04/03/2024
For Sale. Framecrafters-Yamaha 250/Moto3. $10,000 OBO.
Decided it's time to officially let this one go. I have way too many other bikes/projects, etc. The bike has an interesting history shared below. Feel free to skip the story and jump to specs at the bottom. Any questions just let me know. Thanks for looking !
Originally designed and built in 2011 as a joint project with GP Tech and support from Yamaha USA with its debut race in the USGPRU final event at Putnam Park IN with AMA pro Ben Young. The project was loosely modeled on what Moriwaki had been doing with the pairing of production CRF engines into GP chassis kits. We were going to do the same with a Yamaha engine in our GP chassis kit. A short-lived project with various successes in USGPRU, AHRMA, CCS and WERA through the 2012 season. The bike was raced by a variety of riders including Josh Herrin, Ben Young and Karsten Illg. This project resulted in two (2) of these chassis kits being built and raced. Essentially the same design but #2 had some minor revisions made to the rear billet swingarm carrier plates. The bike for sale is chassis #2. Chassis #1 was sold and converted into a beautiful retro-Moto3 style cafe bike by Tony Prust of Analog Cycles powered by a Ducati 250 single.
In 2013 the project transitioned entirely “in-house” at Framecrafters and the bike went through a variety of updates/changes. The original build used 2011 YZ250f and WR250f engines and we swapped to a 2005 YZ250f engine. We also fit ‘01 Honda Rs125 running gear/bodywork/etc. Some have asked me why the ‘05 motor ? Simple, we had the motor and support of legendary flat track tuner Babe Demay in addition to local Yamaha guru’s Dave Griffin and Larry Piekos at Cycle-Craft Racing. Not to mention the dozen other sponsors (AGV, Vanson, RSC, Barnett, RaceTech,YoyoDyne, Steinjager, Vortex, etc) who were all helping at the time.
For the 2014 AHRMA national road race season we recruited rider and (at the time) Yamaha USA snowmobile engineer Nick Blasel to race in the Sound of Singles 3 class. Two persistent seasons with respectable finishes of 2nd for 2014 and 3rd for 2015 in the national championship series.
For 2016 we recruited Michigan fast guy Robbie Scudder who would give us our first and only National Championship win in the AHRMA SOS3 class. Scudders skill, experience and commitment truly helped realize the full potential of this beautiful little machine. We also raced at the VRRA Mosport/CTMP, Canada event where Scudder had a brilliant and hard-fought battle with a local 125 hot-shot ultimately finishing 2nd. In my 30+ years of racing…this is a season I will always remember and reflect on as quite satisfying.
In 2017 the bike made one event with rider and current AHRMA national road race director Leasha Overturf at the Road America round. It was obvious at this event the bike was tired, rough and time to be rebuilt and/or sold. A few half-baked sale attempts and a slew of tire kickers, we simply parked it in the corner of our shop for the next 5 years.
Fast forward to 2021 with an influx of interest and fresh resources I decided the bike was somewhat worthless (and ugly) in its current state. We began an extensive and thorough restoration and rebuild going through every nut, bolt, bearing and seal. The engine was completely rebuilt including new crank, cylinder, cam, valves, etc by Dave Griffin. Chassis was updated from the original billet “X” stretchers to a traditional trellis design. Exhaust was updated with the addition of an Akrapovic ti slip-on. F&R suspension rebuilt by Ed Sorbo @ LE Engineering. New brake pad/fluid, wheel bearings, steering bearings, linkage bearings, chain sliders/rollers, ti fasteners. Powdercoated chassis/sa and wheels, fairing paint, new CF front fender and a new double bubble screen. 100% fully documented costing about $6000 NOT including my labor.
NOTE. The ‘04 seat cowl that is fit is a bit rough. I have a nicer ‘01 seat that is included but I just prefer the look/style of the ‘04.
After the rebuild we took the bike to the AHRMA BlackHawk Farms event in August 2023. With the help of my good friend Matt Joy, and bad influencer of all things 2-wheels the intent was to just shake the bike down and do a short bit of mild tuning. As a true addict this was not enough and I quickly recruited renowned classic GP motorcycle collector and racer Colton Roberts to run the machine on day 2 in SOS3. Results were fair, finishing 5th. In full disclosure this was not a rider issue; the bike was suffering from a top-end break up. This is the result of the pipe changes and limited tuning time where we had made improvements but not full resolution. This will be resolved before the new owner takes possession of the bike. Currently the bike sits on display at our shop outside of Chicago, IL.
2005 Yamaha Yz250F engine.
OEM cases/cylinder/head
OEM welded crank
Wossner hi-comp piston
WebCam-Palmgren #9 cams
Kibblewhite valves
R/D valve springs
Barnett billet clutch & plate kit
5spd R&D undercut gears
New seals, gaskets, bearings, cam chain, guides, etc.
39mm FCR carb (Yz450f)
Custom air intake with idle splitter and K&N
Dyna programmable ignition
2001 Honda RS125 running gear; suspension, rad, bodywork, wheels, controls, brakes, etc.
2011 Framecrafters BMGP/2 chassis kit; main frame, subframe, fuel tank, shock linkage, etc.
Spares package; paddock stands, warmers, wheels/rains, seat/subframe, gearing, tooling. Misc crash parts; levers, bars, etc. OEM engine parts; seals, gaskets, bearings, fasteners and some used hard parts (pistons, crank, cylinder). Probably a bunch more I'm forgetting at this time. Complete list available upon request.
Pictures. They are in no specific order but for reference. White bike =original build. Dk Blue/Teal = 2nd revision. Black/Blue wheels = current condition.
