The Yamaha RD56 cemented itself in the annals of motorcycle racing history when it carried Phil Read to Yamaha’s first-ever Grand Prix championship title in 1964. But that wasn’t the RD56’s only accolade that year; it was also the bike that Canadian racer Michelle ‘Mike’ Duff claimed their first Grand Prix race win on.
Duff would go on to win another race in the following season, finishing second overall in the 1965 250 cc Grand Prix championship behind Read. They retired four years later, but remain the only Canadian motorcycle racer ever to win a Grand Prix. And it’s that legacy that inspired Canada’s Matt Wieckowski to create this nostalgic Yamaha RD56 replica.

?I was inspired after re-reading the book ‘Make Haste Slowly’ by Michelle Duff, which chronicles her time (she was ‘Mike’ back then) as a factory Yamaha racer in the early 60s,? Matt tells us. ?It’s a great read, by the way, for anyone who enjoys motorcycle racing.? Based in London, Ontario, Matt customizes and services bikes under the banner of Big Dream Motorcycles. He races classic bikes too, so projects of this ilk are right up his alley.

Nicknamed the ‘RD256,’ Matt’s retro race replica started as the frame, swingarm, and most of the engine from a 1974 Yamaha RD250 two-stroke. The frame and swingarm were stripped, de-tabbed, and reinforced, and the swingarm was lengthened and modified to accommodate a wider rear tir...