Modern classics: 70s 80s and 90s two-stroke restoration

Tucked away just a few miles north of Bridgwater, Somerset, is a real ­haven for all Yamaha stroker fans.

Cider ­County Strokers is a restoration business ­specialising in 70s, 80s and 90s Yamaha two-strokes run by 40-year-old Wayne Pipe who began the business by accident, nine years ago.

“A group of us bought some trail bikes, DT175s and the like, to use at the weekend,” he told MCN.

“But no one really knew what they were doing mechanically. I’m a mechanic by trade, although mostly with cars, and I ended up doing any repair work – which as you can ­imagine was a regular occurrence.”

Although happy working on any Yamaha two-stroke, Wayne’s speciality is the 350 YPVS and the much desired, Japan-only, V-twin TZR250R 3XV.

“I’ve a real passion for these two, and now import and stock hard-to-find parts from the Far East for the latter.

“While the YPVS was common in the UK, the TZR is different and there aren’t many who can work on and restore them.

“My daughter attends a language school so it made perfect sense to have the Japanese manuals and parts books translated. This enables me to work on them correctly and obtain the correct parts.”

Wayne also insists on using only genuine parts for his restorations and repairs, and has a large stock. “I am continuously buying parts from all over the world,” he says.

“Whether it be bankrupt stock from dealers or rare components for the Japan-only TZR.”

His customising skills can also be seen in his Aprilia-framed, YPVS-powered supermoto.

The yokes were made in-house and the bike features a TZR ­swingarm, mounted upside down.

Clearly it works – it was seen making a nuisance of itself at an RGV owners club two-stroke track day at Cadwell Park. 

www.cidercountystrokers.co.uk