YAMAHA YDS3
Former British bike champ, world truck driving champ, commentator and full-time comedian Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish buys his first love…
Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish on part one of his much-loved machine.
I’ve wanted one of these for 10 years... why? Well, it was the first road-legal bike had in my youth.
Now, I did have other bikes, but this was my first road bike. You see, I was always being chased by coppers across fields on various bikes, but they could never catch me. The one time they did was when I went across a field and a bumpy road in an Austin 16. The car was being thrown around that much the bonnet flew off, hence I got nabbed. I was fourteen-and-a-half at the time…
By 15 I had a tractor licence, which made me very popular with my mates. Basically, I would put them all in the front loader and charge them all two bob for a lift to the youth club at Bassingbourn. Those two bob fares helped me save for my first road bike – the YDS3. To buy the thing, it was around £400 if memory serves, I also had a loan from my mum of around £200. So it was pricey and this wasn’t even new! I bought it in 1969, so it must have been two to three years old as they came out in around 1965/66. Either that or I’m making it up as I’m old and my memory isn’t what it was.
Either way, I had a Jap bike while all my mates had James Captains or Ariel Arrows. I never got any stick from them as they couldn’t keep up with me. Also, they soon got bored of being by the side of the road trying to sort out their British bikes, so it was never a shock to me why Honda’s CB750 became so popular. Mind you, saying that, the auto-lube system on the YDS3 wasn’t that brilliant and it used to seize when I was flat out!
The strange thing is, I only had my YDS3 for a few weeks, but I still came to love it. Back then, you could book your test/licence ahead. I was 16 on February 24, 1969 and my test was booked for two weeks after. I had to go to Stevenage for my test and the examiner gave it all the spiel about making off, turning left, then right and coming toward him to make an emergency stop. Well, I didn’t listen, forgot the right-hand turn and came upon
the examiner from behind, so to speak. He had his back to me as I did my emergency stop and he jumped out of his skin! He made me turn the bike around, but then he passed me. Result!
So, back I went to the bike shop. Of course, I never told them that the bike had seized twice. I had my eye on a BSA 650 A10 (I know…) and I wanted to part-ex the YDS3 against it.
There wasn’t a lot of difference between the prices of the bikes and despite having had it only two weeks, the salesman wanted to road test my YDS3 to see that it was ok. When he came back on the bus I should have realised what happened. Yes, it had seized on him! Oh well, I had to pay more for the A10 as a result.
It may have only been two weeks, but my time with the YDS3 had such an impact. It was the first time I could tell my mum I was out on a motorcycle legitimately. This was real freedom. I could go places, go to work, not have to take the bus. I remember an E-type Jag racing me every day on the way to work, but I would catch him in the corners. This was a large part of my youth and despite having other bikes before and since (many before such as a Tiger Cub, Matchless 500 and Tigress
scooter most bought for a fiver), the one I remember is the YDS3, hence I’ve been looking for 10 years for one.
My wife Michelle spotted this YDS3 on ebay and, to be fair, it’s perhaps the biggest purchase I’ve made. The bidding went to £3800 when I won it. I don’t think that was too bad as it just needs a good tidy up really. It will be used (I even rode it to meet editor Bertie) and it will join the track-only FZ750, the RG racer, the odd Triumph, my Indian and my Kymco scooter.
My YDS3 was candy red and this one is the blue and it’s originally from Canada. They actually didn’t bring many into the UK, but the British ones had a long, rather than oval/round badge, and I want the long badges. I think the only other thing is that the mudguard stays are longer. I’m going to keep it in this colour, but I do think the white seems too ‘white’ compared to the original bikes. The dent is from me when I put it in the bloody van. I’m a fool!
Other than the obvious dent, the list is small. I need the engine covers blasting/ sorting, the seat needs recovering, the rear guard may need looking at, otherwise it is foot-rest rubbers, tank badges, bar grips and some bolts in the front yokes. I can’t wait to get started – this will be a lovely little thing to have in the garage.
When I think of the YDS3, it got me started with Yamahas, including race bikes which continued up to my last race bike, the FZ750 of 1985, 1986. I can’t wait to get started… well, can’t wait for John Mossey to get started. See boxout!