The time Yamaha made a V4 Two Stroke Racebike for the street

[@rottenanimal619]

Yamaha RZ500. I bought one new in 1985 and still have it today. It's in excellent condition. It's also one crazy bike.

[@kd350]

Shout out to a fellow RZ'er, the 350 bought leftover in '86...rode Sat and today, yup February. Oil change done just now. DG chambers put on this year, DynoJet done back in '90 430# mains! and pods. Never ran better and done all my own work.

[@getthefffffoffme]

I bought one a brand new one in 86, RD, so sad I sold it in 89 - This bike is beast. I'd pay a 100K to own my new machine now

[@Super-Bike-Joe]

❤❤❤❤

[@schwags1969]

I rebuilt a Yamaha RZ-500, customer got it back and it scared the crap out of him. The bike was mental and a gem of engineering.

[@markhill8288]

I sold my 84 RZV500R a few years back... the cool thing about it was that you could bolt on awesome bits... R1 suspension, marchesini wheels, YZR bodywork, it used R1 sprockets and clutch goodies... mine was 110 RWHP and 320 LBS wet, 28 flat slides, carbon fiber reeds, ported, shaved and resquished heads, lighter flywheel, custom back cut transmission with alternate close ratio first gear and stronger mainshaft, cursom ignition and YPVS controller jolly moto GP pipes... never failed to put a smile on your face in any gear.... i know where the CNC case halves are to fit 3MA TZ cylinders.... should net 160+ RWHP with only one set of transmission losses.... These days while I want a Souter 500MMX I am happy with my 83 XR1000 Street tracker... my bones dont heal as fast as they used to... i have the Sport Rider Mag test around here some place... i just saw pics of it as it sold again this summer detuned for the street and in Wayne Rainey trim...

[@KensWorldRestorations]

I was in the Navy (Canadian Forces) and living in Halifax when I bought my first real performance bike - a 1984 FJ1100. Always a Yamaha man, I went out to sea for a few months and came back and stopped in at the dealer not really expecting to do anything stupid. But that all changed when I saw the brochure for the 1985 RZ500. It was going to be arriving sometime in the spring of '85 and I put my $500 deposit for one expecting to trade in my FJ for the $5200 RZ. In April 1985 I made the deal and when the snow melted shortly after, I kicked over the RZ500 for the first time. It was hard to start, hard to get going and hard to hang on to. First thing I noticed was how small the throttle was and how much harder it was to twist compared to the FJ. First time driving it, I stalled it 3 times before finally figuring out it needed about 3500rpm just to pull away from a stop sign. The vibrations, the smoke, the sound was so much different from the FJ too. I remember opening up the throttle for the first time from about 4000rpm. At first it did absolutely nothing but belch out smoke. But then as the rpm started to climb somewhere around 6500rpm, it made the most unusual sound, sort of like a barking duck and then all I saw was blue sky followed by the fuel tank hitting me in the chin. Still can't believe it didn't come right over on me. After the nose wheel came back down to earth, I looked around and all I could see was blue smoke in the side mirrors and some dude in his car giving me a huge thumbs up. That's also when I noticed my ass starting to fry. The two rear cylinder exhaust pipes go right under your seat. My time with the bike didn't last long - I only got a year out of it and Canada only imported them for 1985/86. Like so many others, I crashed mine for simple reason most others did - it was just too much bike. You can spit out all the numbers you want - 88 hp on a 400lb bike doesn't mean a thing unless you experienced just how violent that power came on. Back in those days, it was pretty much the only motorcycle that could wheelie without popping the clutch. All you had to do was open the throttle and wait.

[@rottenanimal619]

I still have my RZ500. Bought it new in 85. It's in excellent condition. One guy came to my house last year telling me he loved the RZ and want to see it and maybe pay a high price for it. He came over and looked at the RZ in near mint condition and started to act so disappointed in the tiny imperfections. His expression on his face looks so sad when he looked little wear marks or tiny scratches. He was trying to convince me the bike was not worth much. I wanted to smash his face in. I told him "get the F off my property you F***ing c*ck sucker" The bike is not for sale. I grew up in a bad area of Toronto and got into many fights. He's lucky I controlled my temper. Anyway the RZ500 is a great bike and I'll keep it till I pass. I asked my girlfriend to donate it to a motorcycle museum when I'm gone.

[@alinskyrocks784]

I had a demo FJ 1100 - loved that bike. I scared the shit out of my future wife a few times. Wow - that was 36 years ago 😂

[@rottenanimal619]

@@alinskyrocks784 I never drove a FJ 1100 but, I heard it was a torque monster.

