1983 Yamaha Midnight Special...Help!?

Question

Could anyone help me discover where I can find the CC's for this bike? I have looked under the seat, on the motor, the frame, had the VIN traced through a yamaha dealer (who didn't have a clue..too old)
The only place I haven't looked is under the gas tank. I know the bike isn't any bigger than a 200 CC, and I know most of the Midnight Special's were 900 CC's. This was a limited edition bike, not an enduro type bike. So any help would be appreciated!

Answer 1

The engine size is cast on the Cylinder of the engine,,at the very bottom,usually on l/h side.

Cylinder is the Finned part of the engine,,with the exhaust pipe sticking out the front
(I apologize if You already know that,,,just making sure you know where to look :)

May be hard to see because engine is black.

The numbers are also actual engine displacement,,,,
meaning a 350 Yamaha for example will be written as "325cc"
a 125 may be 123cc,,
a 100 might be 98cc,,,,and so on.

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Here's the little Special

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/276567123.html


Here's a illustrated Parts List with some service specs
for that bike

http://www.cmsnl.com/yamaha-rx50k-50-special-1983-1984_model8957/partslist/

http://www.cmsnl.com/yamaha-rx50l-50-special-1983-1984_model8958/partslist/

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Here's a picture of a typical engine cylinder and the location of it's engine size stamp

http://images.andale.com/f2/126/119/25246393/2007/3/1/DSC02157.JPG

You can see "535CC" clearly on the R/H one.
Those happen to be Snowmobile parts,,,,
but that's representative of most common/typical format.
Both those Cyls are facing Left=Front

.........................
Here's a variation,,,,
This one is facing Right=Front.
The Markings on r/h side of engine,,,on intake manifold at Rear of engine.
This was NOT common layout in that era.

Click the pic with yellow Mark,,,you can see a closeup.
It's written as "246cm 3" , cm3= CC,,,aka Cubic Centimeters

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1981-Yamaha-YZ-YZ250-Used-Cylinder_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35581QQihZ006QQitemZ160091818617QQrdZ1
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Those examples should help give you an idea of Where to look,,,and What to look for.

The number are Usually pretty good sized and fairly prominent.

With a black engine,,,it gets sorta camoflauged in the shadows.
So make sure you have Good Light when looking.

Hope that helps

Answer 2

They made quite a few Midnight Specials over the years. From the XS1100 version to the 650 twin. Could yours be their lil brother the 50 c.c. Midnight Special? It was a tiny cruiser mostly black and gold single cylinder. I think it may have run a similar motor to the Pw50 but not sure. Hope this helps and I'd search the web and check for old sales flyers or old issues of Cycle, Motorcyclist, etc.. Good Luck.

Answer 3

The simple answer - contact Yamaha direct. They made the bike. They'll know which model it is. Your answer is just a phone call away.
http://yamaha-motor.com/sport/contactus/home.aspx

Answer 4

650 twin or 1100 four

Answer 5

look at the bottom of one of the cylinders. should be cast into the aluminum.