Description
Please Note: If this listing meets reserve, the seller will donate 5% of the sale price to the Brock Yates Memorial Fund for the Alzheimer’s Association. Iconic will also contribute 5% of the buyer’s fee.
Additional photos of this 1987 Yamaha YSR50 are available here for your perusal.
We’ve sold a few YSR50s here at Iconic, but this one is extra special. We’ll leave it to the seller to tell the story:
“What makes this bike very special is not only the mileage and condition, but the fact that it was owned by Brock Yates since new. He was given the bike as a gift from a friend who owned a dealership. Brock rode it around for about a mile, had all the fluids professionally drained, then hung it on the wall at his pub in Wyoming, New York.”
Brock Yates was an American print and TV journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a longtime executive editor of Car and Driver, an American automotive magazine. He was a pit reporter for CBS’ coverage of certain NASCAR Cup Series series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500. He was also largely known for being inspired and carrying on the tradition of the Cannonball Run which is a coast to coast event where drivers would compete for the fastest time round trip.
After his passing in 2016, the bike was eventually handed over to a dear family friend who handled most of Brock’s personal car collection. I purchased the bike from Brock’s wife via this gentleman. I have a handwritten letter from Brock’s wife on Cannonball letterhead giving a little bit of a background story on the bike. I also have the manila tag that comes on the bike when new, it is preserved in a plastic bag, but the string where the tag hung from is still attached to the bike.
The bike remains untouched, and in near perfect condition. You can find videos on YouTube of Brock’s Cannonball Pub, where you will see the bike mounted on the wall. UPDATE: it has come to our attention that the below video does not show on all mobile devices, if you don’t see a video you can click this link to see a video of Brock’s pub.
During the time it was mounted on the wall, the pub allowed indoor smoking – so if you look closely you’ll be able to see some yellow smoke staining on a few of the lower areas of the bike. These stains can easily be cleaned up, but have been left untouched for nostalgic reasons (along with a few spiderwebs 😁)”
This example is VIN: JYA2RR00XHA001015.
The seller notes that the bike still has fluids in it. “Unfortunately the fuel tank lock won’t open. Key goes in and turns but won’t unlatch.”
“The battery surprisingly still turns the lights on and works the turn signals, etc. I’m sure with fresh fuel and a carb cleaning, this should run. The 2 miles are just from rolling around the shop as pictured.”
Currently located in Batavia, Illinois, this Yamaha is offered on a Bill of Sale only. The seller would be able to get a MSO for $500 if the next owner desires.
Have any YSR50 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the comments!