[@subaruwrx3381]

Yep that's the 500 ...took me a week to put a steering dampener on it ....16 inch front wheels don't like returning to earth........now worth $30,000 ish if you can find one

[@shaunstrange1617]

Great little review of the RZ 500 drama that goes with that machine , had one years ago , recently purchased another . Thanks for posting accurate overview !

[@Jer0867]

In 1985 (when I was 18) a local dealer took delivery of a brand new RG500 AND an RD500 the same day, when I happened to be there. They were both in their classic colours, respectively. It was a gorgeous summer day, and both bikes were parked outside the shop, side by side, as if for a photoshoot, with the sun glinting of them. This was over 38 years ago, and I remember it clearly! I wish I'd had a camera on me then! I drooled over them then, and still do today. The Gamma had the higher specs but, although I think it looked amazing, I prefer the lines of the RD. Both stunning machines, in so many ways, and minters command prices of up to £20k (or more) in the UK today.

[@cpuuk]

We had 350LC's, then one of the guys bought the 500LC- it was exotica for sure :-) The RD500\ RG500 were the pinnacle of the 2-strokes.

[@tonyb9735]

Probably slower around a track than an RGV250 though .....

[@jools7234]

In the UK the Yamaha importer sent 100 standard RD500s to a paint company called Dream Machine to paint them in Marlboro colors so they looked even more like the racing bikes. I had one of these for 23 years from 1989 to 2012. There were many other companies that offered riders a Marlboro paint job so some versions are different to others. I also had it Stan Stephens mild road tuned to make about 15% more power than standard. This was remarkable in that it produced more power lower in the rev range as well as at the top end. I did everything on this bike. It was used for my daily commute at various times. I did a track day at Snetterton circuit, rode to Assen to watch Grand Prix and WSBK races on 5 or 6 occasions and many UK race circuits, introduced several girlfriends to the joys of motorcycling with them as a pillion, hard ride outs with the bike club and it even worked as a touring bike, it was a truly remarkable all rounder

[@hazysativa3045]

My cousins friend had one of these in the late 80s. He wrecked it, then sold it to my cousin who had a bad wreck on it...slid 150m. Then before he could get out of the hospital my other friend drove over it in his truck so it couldnt be fixed again. These bikes were no joke back in the day.

[@aluxtaiwan2691]

I'm glad you metion the RG at the end lol. It's real sad that only few country outside of japan can actually experience the sports bike craze of the 80's and 90's specially for 2 stroke racer. and it's a shame that I'm not born early enought to witness that golden era, tho the 90's sport bike craze in my country are mostly illegal Japanese import under the name of scrap or part due to the 150cc restriction at the time.

[@jamesadams2334]

I young man in my neighborhood got ahold of one this past summer. It's so cool when he rides past the house.

[@carlwalker7560]

I had an RG500 Gamma in 1986, was a most awesome bike, the kick in the pants when it hit the powerband was just brilliant :-) 3 months later I'd crashed it and couldn't afford to repair it, but that was probably the best 3 months of my riding life! At least until I bought a CBR600RR in 2008 LOL

[@patrickmurphy5624]

Great video! I own an 85 RZ 500 at 8000 you think your on a GP Bike! Simply awesome!

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Even the startup process was pure theater. I hopped off an RZ350 and onto the 500 and almost had an orgasm from the experience. So much fun. Nothing has ever thrilled me like it. So cool looking too.

[@littleshopofelectrons4014]

I had a 1984 RZ350 with Toomey expansion chambers. I loved that bike and wish I still had it. It was incredibly quick. It was about as fast as my 1983 Honda CB1100F up to about 80 MPH.

[@deborahchesser7375]

I had an 84’ also, my buddies knew they had no chance up to 100 mph, 600’s 750’s 1000’s it didn’t matter. And when the roads got twisty they fell back further yet, I should never have let it go.

[@Goatpimp]

I had the Australian version , an 85 I think, but got it in the 90s new condition as it had been in a crate for a few years. Ripping up the Victorian roads the actual roads from Mad Max. That power band at high revs was an awesome kick in the pants.

[@foxlake6750]

We had the RG and RD in Canada. The RG was crazy with a narrow and explosive power band. A friend raced it and won a number of races as an amateur. The RD was fairly tame.

[@VickersV]

Had a RG250 it was mental ,had a RD350 mental. Loved and missed.

