1971 Yamaha CS3B 200 Electric

The Yamaha CS3B formed part of Yamaha’s early-1970s lightweight two-stroke road range, sitting in the 200cc class between the smaller commuter models and the larger 250cc/350cc twins.

The CS3 series followed on from Yamaha’s earlier CS2 180cc twin, increasing capacity to 195cc and continuing Yamaha’s focus on compact, sporty two-stroke road motorcycles. The CS3B was sold for the 1971 model year and was marketed as the Yamaha 200 CS3B.

At the time, Yamaha’s small and mid-sized two-stroke twins were an important part of the brand’s road-bike range, offering a lighter alternative to the larger performance models while still carrying Yamaha’s sporting character. The CS3B also sat just before Yamaha’s RD-series era, with the later RD200 continuing the same basic 195cc lightweight twin concept.

The CS3B is now best understood as a transitional model in Yamaha’s 200cc road-bike history: a link between the earlier CS-series twins and the later RD200 models that became more widely recognised through the 1970s.