What to buy and how much to pay

The CS5E is quite a rare bird in the UK, being more common in the USA. Yamaha sold the bike with different seat/tank combinations in each market. The easiest way to distinguish the country of origin is the outlet of the petrol tank. American market bikes have a threaded spigot welded to the tank, where UK examples mount the tap to a flat-ottomed tank via two screws that are inside the lower tap body. You need a tank and seat from the same market in order to get the correct look. Some spares can be tricky, but the good news is that everything other than the barrels, pistons/ rings and carbs/inlets will swap over from the RD200. RD200 fuel tanks also fit, as do tank badges. Although the bike was sold for the 1972 model year, don’t be too surprised if you find UK models on M, N or even P plates. The arrival of the RD200 in 1973 saw a fair number of new CS5ES sitting unloved at the back of dealer showrooms and only heavy discounting could move them on. A rough, but complete example will set you back anything from £1000-£1500. Decent runners with patina sell from around £1700 for something that needs sorting, through to £2500-£3000 for a really tidy one. Beyond that, we’re looking at original mint or restored examples. Given what it would take to turn a wreck into a potential show winner, figure on £4500 for something that’s on the button, but don’t be too surprised if the seller is looking for closer to £6K. A CS5E is super-cute. They don’t come up for sale very often and are hard to restore properly, but they will make you smile every time you look at it or ride it.