1973 YAMAHA 100 L2G

The year was 1973.
I had just started my 4th year of a 5-year college term and everything about me was “motorcycles”.
I remember very well at the end of that first semester, how my grades fell drastically.
I went from having been consistently one of the top three students in all my class years to date, to the “bottom of the class” at the end of that semester!
… and then that unforgettable and life-changing day that my Report Card arrived.
Dad’s way was to open and read the card in my solitary presence (the same went for all my siblings).
He folded it back up, didn’t even look at me and never said a word!
… needless to mention I did not receive the much-anticipated pocket money for that holiday season!
Yes, he taught us to earn our pocket money by bringing home good grades from school.
I looked for sympathy from my brother Sydney, in an effort to explain myself to him and seek consolation.
“We’re all disappointed in you, baby brother”, he said. “you’re going to have to step it up and do better”.
The task ahead of me seemed monumental.
I thought of all the lessons in class that I had neglected to pay attention to, and could not, for the life of me, even begin to think of where and how to begin to self-learn my way back to the upper echelons of the class.
But blessed as I was to have him for a big brother, advice abounded.
He knew exactly what I needed to do to get my grades back up again.
But I would have to apply myself and work towards that goal.
And work I did.
He made me promise.
And apply myself I did!
Based on his advice, counseling, guidance, support and teaching, I spent the rest of that holiday season applying myself to my schoolwork studies.
Up early each morning, breakfast, clean the room we shared and study for 2 uninterrupted hours with full concentration before doing anything else or riding the motorbike for the rest of that day.
For self motivation, I located my study desk right at the window, where I had a clear unobstructed view of the motorbike to where it stood parked right outside our bedroom.
That was to make sure it was not going anywhere without me!
Well, I’m proud to announce that this paid off!
By the end of the following semester, my grades were back up, my concentration in class was “pure” and each motorbike ride subsequent to that has been so much more enjoyable - as long as my my work/chores had/have been taken care of.
That lesson lives with me to this day.
I have engrained it into my psyche!
I have since those early times, made sure that whenever I’ve chosen to go on tour or a motorbike ride for pleasure, my chores and responsibilities are all taken care of before I head out.
Lesson learned!
The subsequent report card, needless to mention, put a smile on my Dad’s face and for the second and last time, he did not say a word!
This time expressing approval.
… and I did get my pocket money!

Okay, I think I’ve digressed a lot, but I had to tell that story to add color to that chapter of my motorcycling life.
I have learned to take care of all my responsibilities, obligations and chores - to the best of my abilities - before setting out on a motorcycle trip/ride.
The sense of relaxation and freedom that I have derived from that is a great reward and sense/feeling on which I cannot put a money value.
I am often asked how I prepare myself both mentally and physically for my upcoming rides.
Well, this is it - a lesson that I never hesitate to pass on to other upcoming motorcycling “newbies”.


Mr. Attah was a teacher at the University Primary School and lived in premises provided to all members of staff by the institution, located on the campus of the college I attended.
Coincidentally, his cousin Theophilus “Little Joe” Agbetor, worked for my father as an electrical technician, and it was through Little Joe I got to meet Mr. Attah.
Mr. Attah, with his good teaching salary had bought a Yamaha L2G despite the fact that he had never ridden a motorbike nor a bicycle before.
It’s Yellow/Gold color was a perfect compliment to the design features, making it very attractive and hard not to notice!
The very first time he straddled the machine, he took a “spill”.
The experience scared the living daylights out of him!
From that point onwards he wanted nothing to do with the bike.
So I got introduced to him as the one who could straighten out the handlebars and footpegs for him and help him gain back/develop much needed courage to ride.
He was so petrified of the bike that he even refused to test it out to make sure the work I had done was to his satisfaction.
He literally wanted nothing to do with the bike, not even to have it parked at his house.
He implored me to take it away, which I gladly did without a fuss, and promised him it would be with me till he wanted it back.
From then on, I would go to him each week to let him know that his property was in good hands and being well taken care of.
How much more of a sweet deal could I get?
I didn’t complain.
So I had now upgraded from a motorized bicycle, to an 80cc motorbike, and now on to a 100 cc motorbike.
There was no way anyone could convince me that it was not the fastest bike on our streets.
First order of business - pull out/off the silencer/muffler
This must have given it about and extra horse power or 2.
Now I was capable of warp speeds!
Well it definitely sounded like it.
My motorcycling realm now took on a new life of its own.
I had freedom to go places much further away and best of all, I was the envy of a lot of my peers.
I was mobile.
I did not want to lose this new found freedom and I was more determined now to make sure that I kept up with my school studies, maintaining my grades and keeping the machine running in good shape.
By this time I was very adept at servicing and repairing 2 stroke engines and the results showed.
It was plain to see, and feel!
My passion for motorcycling was undeniable.
I had my frustrations though, because hard as I tried, I could never seem to catch up or even keep up with, let alone pass my brother Pee on his BMW 250, even when he was riding with a pillion passenger!
The Yamaha L2G never misfired or missed a beat.
She revved up to maximum rpm’s effortlessly, delivered all the horse power and speed it could, but that BMW just floated away putting distance between us without a strain, leaving me so disheartened!
It took me a very long time to finally come to terms with the understanding that the L2G was not able to always deliver what I wanted it to, whenever I wanted it to.
Well, as life would have it, the day finally arrived when Mr. Attah wanted his property back.
He had decided to sell it.
It was so hard to deliver it back to him and part with his bike.
I remember coming very close to shedding a tear.
That bike and I had formed a true bond over the previous months with the freedom of movement and resulting life experiences, but it had to go on and live it’s destiny.
… and I had to figure out what to do without it and by myself, now that I would be “bikeless”!

In the coming weeks though, big brother Pinnock would begin to allow more and more saddle time for me on his BMW.
It was in these times I began to appreciate the power of a larger, heavier machine, and I came to find out that there was no way the L2G could outperform this machine in the way that I always expected it to.


As my memory recalls, the Yamaha L2G was manufactured during the years 1970 thru 1974.
In its simplicity, it was so easy to fall in love with this gem of a machine.
Very reliable, it never failed to operate well and performed as well as it was designed to, and sported:

• Drum brakes front and rear - which were not the greatest, but adequate for the needs of the performance of the machine.
• Twin Rear Shock Absorbers - which to me were woefully inadequate for the road conditions of the time. Under the load of a pillion rider, steering and comfort were “dodgy” and demanded full concentration and steadiness. But for “one-up” riding - clearly a marked difference.
• The twin Telescoping Front Shock Absorbers, I remember, were also not the greatest. I always felt they could have been a little stiffer. I guess the designers went for more comfort over rigidity and compliance.
• A pair of handlebar mounted Rear View Mirrors allowed for very good visibility. That I remember quite well because I always had great situational awareness when I rode.
• The Kick Starter was well/nicely placed and totally eliminated shin-bone trauma of other bikes of the era. Not to mention, the engine always started with the first kick - “hot or cold”.
• The Center Stand was very easy to deploy and was tucked away underneath the frame making it very unobtrusive.
• The fully enclosing Chain Case kept dirt off the chain. It was also relatively easy to remove and install making chain lubrication and adjustments an easy task.
• Headlight, Turn Indicators, Brake Light, combination tail light and license plate light were all large and bright which increased nighttime visibility and subsequently, safety.