[@teamgonzo9289]

As a twostrokeaholic. I am jonesing for some pre-mix fun. (60 yrs.old now, but still riding wheelies!!) Not really a true V-4, since it had two crankshafts. The rear Bank of cylinders suffered from poor intake, roughting. The RG-500, had rotory valves, sticking out of the sides of the crankcase.( A really bad place to put your smooth bores, protruding outward) The RZ, had 'case-reed induction. Both were bitch to port!!! The square four just a little bit easier. Japanese 'only' market had the 'real' aluminum chassis, but only 88 hp. The Canadian RZ, had 112 hp. But a painted 'look like aluminum' steel chassis. Where the RG, were all aluminum.( Still being bent by the kick stand. Back then.) But it was the"GSX-R 750's", that killed the replica two-strokes.. Where the GSX-Rs came too, with a replica. The GSX-R LTD, had stuff like a dry-plate racing clutch! Aluminum tank, smooth -bores, a close ratio gearbox, blah, blah, blah! (Still a oversexed lawnmower engine!) " You smell that smell!? Nothing else, in the world smells like it!! That gasoline and oil smell, it smelled like victory...............) Wow, look at all those likes!!! 👍

[@robh3267]

The two stroke power valve technology that Yamaha developed transitioned into all modern 2 stroke dirt bikes and revolutionized that industry, stricter emissions standards killed the 2 stroke street bikes, it's 2 completely different worlds when developing a full production street bike from a race bike platform as there are so many more variables to consider when it comes to full scale production.

[@spudman1125R]

Having owned a brand new '84 RZ350 when I was 24 years old, I lusted after the RZ500 once I started to read about it being sold just to the north of me in Canada. Alas, college tuition and life in general didn't allow for finding and buying one at the time. This summer though, at 62 years old...I finally pulled the trigger. I found a beautiful '85 RZV500R at Iconic Motorbikes and made the winning bid. It's probably better that I waited the 38 years between then and now, as I have two things today that I didn't have an abundance of at 24 years of age; knowledge and fear of this bike. I honestly wonder if I would have survived owning it back then...lol. Riding the restricted RZV, I'm having a hard time imagining what the extra 23HP of the unrestricted RZ or RDLC would feel like. Then again, during the years I owned my RZ350, I could never fully imagine the power of this 500 either. Anyway, I can now check riding this rocket off my bucket list...and I'm smiling ear to ear every day that I do so.

[@NedKelly1967]

I had a couple of RDs back in the 80s they were absolute rocket ships. Nothing like it, the power the noise and that smell lol the good old days

[@getthefffffoffme]

The smell of 2-STROKE THRASH will never go away - Forever imbedded in the minds of those that know

[@getthefffffoffme]

Like the smell of Ethanol SPEEDWAY kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJKXZKRui9CdepI

[@michaelwhittaker7688]

My first bike a 75 RD 350,then bought a new RD 350L in Sharon Ontario and in 84 was going to buy a new RZ 500 but bought a honda 750 interceptor instead then a 85 FJ 1100.I have always kicked my ass that did not buy the RZ 500.

[@BulaMeister]

Client of mine has two of them for sale. He said I’m welcome to ride them any time! Scared and excited at the same time 😂

[@jtippin2001]

Owned 3 of these still own a race RZ500m made street legal. Fun bike.

[@toomanybears_]

I had the pleasure of riding the RZ500 at Chatham Yamaha in Chatham, Ontario. It was an incredibly smooth, easy to ride bike. I was impressed. I tried to ride an RG500 but the nearest Suzuki dealer in Leamington did not have one available to ride and I did not have time to seek out another dealership to see if they had one available. I sure would have liked to have been able to ride one though.

[@Skully317]

I miss my 85 RZ500, guys on 1000's would shy away from the sheer power it possessed. The smell of the exhaust and the sound it made was intoxicating! 👏

[@macmorgan6685]

I have an RD500 in my garage that a friend and I ran in a 1985 WERA 6hr race at Pocono racecourse. Also competing was a young John Kosinski on a Canadian GSXR750. I don’t remember the Yamaha being especially quick but it handled fairly well. I think the top speed was only around 130 and it certainly didn’t perform as you might expect from a V4 2stroke. A set of expansion chambers from Erv Kanemoto would probably do it a lot of good!

[@gcrain464Crain-rd6hf]

Kanemoto was a genius.

