We are ADDICTED to Sportbike Classifed ads, and we post our favorites on this blog. We are not a dealership.
Rare SportBikes For Sale

This RZ500 has some very nice modern updates!  Located in Boynton Beach, Florida is a 1985 Yamaha RZ500.  What’s better than dropping a two-stroke motor in a modern chassis?  Well, this seller found out that it can be very nice to use modern components while maintaining the look of a classic bike.  This RZ has been fitted with modern bits in the form of a 2009 R6 front end (Blue fender is still attached), R6 rear wheel, and Aprilia rear swing arm.  Other improvements include Hyperpro rear shock and Jim Lomas SS exhaust.  All the original parts are also included with the sale.  The bike also has new paint.  Not only does this bike look like a 500GP bike with that rear swing arm, I bet it rides beautifully too.  The seller states that more than $25,000 has gone into this bike and I don’t doubt that number if this work was done in a shop.  The asking price is $14,000; about where we’ve seen low mile, completely original, bikes priced.  This bike isn’t original but it is designed for an owner who will use their RZ on back roads more than at bike nights.  If you’d like to ride a modernized big two-stroke, see this RZ on Craigslist here.

AG

We always love a RZ500 and here is another one in California.  Located in the San Fernando Valley of California is a 1985 Yamaha RZ500 with 24,000 miles.  The seller dosen’t say much about the bike other than that it is completely original–however, it does have aftermarket turn signals–having never been raced or dropped.  The seller states that it has been in storage for 10 years.  If it just came out of storage it is obviously going to need to be gone through.  The seller is very realistic, based on the mileage and that it was recently removed from storage, as he is asking a very decent $6,500.  If you have no problem cleaning carbs, possibly some surface corrosion, and dirt; this could be a very fun bike that you’d have no fear of loosing money on.  See the bike on Craigslist here.

AG

A RZ500 in Montana that looks to be in very good condition!  Located in Missoula, Montana is a 1985 Yamaha Rz500.  This bike looks to be titled and registered.  The bike is said to have been restored in 2002 with the current owner then acquiring it in 2004.  The seller states this bike has 11,000 miles since rebuild so it may be–probably is–a high mileage bike.  The listing is sparse but as always if you’re looking for a RZ500…

Some tasty information about the RZ500:

This hot pipe dream came to life is pretty much a road-going replica of the factory Yamaha OW80 now leading the 500 road racing World Championship. Like the OW, the RZ has an aluminum chassis, a V-four, two-stroke, water-cooled, reed-valve engine, a sideloader gearbox, Power Valve cylinders, magnesium side cases, and, above all, the look of the $1000-a-pound missile which rolled so very carefully to European start grids. Pipes jutting from everywhere, aluminum mufflers, eye-trapping detail in the footpeg plates, alloy foot controls, streamlining in team paintwork.

The RZ500 is light and powerful 413 pounds dry and near 90 bhp. When the technology went in, the weight came out out of every part. Road racing over the last five years has been a hothouse of design competition, producing not only innovation but also attention to detail making earlier work look coarse. Engineers questioned every use of material in this machine. Fasteners are down-sized. Thinwall castings abound. Traditional parts have oozed into new forms just a bit lighter, easier to make accurately, and better in function. The result is a street motorcycle weighing only about 100 pounds more than its parent racer. See this forged aluminum kick-start lever folded shyly away behind the fairing? It weighs nothing in comparison to the steel part on the old RDs. And just as on the real racers, covers have the official “MAGNESIUM” cast into them for the skeptical.

Even if you cannot ride a motorcycle you should still own a RZ500 just to admire it’s beauty first-hand!  See this one on Craigslist here.

AG

1985 Yamaha RZ 350 with nice upgrades for sale in Chico California.

This RZ belongs to a reader who asked us to help him sell it. So naturally we going to do our best to accommodate the request.

From time to time we come across RZ’s that are all stock, with super low miles, and are meant to be in a museum and enjoyed by paying patrons on a Sunday afternoon. This RZ is a fine looking piece of machinery, but has been enjoyed by riding it over the years and has been loved on by its most recent owner. Check out what the owner has to say about his baby. Owner is asking $4,500.00 and it seems to be on the lower end of RZ’s we’ve posted. So, if you’re interested in a RZ that you can ride and not feel guilty about here is the Craigslist ad contact information.

The motor has been freshened and has 30mm Mikuni’s prepped by spec 2. Never been wrecked that I can see and I am an expert as far as that goes. The bike starts and runs perfectly. The paint job is not original but it was done well. It was done long before I purchased the bike and I’ve just kept it clean and waxed. There are a few chips here and there but there are no dents. The bike gets stares every time I ride it.

I enjoy posting up these older 2 strokes because it gives me a reason to dig around on youtube and find videos of these bikes on the dyno or doing high speed passes. Either one makes the hair raise on the back of my neck and really gets amp’d up.

Here’s one of an RZ at full tilt on the dyno. It’s worth a look and a listen.

This next video is worth a look as well. The rider has his RZ dialed in and takes it to red line in the lower 4 gears and it screams almost as much as Ivan from FFDP.

