Craigslist find: 1998 Chaparral YZ250

wiggins419
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44
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2/14/2016
Location
Livonia, MI US
12/21/2017 11:11am Edited Date/Time 12/21/2017 9:27pm
This went down in 2015 but I'm new to Vital so I figured I'd share. One of my dads old riding buddies bought this YZ off some kid who kept it outside and rode up and down dirt roads. Pretty neat story. Here's the email my dad sent me from September 2015.

"Hey There,
Wanted to share this. Lee Rooney came across this bike last year in Texas. He was looking for a bike to race in vintage Mx. The bike was on Craigslist. Bike was outside next to a shed not cleaned up it was dusk when he looked at bike. He bought it and when he cleaned it up he noticed Carbon Fiber parts and fabricated parts. The Title was in a guy's name from California. Lee Called the guy on the title from California and found out bike was a Chararral Yamaha used by Jeremy McGrath or Jimmy Button in 1998! The Guy he called was the head R&D guy at Chaparral at that time. Lee bought the bike for 1600. When he rode it motor had broad power with little or no vibration. Frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX. Lee cleaned up bike and is selling it on Ebay Motors. He doesn't want to race this bike it should be on display somewhere."

*EDIT* Sorry for the bad picture. It looks like it was took with a toaster oven. But it's all I got.



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CrGuy2T
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4177
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Santa Fe, TX US
Fantasy
3665th
12/21/2017 12:33pm
I almost bought that bike!
12/21/2017 1:26pm
wiggins419 wrote:
This went down in 2015 but I'm new to Vital so I figured I'd share. One of my dads old riding buddies bought this YZ off...
This went down in 2015 but I'm new to Vital so I figured I'd share. One of my dads old riding buddies bought this YZ off some kid who kept it outside and rode up and down dirt roads. Pretty neat story. Here's the email my dad sent me from September 2015.

"Hey There,
Wanted to share this. Lee Rooney came across this bike last year in Texas. He was looking for a bike to race in vintage Mx. The bike was on Craigslist. Bike was outside next to a shed not cleaned up it was dusk when he looked at bike. He bought it and when he cleaned it up he noticed Carbon Fiber parts and fabricated parts. The Title was in a guy's name from California. Lee Called the guy on the title from California and found out bike was a Chararral Yamaha used by Jeremy McGrath or Jimmy Button in 1998! The Guy he called was the head R&D guy at Chaparral at that time. Lee bought the bike for 1600. When he rode it motor had broad power with little or no vibration. Frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX. Lee cleaned up bike and is selling it on Ebay Motors. He doesn't want to race this bike it should be on display somewhere."

*EDIT* Sorry for the bad picture. It looks like it was took with a toaster oven. But it's all I got.



If the frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX it would have not been legal. AMA rules stated you had to run stock frame geometry. So with MC and JB cheating the 1998 SX title is Ezra Lusk's.. lol


1 Ezra Lusk - 271
2 Larry Ward- 240
3 Kevin Windham - 238
4 Mike LaRocco- 230
5 Mickael Pichon - 216
6 Doug Henry - 213
7 Michael Craig- 174
8 Ryan Hughes - 159
early
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University Heights, OH US
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2139th
12/21/2017 1:29pm
And the winner for the ugliest wheels ever goes to...

The Shop

hubbardmx50
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11/17/2016
Location
Rancho Cucamonga, CA US
12/21/2017 1:36pm
Does the seller work for CNN? Those aren't even the graphics from 98.

HenryA
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3789
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12/29/2011
Location
Stockholm SE
12/21/2017 1:40pm
If the frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX it would have not been legal. AMA rules stated...
If the frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX it would have not been legal. AMA rules stated you had to run stock frame geometry. So with MC and JB cheating the 1998 SX title is Ezra Lusk's.. lol


1 Ezra Lusk - 271
2 Larry Ward- 240
3 Kevin Windham - 238
4 Mike LaRocco- 230
5 Mickael Pichon - 216
6 Doug Henry - 213
7 Michael Craig- 174
8 Ryan Hughes - 159
12/21/2017 1:58pm Edited Date/Time 12/21/2017 1:59pm
If the frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX it would have not been legal. AMA rules stated...
If the frame has been cut at steering stem and tucked in to turn sharper for SX it would have not been legal. AMA rules stated you had to run stock frame geometry. So with MC and JB cheating the 1998 SX title is Ezra Lusk's.. lol


1 Ezra Lusk - 271
2 Larry Ward- 240
3 Kevin Windham - 238
4 Mike LaRocco- 230
5 Mickael Pichon - 216
6 Doug Henry - 213
7 Michael Craig- 174
8 Ryan Hughes - 159
Nothing to say about this bike's authenticity, but just speaking generally, it doesn't need to be a race bike. They could have easily been testing frame geometry.
CrGuy2T
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4177
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3/11/2015
Location
Santa Fe, TX US
Fantasy
3665th
12/21/2017 2:09pm
There are a lot of trick parts on that bike. I had a bunch of photos.
12/21/2017 2:25pm
Didn`t Yamaha use 94 cylinders on the team bikes back then. i see the bike got a 96-98 cylinder
wiggins419
Posts
44
Joined
2/14/2016
Location
Livonia, MI US
12/21/2017 6:08pm
I'm sure the graphics have been changed since 98'.. especially if it was in the hands of someone who didn't know what they had. But he spoke with the R&D guy from Chaparral on the phone for a good 20 min. Said he didn't know if it was a test bike or a race bike but it would have a cheater frame regardless. Lol
12/21/2017 8:34pm
illegal to cut and modify the frames, but most were running steering stem bearings with a machined offset to steepen the head angle
YZ324
Posts
349
Joined
6/26/2014
Location
Cypress, TX US
12/21/2017 9:27pm
Cool story but damn tough crowd in here as always.

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