[@btchhopperou812]

I am a native Floridian, and started riding my CB360 to school a bit my sophomore year. I had a GT550 a neighbor give me that sat around for about 10 yrs. I'd planned to get going but when Mom opted to go in 1/2 on a Nighthawk 700SC, I was keen on that just for reliability sake. We(my friends and I) grew up riding ATC's, dirtbikes, etc. so street riding was an easy transition. A guy that worked in a cycle parts shop in Lake Park, Fl. had the RG500 Gamma in the late 80's- it was INSANE to us back then. We all rode 2-stroke MX bikes so we KNEW it must be fast, and the fella that owned it assured us. I ended up later on with several H1's, 1 H2, R5 350, a GT550(piggy out of the lot), which were fun but here in the States the 'real' sportsbike 2-strokes are STILL obscure and I'll likely never own an RD500 or the RG at this point, but the legends of them are alive! Jealous of you Canadian fellas for certain. Ride safe

[@DRIFTGORILAZ]

I owned both the RD and RG500's, the Yamaha's engine was very tractable and sedate for a two stroke. It was much heavier than the RG. The RG was mental, manic and a drug on two wheels.. In the U.K. the RD sold out on pre-order (before they got into the country), people were selling them at twice the retail price once they arrived.

[@gbreslin6635]

I had a Yamaha V4 (the second edition). It was complex but didn't have something to make it stand out as exceptional I felt. I really wish I'd bought an RG500 then. It seems that that was more of the bike I thought it would be. A couple of American Bike Magazines raved about the Yamaha at the time. I was misled, it seems to me.

[@juliamiller2299]

I also owned a 1984 RZ500 and a 1985 RG500. Unfortunately, I ended up selling both of them, and regret it, since they have appreciated so much. I loved the RZ's engine, it was great but the bike was heavy due to it's steel frame and it didn't handle as well as I wanted. The RG on the other hand had an on/off powerband. It had an all aluminum frame and the square 4 had almost no torque and you had to rev it to turn on the power. It handled like a dream since it was at least 100 pounds lighter than the RZ. It was much scarier to ride, since I never was able to ride it to it's limit and that was very fast, diving into corners.

[@1xARM]

Ah man, I had two of these! Obviously before my arm fell off. Anyway, I tuned the life out of them both, they're pretty tame standard (at least they were here in Australia). Even made my own expansion chambers, ported them myself after many months of research. Good times. Sold them for far less than they were worth, much regret as in their "tuned" state they were quick (for the day). I had the powervalve die on me one day and the ride home was fekin INTENSE.

[@darksu6947]

A few years ago one of my buddies got into a fight with a telephone pole while riding a 2001 GSX-R 600 and his arm fell off too! He has a cool looking carbon fiber claw these days.

[@lr882027]

Got an RD500 and a RG500, RD500 is quite civilized in comparison to the Gamma. Gamma is nuts. All the people who say the 750H2 is the most crazy 2 stroke of all time must have never ridden a Gamma.

[@ByTheRiverHelge]

I had those bikes too. The Gamma was Dr Jekyll up to 6000 revs, then turned into a furious Mr Hyde on steroids all the way to 11000.

[@treeguyable]

Still have my first bike, 71 R5 Yammie 350 2 stroke.

[@arongould2087]

I've been waiting for this one, hoping you'd cover it. Thank you so much you've made me smile today

[@jamesalexander7540]

In 1987 Parker Brothers dealership in Windsor Ontario still had one in the crate. I should have purchased it.

[@da72ma]

I had a 1988 RD350 and a 1984 RD500LC… I loved them… I looked at the Suzuki RG500 Gamma and the Honda NS400R too but Kenny Roberts was my hero… and we had the Yamaha 2-stroke King Yamaha dealer Armin Collet close by to service the bike… it was a no brainer…

[@fblade42]

My first big bike was a Suzuki RG400 . I used to ride it in and out of central London in the early 90's and it was awesome fun. I wish I had never sold it I miss it a lot.

[@vincedibona4687]

Hopefully you’ll make a video about the rise of the 400cc inline four-stroke four cylinder sportbikes, that started here in the USA with Yamaha’s FZR400.

[@stevenvickers8559]

Honda's CB 400 from the mid 1970s comes to my mind. Still a much sought after classic motorcycle.

[@Rezqewr]

Actually, the 400s were built in response to Japan’s tiered motorcycle licensing laws. All of the popular sport bikes of the day were built in 400 cc for their domestic market. It was just a stroke of luck that they decided to export the FZR 400 to the U.S.

[@ballockybill2277]

What are you talking about ?? That is absolute nonsense lol !!

[@SephiMasamune]

I mean, the only reason the ZXR400 was released outside of Japan was because marketing made a mistake and put it on a show instead of the 750, and the crowd loved it. I’m considering getting the new ZX-4R cause Kawi had the balls to bring them back after 25 years.

[@ballockybill2277]

@@SephiMasamune I 'll stick with my just rebuilt and run in RD Three Fifty LC .

