Yamaha Tr2 1970 value

It's value depends on how much of it is original TR2 and that is hard to determine based on the photos and information you have supplied. If it's an R3 engine with cast cylinder liners and R3 gearbox and clutch etc etc then it's worth basically whatever you can get for the TR2 brakes. If it has a decent TR2 motor with good chrome liners and proper gearbox etc then thats a different story. I sold one a few years ago for $7500 , but it was a little nicer, mostly original and had matching numbers. It was a bargain and the fellow was happy to have it. It would have brought way more than that in Europe. If you really want to know what it's worth, figure out exactly what you have and put it on Ebay with lots of info and pictures. Be willing to crate it and ship it to wherever. I'm just kidding... but it would help if you can dig up documentation stating that it used to belong to Yvon. He raced one back in the day.

Cyorg said:

It's value depends on how much of it is original TR2 and that is hard to determine based on the photos and information you have supplied. If it's an R3 engine with cast cylinder liners and R3 gearbox and clutch etc etc then it's worth basically whatever you can get for the TR2 brakes. If it has a decent TR2 motor with good chrome liners and proper gearbox etc then thats a different story. I sold one a few years ago for $7500 , but it was a little nicer, mostly original and had matching numbers. It was a bargain and the fellow was happy to have it. It would have brought way more than that in Europe. If you really want to know what it's worth, figure out exactly what you have and put it on Ebay with lots of info and pictures. Be willing to crate it and ship it to wherever. I'm just kidding... but it would help if you can dig up documentation stating that it used to belong to Yvon. He raced one back in the day.

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The value to someone who is prepared to sort out exactly what it is and what needs to be replaced to make it into a complete TR2 is fairly low. That's mainly because the bike is a hybrid of TR and street bike. It has some parts that appear to be original (brakes), some which are clearly modified (forks, seat, pipes) and other parts that don't belong on a TR (fenders, lights, controls). My first TD3 came in a similar package and I paid less than 500 for it because it was such a mongrel mix. I have not looked at TR prices in the US because there is so little market and it takes a long time to find a buyer and they are "collectors" who seem to want every part to be 110% original but in better than original condition. Complete but unrestored with all the correct parts fitted it would probably be worth 5-7k if you find a collector that wants one in original unmolested condition.
Fully restored and 100% original condition it would be worth probably 10k. As is with no provenance and no details of what is not stock, it's worth closer to 2k.

The thing is that teh cost to restore a TR is much higher than say a twin shock TZ because there were less of them around and no source of parts - then or now. Motor parts are hard/impossible to find. The last TZ I rebuilt had pipes from NZ, some replica parts from the Czech Republic, some from Australia, lots from the UK and some re-manufactured in the US. For a TR2 that was bastardized and not complete, I dread to think where some of the parts would come from or what other parts could be modified to make them identical to the originals. There are people around the world who have the experience to make something of that bike but not a lot. It's a small market.

There are always fools willing to pay big dollars for those heavy wheels. Actual racers took them off and replaced them with disks from a street RD Yamaha because they were lighter and worked better. They do look good though.

PM me or email me and I'd be happy to talk to you about the bike and what to do with it.

Here's the top of the heap. Bonhams : One owner from new and unraced,1970 Yamaha 350cc TR2 Frame no. R3-900354 Engine no. R3-900354
As for the value (as is) being around 2K, I think you are pretty close. The brakes and wheels (if not fucked up) will bring close to that. I'm not sure there are too many racers that would want one for the track. The fellow who bought mine is a very accomplished racer and it will be kept in running condition, but will likely never see more than a parade lap. Pistons, rings, and clutch plates are relatively easy to come by, but rods and crank bits are scarce. The correct tank and front fender and possibly the tach are basically unobtainable... along with some of the other bits that get ripped off in a crash. Gears (different from R3) are a problem. Provenance on TR2's (at least up here) is hard to come by. Yamaha didn't keep any records. Mine was a very low number and one of the first few to get released in N.A. One would think that when they were introduced, Yamaha would make sure the fist batch got into the hands of the better riders, but there is no way I could get info from the factory even with inside help.

OP If you want to get some idea of what you have, pull off an exhaust pipe and look into the port. Is the cylinder chrome plated? Does the piston have one ring or two? Not sure why I suggest that, you didn't respond to the question about matching numbers or if there was an oil tank in that tail section etc.