1965 Yamaha Big Bear Scrambler Motorcycle Road Test - 2-Page Vintage Article

Description

1965 Yamaha Big Bear Scrambler Motorcycle Road Test - 2-Page Vintage Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
California’s Yosemite
National Park is the
Locale for Testing
Yamaha’s Latest
AGAINST a scenic backdrop of Yosemite National Park, the Yamaha 250cc Big Bear
Scrambler appears right at home. The dual-purpose motorcycle is tailored for both
on- and off-the-road use. (Photos by the Author).
YAMAHA’s ’BIG BEAR’ SCRAMBLER
By Gene Young
Editor’s Note: Author Gene Young's road
test takes on a slightly different flavor
this month, sent to us in the form of a
letter.
Dear Bill,
Things worked out just great. A
friend loaned me his new pickup for
a weekend trip and short vacation, so.
being an opportunist like I am, I de-
cided to do our road test slightly dif-
ferent than the usual manner.
Oh, don’t worry, I picked it up at
Yamaha’s modern, new combination of-
fices and warehouse in Los Angeles and
Jim Jingu and Don Gately were very
helpful and courteous in seeing that I
got everything I needed. As a matter
of fact, the only’Big Bear Scrambler
(hey had was sitting out front in their
showroom window. This they serviced
on the spot and Don even ran it up
into the pickup for me, that’s how help-
ful the Yamaha people are.
This Big Bear Scrambler just: has
to be the “most tested” motorcycle
around. Bill. Three motorcycle maga-
zines and one car book have already
done stories on it. so it really has read-
er, or should I say, MOTORCYCLIST
interest.
The reason it’s so popular, I think,
is that its an honest effort, by Yamaha,
to build a motorcycle for the guy who
does most of his riding on the street,
but who likes to bash around in the
boonies from time to time. That’s why
its gear ratios are a little bit different
than the ratios on Yamaha’s strictly
street, two-stroke twins. This has ra-
tios of 20.8, (1st); 13.9. (2nd); 10.2,
(3rd); and with 4th and 5th quite close
together at 8.7. and 7.7 as overall ra-
tios. This gives a wide range of use-
ful ratios with a “highish” 4th and 5th
for highway cruising with 4th gear
useful for highway passing.
But first, let’s take a look at the bike
the way it looked when I unloaded it
at the entrance of Yosemite National
Park, a spot I heartily recommend to
anyone for road testing their motor-
cycle. Finished in a striking combina-
tion of metallic blue and white on tank,
a 4-gallon container, and headlight
nacelle, the Big Bear has lots of
chrome, (front lower forks, big up-
swept twin pipes, front and rear fend-
ers, handlebars, mirror and detail
points. The motorcycle showed real
class with very good attention to de-
tail. In the headlight nacelle was a com-
bination instrument with a 100-mph
speedometer and 12,000-rpm tachometer
on the same plane. Twin lights, a green
one for netural and a red one to show
the battery wasn’t charging, were also
included. Front and adjustable rear
springs were exposed, and chromed,
giving a real sporty, no-nonsense look
to the machine. This is also one of the
few motorcycles that tells you how
much gas is left — there’s a dipstick
right inside the filler hole — a handy
device that others would do well to
copy.
For years now people have been com-
plaining about the necessity of mixing
gas and oil in two-stroke motorcycles.
Well Bill. this Yamaha twin does its
own mixing via their Autolube’s “oil
injection” system that feeds the en-
gine the proper amount according to its
needs.
Other nice features I liked was the
choice of side or center stand, (both
included in the S690 selling price), and
the excellent lighting system.
This YD-3C model comes equipped
with the Japanese version of Dunlop
Universal tires, a semi-knobby set well
suited for street or hard-packed off-road
work, but hardly the kind to give ade-
quate traction in deep sand, mud or
much loose stuff.
Yamaha has built a motorcycle for
the motorcyclist who does most of his
riding on the road, but, upon firing up
and heading for the hills, I immediately
noticed a considerably stiffer suspens-
ion than the road job. Climbing the
beautiful, winding, steep hills over
Yosemite’s paved roadways is an ex-
cellent method of finding out a ma-
chine’s good and bad points. And. be-
lieve me. Bill, this one is a real “road
holder”. I knew the road bike was good
after chasing a guy who was packing
double on the first Bill Johnson Invi-
tational Rally, but it was a pleasant
surprise to find a “Scrambler” that
felt so much at home rounding fast...
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