Hi!
As I mentioned in my introduction post, I'm about to restore an old RT2/RT3. The thing is I'm not sure what model it is actually.
The number on the engine should be exactly the same as the one on the frame, correct?
The number on my engine reads RT2-600732 but there is no such number in any of the VIN lists here on the website neither among 360cc nor in other models with different cc.

Could this be not the original engine? I cannot check the frame number right now because it's out for painting.
Any idea? Many thanks.

Joe68,

Hmmm...All the 360s have engine numbers that start with RT-1, regardless of year. RT-2 would be the proper designation for a 1972 RT-2, the first year it came equipped with a Reed Valve. Does yours have a Reed Cage between the carburetor and the cylinder? Other than that, the Model is found on the Frame, at the steering head.

Hammer

Hammer,

Thanks a lot for your help. I'm a bit worried now....I'm afraid that the bike (or at least the engine) is not original.
Plus I have never seen the two "stars"at the sides of the engine number before.



Could this be a fake number?

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RE: Could this be a fake number?

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Absolutely!

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I have to agree with Enduronut. The numbers look to be not lined up when they were stamped. I know the technology back then wasn't what it is today but that looks a little sloppy.

I had never seen a vin number like that before so I really don't have a clue.maybe it is a 1972 RT2 and it is put there in the vin number.

the 1973 version was called a RT3 btw.

I agree with Enduronut,it does look like someone in the past stamped that on there.

Or some little Japanese feller had been hittin the Saki a little to hard the night before!

It is not a Yamaha VIN.
This is a fraudulent number.

If this were a confirmed model originally shipped to the United States, I would agree that this number absolutely doesn't look correct.

But this bike is located in Italy? I do know that the serial numbers in other countries were different than in the US... like a CT1-3xxxxxx series. It's also possible the original country (if not the USA) required the "stars" around the serial number?

Do you have any information on the origin of the bike?

Unfortunately, I have never seen a good serial number list for any country other than the US.

That said, the character font definitely doesn't look like "Yamaha" fonts (DEET is the real expert on that) but could it be possible a local distributor assigned the numbers? Or it could have been an engine replacement that someone stamped?

It will be interesting to see the frame numbers when they are available.