Opis
This motorcycle is Lot 221 * N to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Autumn Stafford Sale (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show) on October 10th – 11th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 201 - 407 are to be sold from 11AM local time on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 10th & 11th October 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show).
Lot 221
The Connoisseurs' Collection, Part IV
1972 Yamaha 350cc TR3 Racing Motorcycle
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. R5-990297
Engine no. R5 (see text)
This Lot has arrived in the UK from overseas under Temporary Admission. Shippio Ltd must automatically uplift this Lot after the auction, complete all post sale import or export customs administration, and store this Lot until it is customs cleared. A compulsory fee of £350 + VAT will be added to the buyer's invoice for this. This Lot cannot be collected from the auction venue by the purchaser or any alternative transporter.
If the Lot is to stay in the UK or is not exported within 90 days of sale, Import VAT at 5% on the hammer price is payable.
The mainstay of 250cc and 350cc racing at national and international level for many years, the twin-cylinder two-stroke Yamaha well deserved the title of 'privateer's friend'; indeed, without it, grids in these classes would have been depleted in extremis during the 1970s. The first of the line, the 250cc TD2, arrived in 1969 and immediately proved capable of winning Grands Prix, privateer Kent Andersson triumphing in the German round at Hockenheim that year, one of Yamaha's most significant classic victories. The giant leap forward from the preceding TD1C had been achieved thanks to a comprehensive redesign that saw the engine porting and exhaust system updated; superior Mikuni carburettors adopted; and the chassis, suspension and brakes greatly improved.
Looking like a scaled down Manx Norton Featherbed, the TD2's chassis was a development of that used for the RD56 works racer. Broadly similar as far as its frame and cycle parts were concerned, the 350cc TR2 differed mainly by virtue of its horizontally-split crankcases, a feature not introduced on the 250 until the arrival of the TD3 in 1972. By this time the 350 had been updated as the TR3, its engine closely related to that of the contemporary YR5 roadster, and from then onwards the two racers would be engineered to share the maximum number of components. The TR3 could not have enjoyed a more successful international debut, for although Kel Carruthers' works bike failed, privateer Don Emde came through to win the 1972 Daytona 200, the first of many such victories for the TR3.
The 97th TR3 produced, this example appears to have been restored, it would appear that the unnumbered crankcases are either non-matching replacement units or, potentially, original Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) cases, as engine cases supplied in Japan were reportedly sometimes left unnumbered. The engine turns over.
Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will require recommissioning and/ or restoration to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's completeness, history, authenticity, originality and mechanical condition prior to bidding.
£4, 000 - 6, 000
All lots are sold ‘as is/ where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness, mileage, engine capacity and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
