What to buy and how much to pay

YAMAHA CS1C STREET SCRAMBLER

The CS1C shares much with the CS1-CS5 range of 180s and 200s. This means it’s therefore potentially prone to being bastardised, thanks to unscrupulous pick-and-mix merchants. Engine and chassis numbers should match unless the motor has gone bang big time or been replaced. It’s also perfectly possible to fit an early CS1 top-end on to the cases. These are best avoided as they’re a little asthmatic. Either lift the head or poke a bore scope down the plug hole and look for the five ports the motor should have and not the three from the earliest roadsters. Theoretically and according to the parts books, you should only find Hitachi starter/generators on any CS1, but some have been known to feature Mitsubishi units… beware here as none of the components swap over! If the vendor can prove the motor has a 200 top-end on it this is no bad thing as it will add a touch more pep to the ride. A cosmetically and functionally complete CS1C is a bike to go for as stuff like pipes, bars, etc., will be USA only. There’s little point in attempting to upgrade the cooking, CS1, version to CS1C status as it’s likely to cost too much. Total hounds or complete( ish) bikes in boxes start as low as £750 with a decent project for rebuild or an oil-rag rider at around

£1500. A good original or earlier resto example is now coming out at £2500, with a top-ender between £3000-3500.

Just like its marketplace rivals, the bike was a stylised version of a conventional street machine with a few fripperies and frilly frou-frous thrown at it. Most of the running gear and all of the power train were shared with the CS1 right down to the headlamp and its mounts, but sprayed in flat silver. Key differences-cum-usps were a set of braced handlebars with longer cables, a sump guard, folding footrests, semi high-rise exhausts with heat guards, and pearl white tank panels in place of chrome. Other than the obvious differences the CS1C is pure CS1, which makes sourcing parts just a little easier.

Unlike Europe and Canada, Yamaha USA elected not to receive the revised and upgraded CS2 of 1969, carrying on with the CS1 and CS1C until the 1970 model years when the 200cc CS3 and CS3C were introduced. This means, unlike many Yamahas of the period, the CS1C appears to have enjoyed a much longer model run with little, if any changes.

In terms of performance the bike punches well above its weight and, despite being the only one of the peer group to run an open-bottomed frame, handles well. The front TLS (twin leading shoe) front brake is a seriously strong piece of kit, which is arguably over-powerful for any serious off-road shenanigans and likely to dump the unwary rider on their ear if applied too hard. On tarmac it’s a fine anchor, strong and predicable and with lots of feel via a SLS, rod-operated rear drum. The bike’s good power-to-weight ratio and moderate wheelbase ensure it flies through bends at a surprisingly fast rate of knots and against period 250s the smaller 180 twin doesn’t really lag behind, if at all.

As a practical smaller capacity classic the CS1C is up there with the best being appreciably faster than similarly sized 125s, but nowhere near as bulky as many contemporary 250s. It’s also a rather classy piece of kit and comes from a period where Yamaha was still building bikes with grease points on brake pivots and speedo drives. These CS series machines, along with the similar AS range, were the smaller capacity brand ambassadors for Yamaha and built up to a quality, not down to a price.

Although we always caution against buying a wreck if the unique, CS1C, parts are present, then such projects aren’t automatically a financial sinkhole. Yamaha offer still a decent range of engine components and the pattern parts out there are actually rather good. ebay is almost awash with reasonably priced used parts so you’re unlikely to be stuck without spares for long. In a world where Japanese strokers are only escalating in cost a Yamaha CS1C is a cost-effective entry-level classic with cracking good looks and decent turn of speed.

“As my partner Eira had a low-pipe CS1 it seemed logical to have the other half of the pair: or so I told myself! I acquired the bike in Yamaha’s 50th anniversary year (2011) from a long-time restorer of smaller Yams. It was a little tired looking, even though it had been fully sorted many years before. First time I rode it I nearly went over the bars; the brake shoes had lost almost all of their chamfer and were biting really fiercely. It’s a great little machine to ride and, with the five-port motor, definitely has more go than our three port CS1. That said, it’s not as fast as the 200cc CS3S, which are noticeably livelier. However, the CS1C is seriously cute and likely to remain a keeper.” Doesn't miss much compared to a 250.

So very 1960s Yamaha.