get to ride too often, especially with a large group, which is the safest way to do it.
Now do you only allow YSR's on the ride specifically or other vintage Japanese sportbikes?
We allow all vintage small bore 2 strokes. The event is geared to YSRs, but in the past we’ve had tzm50rs, Derbi’s, Ds80’s, nsr 50/80s, nsfs 100s. We hope to one day see some TDR 50’s/80’s (I’m sure I’m missing some others). If it’s small bore vintage and 2 stroke, bring it out the more the merrier!
For someone in the vintage motorcycle community who has a YSR out there and has just found out about the event recently or through this feature what would you like to say to them?
Just book the trip and don’t look back! You deserve it. These bikes turn more heads than anything and I can promise you will have perma grin from the time you get down till the time you leave!
Well we thank you so much for putting together an awesome event like this to bring fellow YSR riders together. Give us a list of all the places YSR enthusiasts can find info on the event and any other links you would like to provide for the YSR community.
Thank you guys for supporting my passion project! You can find all the info on our website
Www.YsrDaize.com
Instagram: @ysrdaize
We also have a YSR Daize Group on Facebook
Photos provided by Brandon Friedman
Words by Mike Vandegriff