Shed-Found Yamaha Fires Up For the First Time In...A Long Time

There's something so oddly soothing about watching a couple grubby grease monkeys take something that hasn't run in decades and fire it up for the first time. Maybe because, while I can wrench, I'm not the sort of person who has an encyclopedic memory of old machines, their parts, and the history behind certain designs.

At least, not in the same way those folks do. 

As such, I can watch these videos for hours. Just going deep into weird old rabbit holes. It's why there was a spell where my daughter and I were watching Hand Tool Rescue as she fell asleep. And it's why I love the guys at The Bearded Mechanic so much, with their latest video detailing a shed-found—not to be confused with a barn find—Yamaha they got for free.

The saga starts while they were excavating a separate motorcycle, a Gold Wing, from a yard a year or so ago. While there, they were contacted by a local company that specializes in yard cleanup saying they had this old Yamaha they didn't know what to do with. Naturally, the guys said bring it on by and we'll take a look. 

Well, they looked and left with the Yamaha. But now, a year later, they're finally trying to get the thing to run. And from the state of things, it was a promising start. 

As the guys begin checking out the bike, most everything looks pretty clean, if not a tad rusty. The gas tank is salvageable, as is the oil pan which had a few specs of oil still in it. And the motor wasn't seized.

Talk about a stroke of luck. 

Things, however, aren't always as they seem upon first glance or even first inspection. That running motor is a good thing, but everything starts to go downhill pretty quickly as the guys find a broken ignition and a crack. Well, more so they find a piece of the transmission case that was broken off and glued back on. 

I won't spoil the ending, but if you're like me and want something relaxing after a long day, I highly recommend this video.