1969 marked the introduction of the TR2 348 cc production racer from Yamaha Corporation. Starting with serial number 900101, the two stroke, twin cylinder engine featured twin carbs and a 5 speed gearbox bike also featured a featherbed Manx style frame and proper, massive drum brakes front and rear. Making 54 hp and revving to 9,500 rpm, the 111 kg. machine was capable of speeds over 150 mph.
I received a call a few months ago asking me if I had any interest in a TR2, one that had been in same family since new. The original owner, Jacques "Jack" duPont, of Delaware was ending his long career as a racer when the TR was launched in the spring of 1969. He immediately purchased one to race in the USA's AMA road racing series. I'm still doing the research on specifics but a few things are known. The bike was shipped to the Isle of Man to be raced in 1969 or 1970. It's crate was damaged en-route and the fuel tank cap was crudely but expeditiously repaired. The bike was last raced for the duPont's by Timmy Sussman. It was an early production, numbers matching motorcycle in 'as last raced' condition.
After a few prospective buyers opted out but the more I read the more I was intrigued, I had to have it. The TR's had enjoyed much success and would be succeeded by the TR2B and TZ350 in quick succession. Yamaha was entering it's 'Golden Age' of International road racing domination. Riders like Kel Carruthers, Don Emde, Rod Gould, Phil Read, Jarno Saarinen plus countless others realized they had a potential Grand Prix winner if they followed the exhaustive maintenance schedule and applied some creative tuning. Within a year, the dominance of the TR2 and smaller TD2 led to nearly entire grids made up of Yamaha branded motorcycles. If you wanted to win, you rode a Yamaha.
Eventually, Yamaha would replace the TR with the TZ series when water-cooling became the next great leap forward. A few years later, with the "Giant Killer" getting outgunned increasingly dependable larger capacity offerings from Suzuki and Kawasaki two-strokes, Yamaha unveiled the next arrow in its arsenal, the legendary TZ750. Thus began the next chapter in putting the average rider on world class equipment at a price nearly everyone could afford.
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