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For the first time in its 96-year history, the Museum of Texas Tech University will present its first-ever motorcycle exhibition, YAMAHA: The Rise of Two-Stroke Street Bikes. This exhibition features a rare collection of Yamaha’s high-performance two-stroke street motorcycles from the 1960s and 1970s. The 14 motorcycles on view span engine sizes from 50 to 400cc’s and represent a focused effort by Yamaha to dominate the street market during a short but thrilling window of time. With lightweight frames, eye-catching designs, and two-stroke engines known for their power and ease of maintenance, these bikes captivated a growing youth market. Yamaha stood out for offering a wide range of models to suit nearly every size rider and every budget.

A private collector in Lubbock, Texas was fascinated by this unique line and creative marketing effort by Yamaha and accumulated this collection over a period of 50 years. When the collector bought the first motorcycle in 1971, a 1968 Yamaha YR1 (350cc), there was no original intention to build the collection. After acquiring a few more in the 1980s, by the 1990s he began to conceive an exhibition that showed the impressive range of Yamaha two-stroke motorcycles. After the acquisition of a few more in the 1990s, he shelved the endeavor during his teaching career but never forgot about the project. After retiring in 2014,

the collector focused once again on the Yamaha project. Realizing the gaps in the collection, the collector sought out models from friends and the internet. In 2021, the full line of two-stroke motorcycles was completed.

The collector notes that he did not “restore” these motorcycles in a strict sense of the word. All were partially disassembled for thorough cleaning, repair as needed, and cosmetic touch-ups. It was important to the collector to preserve as much of the original finish as possible and only replaced badly worn items with good originals sourced from the internet. A few were in extremely nice, original, “survivor” condition and needed only detailing. All will usually run. It was the purpose and intention to create a collection of motorcycles that were straight off the factory line.

The Museum of Texas Tech University is a multidisciplinary cultural destination that inspires connection through the power of art, science, culture, and design. Home to unparalleled collections and dynamic exhibitions spanning six distinct areas of knowledge, the Museum is the region’s foremost destination for learning, curiosity, and discovery. Located in Lubbock, Texas, the Museum offers free admissions and is open to explore Tuesday through Sunday. The Yamaha exhibit runs now through November.

Bob Starr, Yamaha Motor U.S.A. (YMUS)