[@lyhaikudai3]

A Moment of Romance

[@ADingoTookMyDasco]

Both the Yamaha & Suzuki 500's only had a 2 year live, but the 250's were available for a lot longer, especially the Suzuki. The Suzuki RG250 Gamma was the only choice if you were a learner in Australia in the 80's & early 90's & wanted the most powerful bike you could legally ride. And we all had that 1 friend that we were jealous of, who was on an unrestricted license & rode the RGV250. Their popularity waned once the 250 inline 4's started arriving en mass, with 4 stroke bikes are much easier to ride & maintain, but there's something special about a little bike that will rip your arms off at 7,000 rpm.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

And rip your arms off at 7,000, they certainly did. I had the honour of doing a few rides on a friends Kawasaki KR1 S, which was Kawasaki's answer to the RGV. 7,000 was the magic number. The next magic number was 10,000, which came about half a second later, in any of the lower gears. That was a long time ago, and I still get a sweat up just thinking about it. It was seriously fast.

[@a51stef]

Ik heb er nog één. Veel enge momenten op beleefd😀😀

[@davidbrowne5804]

I’ve had my rd500 for 10 years now and it’s not a Gp race bike and it’s not as quick as the rg , the rear brake is useless the bike is way too heavy but every time I ride it the fun factor is off the scale and that’s what motorcycle riding to me is all about and it will still show a clean pair of heels to many newer more powerful bikes .

[@IRONJUNK625]

I had a 1978 RD400 (Yamaha) for a while. It had larger pipes (exp chambers) and built power higher in the rpm range. Scary fast but there is nothing like the hit of a 2-stroke power band 😊

[@borisbabich]

God, how I wanted it. I was 16, riding a tiny RD 80 LC II, and falling every week. When I turned 18, I almost got (pestered my dad) an RD 350 YPVS. It's probably a better bike than the 500. But someone - actually the guy at the Yamaha - told my father: buy him that and he'll be dead within a week. Ended up up with a GPz 750 Unitrak. I still live.

[@terrygoyan]

That's a crazy story. A GPZ750 with the single rear shock was notoriously dangerous. Far more so than an RZ350 which frankly I found to be a disappointment. A friend had one and on my Seca 550 I would thrash him! Even with the power valve the horsepower was nothing to write home about.

[@borisbabich]

@@terrygoyan Yes it is. Allow me to quote, Herrn Hartmann at Zweirad Scmitz in Bonn, to my father back in '85 when we looked at an RD350, a fully-faired, used but a beauty: "Herr Babić, if he sits on that thing, he'll kill himself." 🤣 And there I, an 18-year old wiseass, stood in disbelief. Later I tried an XJ750 Seca and strongly disliked it. Next year I did the mandatory military service in the old Yugoslavia (a wasted year of my life) but while I was in came the beautiful GPz. Like new, 12K km on the clock. I adored it, having no idea how crappy it was. Then came a new XT600 that I had for an eon, 1991-2013 and then I finally departed the 1980's with first a used Strom 650, then, five years later, a new Strom 1000. Since last year it's a '14 RT. So I rode all those years, 40 and still ticking now, and after the little RD I only dropped it twice, once the XT and once the little Strom. I got hurt the first time, quite badly, and earned a few stitches on my knee with the second occasion. Maybe Mr. Hartmann was right, maybe not, but I still long for the RD. Pardon the extended banter, this now old man still get all sparkly-eyed thinking of those old bikes.

[@borisbabich]

@@terrygoyan And funny how I - well, most of us - disliked the old XJ's after Japan spewed out the outwardly more modern versions of the same old bikes. Today, I'd also kill for a mint 550 or 650. The 750 I still don't like.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

I laughed, reading and listening to the comments about the YPVS -bike was still flat as a pancake below about five grand a bit Surge from there to six or 6 1/2 and then a rocket ship on the Red Line. Just like most two strokes LOL The other trouble was of course it ran hundred horsepower 140 mile an hour gearing, which was a bit hard on two-stroke bottom end power with maybe 20 or 25 hp up to 5000 RPM!

[@SeattleForge]

After 30 years of buying reincarnations of my 67 Triumph Bonneville I bought my first ADV. A 2009 BMW F650GS (twin) and I can’t believe what I’ve been missing. I can ride longer, further and enjoy it so much. I love the format.

