Yamaha RD56 has cemented its place in the annals of history. Motorcycle Racing history when it carried Phil Read to Yamaha’s first Grand Prix victory in 1964. But that wasn’t the RD56’s only achievement that year; it was also the bike on which Canadian rider Michelle ‘Mike’ Duff took her first Grand Prix win.
Duff went on to win another race the following season, finishing second overall in the 1965 250cc Grand Prix Championship behind Read. They retired four years later, but remain the only Canadian motorcycle racer to win a Grand Prix. And it’s that legacy that inspired Canada’s Matt Wieckowski to create this nostalgic Yamaha RD56 replica.
“I was inspired after re-reading Michelle Duff’s book ‘Make Haste Slowly’, which chronicles her (then ‘Mike’) time as a Yamaha racer in the early 60s,” Matt told us. “It’s a great read for anyone interested in motorcycle racing, by the way.”
Based in London, Ontario, Matt customizes and maintains bikes under the banner of Big Dream Motorcycles. He also races vintage bikes, so projects like this are a natural fit for him.
Nicknamed ‘RD256’, Matt’s classic race replica starts with the frame, swingarm and most of the engine from a 1974 Yamaha RD250 two phasesThe frame and swingarm were disassembled, stripped of excess parts and reinforced, and the swingarm was lengthened and modified to accommodate the wider rear tire.
Next, Matt massaged the forks, swingarm, and Brembo front calipers from a 2001 Cagiva Mito into place. “It was surprisingly easy—except for the fact that I had to make and install a new steering shaft, and cross-match the steering head bearing,” he says.
The rolling frame is finished off with a custom rear shock from Race Tech and a set of KTM supermoto wheels from SM Pro in the UK. Matt bolts a Brembo front caliper from another KTM to the rear brake, connecting it to a Nissin master cylinder from a Yamaha YZF450. The brake discs are Goldfren parts.
The RD250’s engine was far from running when Matt got it, so he started rebuilding it from the ground up. Highlights included a Vape ignition, a rebuilt crank, modified outer covers, polished and vented heads, and a modified VForce valvetrain from a Yamaha YZ80. Matt did most of the work himself, except for the cylinder work, which he outsourced to a friend—Tanner at Sib’s Performance Machine.
The engine runs race fuel, fed by 34mm Mikuni round-slide carbs. For the exhaust, Matt initially built expansion chambers that he calls “silenceless.” Apparently they were too loud, as the exhaust system now consists of aftermarket Yamaha RZ350 chambers and tanks.
Moving on to the bodywork, Matt commissioned a set of RD56 replica parts from Ragged Edge Racing. They supplied the front end, belly pan, tail section, and windshield, while the handcrafted fiberglass fuel tank came from a Toronto supplier.
“Once I had all the parts, I went through the slow and tedious process of fitting them to the bike,” Matt tells us. “I made a front fender mount that also holds the speedometer, as well as all the other brackets and mounts to keep everything in place.”
“My goal was to keep the look of the RD56 as close to the original as possible. That meant doing some things I had never done before—like making fork caps out of aluminum tubing and anodizing the fork tips to give the appearance of regular forks, even though they’re upside down.”
Matt finished off the bodywork with an original RD250 front fender, which he shortened to fit the build. He then took a Koso speedometer, stripped it down, and added Yamaha branding for a period-correct look. Other finishing touches include Motion Pro grips, a YZ250 clutch lever and bracket, a Suzuki GSX-R600 front brake master cylinder, and an HVC Cycle rear end.
With everything in place, Matt stripped the Yamaha down for paint and finishing touches. The frame and swingarm were shipped to Chris at Crashburn Cycles for a fresh powder coat, while Blair at Fibernew added foam and upholstery to the raw seat pan.
“The bodywork and fuel tank were left to another friend of mine, Mike Murray, who did a fantastic job,” Matt added. “I basically showed up with unfinished bodywork, a raw fiberglass fuel tank, and a few pictures of the RD56. It turned out exactly as expected.”
“I put a lot of time into this bike, but I was also lucky to have a great team of people that I couldn’t have done it without. Another thank you goes to my welder, Doug Cloutier.”
Matt’s Yamaha RD56 replica is a perfect tribute to one of the greatest eras of motor racing. But while it looks too good to get dirty, he assures us it’s no garage queen. “While I don’t take it out as much as I’d like,” he adds, “it does get some track time at an annual event I sponsor, called the Grand Bend Festival of Speed.”
We would stop at nothing to see this graceful machine driven into a rage.
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