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A 1981 Yamaha SR500 Untouched for 41 Years, in Its Original Package, Is Up for Grabs

A 1981 Yamaha SR500, untouched in its factory crate, has made its way to Bring a Trailer, original tags and everything. It has never seen the light of day, never touched the pavement, as the plastic cover has never been unwrapped.
1981 Yamaha SR500 17 photos
Photo: AJL1988 / Bring a Trailer
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The bike has been in a deep slumber in its factory shipping crate since when it was initially delivered to a dealership in metro Detroit, Michigan. The current owner got it from a local collection, and according to him, “nothing has been removed or altered as everything is still inside the box.

Speaking of which, the outer box is very slightly damaged – hey, it’s a piece of cardboard from the 80s. That aside, the graphics and numbers, model and color details, country of origin and destination, all these elements are clearly visible.

There’s a polystyrene foam package that runs across the top of the crate which contains some of the bike’s parts and accessories, such as the chrome handlebar, the mirrors and gauges, along with the master brake cylinder.

Chassis number 4R8000397 dons a silver coat of paint, along with gold graphics and stripes, and is equipped with an air-cooled 499cc four-stroke, single-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed transmission and a chrome exhaust system. Moreover, it features a 3.1-gallon fuel tank, a black two-up seat, a chrome headlight bucket and fenders, seven-spoke cast alloy wheels, along with both center and side stands.

The 1980–1981 SR500 models had a front disc and rear drum brakes, and such is the case with this one, which has a single 200mm front disc brake and a 150mm rear drum brake.

Now, some bidders want to see it unwrapped, arguing it’s no good in a box. Plus, this way they can actually see what they’re bidding on since some might have some doubts about the actual contents of the package. On the other hand, you can only unwrap it once, and some say the privilege of getting this piece of history out into the light should belong to the one who ends up paying for it.

Regardless if you want to see the bike unwrapped or untouched, just as it is now, the current Bring a Trailer bid is sitting on the $8,000 mark, with only two days to go at the time of writing.
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