[@davidlagno7717]

I really enjoyed this blast from the past. Oh how the world changes. Idk where I'd be or what my hobbies would be without Japanese Racebikes and the groundbreaking achievements in performance all throughout the 80's and 90's. Thank you for putting this together ❤️

[@martinscopes3914]

Great video. I had the RD 350cc LC in the 80s and I loved it got home from work in the shower and out on my bike to meet up with the boys all on there bikes many RD eeeeezzzzz we would ride and race from town to town all the see front roads. I did have a go on a RD 500 brand new and it shore did go it was in red and white very nice and the bloke who I new well was selling it he offered it to me for two grand but never had that sort of money back then and I really really wanted it but it sold. The RD 80s years were the best years of my life are never for get it.

[@MINKIN2]

So many comparisons made, yet not one mention of the NSR500. For shame. lol

[@williamwintemberg]

This is another new one for me as I never knew of this bikes existence until watching this video. Beautiful Video!

[@malibu188]

Had the opportunity to do a few hundred kilometres on the RZ500 (owned by a work associate) back in 1986. Great fun and a very quick bike for that era.

[@aguiristante]

first time i saw one it was passing me and my new honda vf750s sabre leaned way over on a country road. always wanted one

[@EthyEth]

We miss you on Rocket League dude! glad you're still around though!

[@peterdoe2617]

Great video! I think the fuel injected 500cc two-stroke Bimota would be worth a video, too.

[@spurgear4]

My RG is lovely. I am lucky to have one.

[@alinskyrocks784]

I raced against a pair of these back in 1985. The team was from Winnipeg “The Eh Team” and they’d come down to race with us at Brainerd international. They were cool, but not competitive with my FZ750.

[@mikeholland1031]

The RZ500 was a street bike that looked like the racer. The RG500 was a race bike detuned slightly and made street legal.

[@Copesthetic-Aesthetic]

The feeling you get when your on a bike, and it's prime rev range is between 8 to 14 thousand is absolutely intoxicating. A little Honda Interceptor 500 was my ticket to the show. It wasn't fast. Compared to the kz1000 I had anyway. But it was way more fun. Stupid light, stupid revs, and a sound that could calm a Banshee. It didn't have an exhaust note. It would just sing.

[@RandallSoong-pp7ih]

Awesome to learn of this bike. I want one. YAMAHA!!

[@albertsammut433]

I was blessed to have a bike crazed dad who in the late 80s had at least 10 bikes of which 90 percent of them where 2 strokers..including the RG500 Gamma square 4 and RZ500 LC V4..So I got to ride them all and maintain them with him..Because im a long distance touring guy the only bike of dads that suited me was the heavy but smooth and torquey GT750 trippple Water Buffalo..all the others had a great thirst for fuel and oil hence very limited range at shall we say FUN but still safe speeds.

[@SuperBigdanno]

Touring with the RZ500 is possible and with a 5 gallon fuel tank it will go far. When riding it as designed at close to wide open throttle it would pull less than 20mpg but on a tour it could pull of 50mpg. I had a 1985 model up here in Canada and put 75000km or around 50000 miles on that bike with very little problems. Engine was left stock. Ive owned a lot of toys over the years and this is the only one I truly regret selling.

[@albertsammut433]

@SuperBigdanno Yes of course the RZ500 does get 50mpg at a boring 50mph or 80kmph in top gear on the highway if that's your thing..BUT if you could tour legally at a happier 6500rpm at about 70mph the consumption goes way back down close to your 20mpg and 2T oil is another consumable to add to the running costs..They are fun..perform well but not suitable for around Australia trips of 20 plus thousand kms through hell type rugged terrain and back.

[@SuperBigdanno]

Didnt say touring was my thing but could do it just fine. Here in Canada we have pretty rough roads as well and the RZ500 did just fine but that was a long time ago though...

[@albertsammut433]

@SuperBigdanno The RD RZ500 is nothing more than a detuned road version of Yamaha's winning GP racers of the day..So with full farings limited ground clearance and limited suspension travel it is was NOT at home in the VERY ROUGH Australian outback like a BMW GS Adventure bike is..and it was never made to be either.

[@SuperBigdanno]

@@albertsammut433 ok cool

[@ateequrrahman4684]

YAMAHA..Touching your heart ❤️

[@vincedibona4687]

I need an adult! I need an adult!

[@wisecampmotorcycles8258]

I just loved these bikes back in the day, used to watch them race at Bathurst Australia. Do you have a video on the Suzuki GSX 250f across? I recently got one, revs like crazy, but is a slow bike 😂

[@richardcovello5367]

I watched a few production racers here in Canada consistently pitch those Yamaha RZ500s into the weeds back in the '80s. Whether the bikes didn't handle, or the sponsored riders couldn't ride them, I can't say, but they didn't win many races.

