Every so often, a listing appears that makes collectors, nostalgics, and two-stroke enthusiasts collectively lose their breath. For some people, the holy grail is a perfectly preserved superbike. Others chase barn-find dirt bikes or old race sleds. But a brand-new, never-assembled Yamaha Banshee still in its shipping crate?
That’s the stuff of legend.
And that’s exactly what’s sitting in Lot 35 at H.J. Pugh & Co.: A 2004 Yamaha YFZ350SW Banshee, factory-fresh, uncrated, untouched. Yes, you read that right: a 350 cc twin-cylinder two-stroke performance quad, sealed away like a time capsule for two decades, now resurfacing from a private collection. For anyone who grew up around these machines, or heard their unmistakable banshee-wail echoing across dunes. This is the kind of find that stops you mid-scroll.
The crate tells a story all its own: original metal framework, boards intact, tie-downs exactly as Yamaha packed them. The listing notes it will “need to be assembled and commissioned,” which is collector-speak for “it has truly never lived outside this box.” No documents, but a key, and really, the absence of paperwork almost adds to the cryptid energy of a two-stroke Yamaha preserved like an artifact.
And unlike the smaller “Champ”-style youth quads people sometimes find tucked away, a Banshee is full-size power, a machine with a cult following, a race pedigree, and a reputation for being both iconic and a little unhinged…in the best way. This isn’t a toy. This is a shrine to an era before emissions regulations throttled the fun out of performance quads, when 350cc two-stroke twins were allowed to exist, "scream", and occasionally terrify their owners.
We’ve written before about crate-fresh Hondas that cracked $80K, mint-condition Ducatis that disappeared into climate-controlled garages, and even sealed vintage Jet Skis that proved nostalgia isn’t limited to handlebars or wheelbases. But the emotional hook is always the same, as these machines don’t just represent history, they preserve it.
And for riders like us, the thrill is twofold. There’s the hunt—the digging, the discovering, the moment your pulse spikes because you can’t quite believe what you’re seeing. And then there’s the possibility—you might be the person who gets to adopt this untouched piece of Yamaha’s two-stroke heritage. Whether you keep it crated forever, assemble it as a museum piece, or (dare I say it) actually fire it up, this Banshee is more than a collectible. It’s a reminder of why we fell in love with powersports in the first place.
Time capsules don’t show up often. And they (almost) never look like this.
