Yankee 460cc Prototype

YANKEE 460cc PROTOTYPE

A Big, New Racing Single Is Being Tested In Competition

YANKEE, the people who bring you Ossa Pioneers, Plonkers and Stillettos and the big Yankee six-speed Twin, are now playing with a sleek-looking new motocrosser for the 500cc class.

It is a 460cc two-stroke Single with piston-port induction. The Dick Mann influence continues to show through in the frame, a large-diameter tubing, double-cradle affair. The swinging arm tubing is oval sectioned. The rear brake is a hydraulically actuated disc, while the front is borrowed from a Husqvarna.

Unlike the preceding Ossa/Yankee machines, the engine for this prototype is not made at the Ossa factory in Spain. A Swiss aircraft firm is making the engine to Yankee Motor Corp. specifications, which explains the radially-finned cylinder head and unusual casing design.

Barry Higgins was caught flying this model at a motocross near Lisbon Falls, Maine. Presently it weighs more than 250 lb., making it a trifle heavy. Target weight is below 230 lb.

Higgins ran 2nd in the first part of the first moto, got passed by Jimmy Ellis (360 Yamaha) and Joe Collins (380 CZ), then the new machine made ominous noises and disappeared for the rest of the day. |o]