[@norton222]

I owned one back in the day and took it to my local track to see how it performed, engine performance was fine but getting it to turn with the 16" front wheel was a nightmare and it would have been so easy to loose it if you continued to push. It had zero success on the track in the uk, remember Steve Parrish had a go a making one work, he fitted a 17" front wheel but even he gave it up as a bad job in the end.

[@OrneryMouse]

Excellent video of one of my favourite bikes! Inspires me to do an homage build to the RD500.

[@KRRZ350]

My handle tells my story,lol. It's a red, white, and blue one heavily modified. Along with my other trophy bike in my profile pic. 04 zx10-r

[@criticalmass181]

Being old has its advantages. I've had the pleasure of riding an RZ500 and owning an RG500, back when they were both relevant. By todays standards, both are a bit lack lustre. Back in the mid 80's? Mind-blowing stuff! We're all fed the mythology of these bikes, these days, but they're not really as good as we all like to remember.

[@paulgospel4258]

I had one second hand in 86 87. Put about 10 miles on it. Never missed a beat. Got stolen outside a motorbike shop in Leeds. Police found it a few weeks later in a lock up garage in north Leeds. Insurance delivered it to Padgetts in Batley. I lived in Dewsbury then. They repaired it and put brand new perrelli phantoms on. Just in time for the TT. I have a fantastic time ringing the bike around the course for a week!! A few years later I bought a tzr 250 , tdr, and rgv into the 90s. Them bikes were just as much as the 500. Sold the 500 for £2200 in late 87😮😢

[@WizzRacing]

The RZV4 that was street legal.. And it went through clutchs in no time. But the cast aluminum frame was what made it compact...

[@tommyhijmensen6257]

❤🏍🙏yeah 2 stroke power baby !!!💪😎 Thank you so much Bart!!! YPVS 4 ever❤💪🏍🙏

[@deborahchesser7375]

The price sounds cheap but that was big bucks in those days, I drooled over this bike and the 1000R ELR, and I couldn’t afford either.

[@johngalt97]

That reference to mid 70’s ‘power valve’ that was primarily for emissions compliance was not a power valve at all. It was on the 1979 RD400 Daytona Special. It did nothing but interfere with exhaust flow and was quickly removed by anybody in the know. Only the idiots left it in place.

[@guylr7390]

The Daytona exhaust butterflies were not power valves like the ones that showed up on YZs, later RZ models and road racing models. You’re right that they were for emissions in 79. The Canadian RD400F didn’t get them or the obsolete points ignition either and was a much better bike. The RZ350 and 500 did have power valves that did allow for better low end power along with much higher top end power. Even the US RZ350 with catalysts in the exhaust pipes made more than 50hp while the RD400F in the US could not make 40.

[@legitrides8261]

I already own an Aprilia Futura 2 stroke not sold in America. Next will be one of these.

[@RobsNeighbor]

I was so lucky to have rode many miles on one of these, it was so cool

[@rrrripbing]

I was lucky enough to have both the RG500 and RD500. The RD really looked the part but it couldn't match the fun of the RG. It was just too heavy.

[@raymondperrault5821]

I was 17 years old when this bike came out and i lived ate and breathed bikes, buying every monthly copy of motorcycle magazines i could get my hands on or afford. I do remember Cycle Canada stating that when they quarter mile tested this bike, it was just ready to shift into top gear as it crossed the finish line.

[@chriscadman6379]

Have owned one since 1990, called RZ in Canada. Fun bike but head shakes when chopping the throttle.

[@johncunningham4820]

Courtesy of the 16 inch front wheel , those Head shakes . 17 inch is the best size on a Sporty .

[@chriscadman6379]

True John I installed 17's pipes and air filters made big a difference.@@johncunningham4820

[@zeke2566]

2 great old bikes for the money- 1984-5 RZ- 350 ,simple fast and fun! Also 1998 R-1 ,scary fast and based on racing type 2- stroke frame,very reliable and still fast by today's standards........

[@chriscadman6379]

my friend has every rz350 model made. even the kr special. I have the twin jet 100 that started it all.@@zeke2566

[@SuperBigdanno]

I never experiened head shake but mine did have a steering damper so maybe thats the difference? Also Im a pretty big guy too so that likely helped.

[@by_1771]

Can you make a video about the motorcycle brand MZ ?please?

