Cycle News Archives
COLUMN
Yamaha stood alone as the manufacturer that believed size mattered, and smaller was better
By Kent Taylor
There is an old saying in the sales community that “nothing happens until somebody buys something.” Of course, we don’t really need most of the things we buy, but someone or something, be it a body or a bot, has told us that we must have it, and so we dutifully put it in our cart. That’s how it’s been working for a few years. There is an undeniable link between capitalism and democracy, so perhaps it’s best not to challenge the system.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, motorcycle companies were giving us what we thought we wanted, which was to move more quickly, so bikes became faster. They also became bigger, wider and heavier. Most of the OEMs, however, continued to offer cycles that were more closely matched to our needs, which is where the Yamaha DS-7 250 comes into play.
To this point, Yamaha stood alone as the manufacturer that believed size mattered, and smaller was better. True, they offered their venerable 650 four-stroke twin, but the rest of the street lineup was comprised of two-strokes, singles and twins, and Cycle News borrowed the 250cc version for a test in the July 11 issue, way back in 1972.
Out of the gate, the staff had a legitimate question for Yamaha. The company was offering a 350cc version, which could be had for only $84 more. “Can a 250 justify itself when it has a bigger brother that is only slightly more expensive?” they asked. The fact that the DS-7 250 and the R5-B 350 shared many of the same components gave strong legs to such a query.
But the bike in hand was the 250, so Cycle News gave it a go. Lighting fire to the machine was nearly as easy as pushing a button, with the staffers claiming that the Yammerhammer was a one-kick affair. A little choke until the machine warms up. The 250 was something of a heavy smoker while cool, but kicked the habit once the bike was crisp. Wise men can readily explain the process by which a two-stroke engine warms its way to full power, but anybody who has experienced it knows that correct gear selection, the right engine speed, and a properly planned throttle roll do more than bring the steed up to speed. It is also a way of engaging the rider in the process, making the human a living, breathing rider by wire.
“The engine is surprisingly strong, and performance is rather spectacular,” CN wrote. “Acceleration is on a par with, or better than, some bikes of more than 500cc that we have tested recently…on the other hand, you can run it down to two and a half grand, and it won’t complain. The engine is very flexible.” The crew was able to “coax an indicated 95 miles per hour” from the little 250 twin and suggested that a few minor mods might even push that needle higher.
The Yamaha 250 had racing in its bloodline, so the staff was not surprised that it loved to get out and play on the mountain roads. “The brakes, suspension, engine, transmission and controls all lend themselves to fast riding,” they wrote. One of the crew even found themselves banging bars with a Lotus Elan in the “swervery” of Topanga Canyon. The cager was no match for the Yamaha, which could be had for one-tenth the price in 1972.
As with most motorcycles of this era, the only obstruction that differentiated them from ’72 Daytona winner Don Emde was the little bike’s centerstand. Once they removed it, the lean angle improved greatly. This was a frequent gripe in road tests, and magazine types eventually willed centerstands away into the cornfield.
There were no problems with reliability. No mention of needing to swap out spark plugs. The staff gave the DS-7 a good wringing-out, but the bike did not complain. A canyon road racer at heart, the 250 “can also be used for touring…it is very smooth at all speeds. There are people who have ridden around the world on earlier model Yamaha 250 twins.”
There was a change afoot for the Yamaha 250, and it was one that the crew found puzzling. They loved the Yamaha’s old-fashioned drum brakes, which provided excellent feel, no fading and so on. “What is strange,” they wrote, “is the fact that Yamaha is going to disc brakes next year…seems unnecessary.” They had the same feeling about the engine performance of the Yamaha, boldly stating, “You will never need more power.”
Reliable, handles like a racer, and stops on a shiny new dime. Fast enough. In the end, the staff couldn’t produce a compelling argument for stepping up to the 350cc version, even if it could be had for just $84 more. In other words, the Yamaha DS-7 250 seemed to be the perfect motorcycle, which is probably why it would soon disappear from Yamaha’s U.S. lineup. We didn’t need more. But we wanted more. Or, at least, that’s what they told us. CN
Click here to read the Archives Column in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
Subscribe to six decades of Cycle News Archive issues