[@JimMacDougall-r6i]

Had 2 IT's 175 & 200 Enduros

[@stephenpublicover8818]

I had a 1988 Yamaha RZ 350, a quick little motorcycle!!✌

[@shanebutler5787]

1st it was the rd then it became the rz & it’s final form was the tzr & all were sold in Australia

[@barackmycat9448]

I grew up with `60`s and up 4 and 2 strokes. For fun I like 2-strokes hands down. For reliable and smoother ride 4 stroke is much better.

[@fjp3305]

I would've loved to own one of these bikes, the Yamaha or Suzuki.

[@herbertsiegl7762]

My friend in 88 owned one n let me ride it. Man u can't be forwarned enough...what a biest

[@roadgent7921]

Rode a RD500 in 1985 at age 18. Astounding...😊

[@joesutherland225]

A few bikes we got in Canada you can't get stateside.

[@garethbull2226]

A third bike that I'd put into this general class of early to mid 1980's mid size two stroke roadbikes is the Honda NS400R (a 400cc V-3 engine). Japan has a highly tiered motorbike licence system where riders are restricted on the engine displacement they can legally ride based on the tier level of their licence. A lot of Japanese riders stop at the licence tier that has a limit of 400cc, which is why Japan gets 400cc versions of the bigger bikes we see outside Japan, there is a ready market inside Japan for 400cc sportbikes.

[@georgerix3224]

I had the Suzuki RG500 Gamma!

[@pompom906]

I like your style. 'Officer, I was merely performing routine maintenance, not exceeding the speed limit' LMAO

[@bananabrooks3836]

What happened to your Sunbeam project?

[@SeaNaCl]

awesome. will you ever cover the fzr600? love the videos.

[@squid0301]

Sadly in our country if you are looking for a 2 stroke bike, you can only see rare 150cc 2stroke sporksbike like kawasaki kr150, I've always wanted to witness proper 2 stroke bike.

[@paulmcb9070]

Except it's not actually a V4, it's two completely different parallel-twin 250s jammed together in the one crankcase and offset by 50 degrees.

[@spaceflight1019]

Since Honda's V4s and Yamaha's V-Max were in vogue at the time calling it a V4 tied it to the V-Max and was good for marketing. Emissions regulations killed it before its time. I read that Yamaha was planning 750 and 1000 cc versions but the emissions regulations, along with the rise in popularity of the 600 cc sportbikes made the two strokers obsolete.

[@Michael-bc2gb]

I thought it was called a square 4?

[@paulmcb9070]

@@Michael-bc2gb the RG 500 was a square 4.

[@M-oneeleven-M111]

Between this and the rd350 I prefer the raw kick that the Rd350 has in comparison to the more linear power curve of the 500 though I still find both bikes awesome just prefer the 350

[@patterisepi]

I have an F1 RD350 and I dream of getting an RD500. One of these days I will use some of my savings and buy an RD500. But before that I will finish restoring my RD350.

[@A-FrameWedge]

Unbelievable that you go through this whole video without mentioning the Suzukis RG 500 production bike, that was much closer to the actual RG500 GP bike than the RD500 ever was. Much lighter more power and a much more exhilarating ride, the RG 500 was the true ultimate 2 stroke production bike ever made.

[@dougiep2769]

Still a few rz's 500 and rg 500's around here in canada.. most got crashed. I know I sold my rg it lasted two weeks. If intended to ride them fast you better knew what you were doing.

[@Redmenace96]

If I'm following correctly... the RD500 LC sold 10k units? That is damn good! Would like to hear more about that- Euro, NA, Japan. And it was expensive, but not crazy expensive, right? 10 thousand pounds in today's money?

[@chrisheggie952]

While there is no question the RG500 Gamma was a better bike and closer to the race bike, here in Australia in '84-'85 where production racing was big news it barely won a race. One very young Michael Doohan happened to ride a privateer RZ500 and blew them all into the dust. Those were the days.

[@crunchytheclown9694]

1st Castrol 6hr oran park? If so i was there. Gpz cooked, rz raced the vf1000 all day with Gardner on board

[@chrisheggie952]

I was there likewise. The new GSXR 750 Suzuki lost their rear damping which ruled them out of contention. Prior to this however Michael Doohan used to race for Team Camo a privateer Queensland outfit and generally wiped the floor with the opposition including the RG500s@@crunchytheclown9694

[@TringmotionCoUk]

Most people on a MotoGP bike would be like George Formby at the TT.....😂

[@karlnapp7564]

A Tuner in the Frankfurt area had a 190 hp package for sale, back in 1988.

[@tonyb9735]

Love a two-stroke, me. What a shame we never saw an RGV500 or something similar.

[@pavannagare9383]

maan i was just riding this in ride 4 i was surprised i ddnt knew about this one