Cheers!

dd

First up is a good looking

Bike information from the seller:

My Yamaha RZ350 1988 in A1 plus condition.The motor is full rebuilt (Cost me $1800.00)
The CLutch is new + Stearing bearing + Brake + fork seal + seat + battery etc. I put more than $4000.00 (I have all the invoice) on it.
I also done full paint like original except the side pannel near the seat. The gas tank receive acid treatment.
The paint job is not perfect but not far. It cost me with the sticker $1250.00
So i put aroung $5250.00 on it. Any question write to me using contact seller.
Also injection is A1 working perfectly.
It start on first kick. Everything work perfectly

This looks like it could be a ton of fun on the open road.

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Next up is a as well. Both of these gems are for sale by the same owner in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.

This RG250 was listed on RSBFS back in August and is still for sale.

Quotes from the seller:

with 15 000 km (9000 miles)
This bike, when i bought it 2 years ago cost my $3900.00 and i put more than
$4000.00 to make it perfect. There is New Original Gas Tank and one side pannel.
There is a scratch on front fender back side.
Carburator, brake,tires,seat (front and back), mono seat, battery are new.
It start on first kick. Everything work perfectly.
I have all the invoice and evaluation price for this bike is more than $14000.00 is this condition

The seller seems to have a lot of $ into restoring these little bikes and it shows. Back in August I believe the RG was for sale on ebay for 4,500, but that may have been a starting price. Both have B.I.N prices of $5,300.00 so if you or your significant other has a cool 2 stroke on the wish list, these could be under the tree by Christmas.

dd

Located in San Jose, California is a California titled and registered 1985 Yamaha RZ500. This bike has 7,000 miles and the pictures seem to reflect this in condition. The asking price seems a very fair $8,995. See this RZ on Craigslist here.

Also, if you’re looking for a RZ500 project, see this one in Lincoln, California.  The seller states that he is done with the project and is selling as-is.  The asking price is $7,500; making the above bike seem even a bit better.  See this bike on Craigslist here.

AG

Yes, another one..  it seems there are a lot of these for sale as of late.  Maybe the price of 2 stroke oil is on the rise and there is a unified mass sell off.  Whatever the case maybe, these are way cool and they are available for your viewing or purchasing pleasure.

1985 Yamaha RZ 500 on the Baltimore Craigslist

This one is all stock with the exception of the “go fast while sitting still” stickers.  The owner had the following to say about his prized bike.

I have had it for 15 years.  I bought it in Florida.  Bike has 21000 mile on it.  I would say the bike is a 7 from a scale of 1 to 10. All stock besides the new metzler tires.  Motor was rebuilt 8 years ago.  Bike runs and drives well.

This one is offered at $6,500, which is the cheapest we’ve ever posted on RSBFS according to my research.  You can verify for yourself here.   

Is it just me or are the front turn signals facing the wrong way on this bike???

dd

1st up is a TZR 250 on the South Florida Craigslist located in Hollywood, FL

YAMAHA TZR 250
Very Good Running Condition
2 Stroke Very Fast
Sold as is with bill of sale

The seller didn’t disclose the year, but if I had to guess I would say it is a late 80’s due to the color scheme; my 89 400 looks very similar.  I really like this little bike and I think it would look nice next to my 400 and at $2,600 it seems to be on par with previous post on RSBFS.

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Next up is an Aussie 1985 RZ 500 on the Tucson, AZ Craigslist

The pictures aren’t that detailed to see the quality, but the seller gives a very detailed description of the bike and offers more pictures if requested.  It is being offered at $7,000.  You can compare past RSBFS RZ500’s here.

The plastic is in good condition with a couple of broken corners but nothing serious for a 25 year old bike that hasn’t sat in a museum. The paint is okay with a spot on the upper cowl where it’s cracked. I’ll send more detailed photos to interested parties.  I imported this bike a number of years ago and have ridden it very little.  It has a fair number of miles on it at 50k but, it’s been well cared for and not abused. It has the original Solo Cowl and even still has the Aussie license plate on it.

This one is registered on a Canadian frame that is currently on the bike, but the owner states he has the original frame as well so it could be put back to original if you chose to do so.  I’ve never had the opportunity to ride a big 2 stroke, but they sure look fast sitting still.  There’s nothing like the smell of burnt oil in the morning!

dd

Located in Spokane, Washington is a fantastic, original, 1978 Yamaha RD400 race bike.  This bike is in the same condition that it was last raced in 1981, and looks very good with no obvious damage and only slight patina.  This bike comes with an extensive period memorabilia collection, some of which this bike appears in.  The bike is priced fairly at $5,500; but the seller is accepting offers.  This is a quote of the entire ad to give you a history of this bike and what is included with it:

This is a 1978 Yamaha RD400 that was purchased out of Escondito California brand new and built into a race bike that competed in the Southern Californias ARRA and AFM race series from 1978 – 1981 then stored correct……… and it sits now just as it came off the race track in 1981. Most these bikes were either junk or got molested for parts which makes a bike like this, a complete unrestored full race bike with the paper history it has pretty rare! I bought this bike from the original owner/racer who kept the bike in great shape and also had a ton of paperwork on it. The motor had a fresh build with only one race on it then was pickled, it pulls very hard!!!! Bike is ready for the track, just needs to be unstored and new tires put on because it still has the old slicks on it from ‘81

Original ownership certificate, owners manual and warranty guide from escondito yamaha

Mods
TZ full race bodywork, electronics, wheel set, Tony Smith built motor with handmade matched expansion chambers, custom big reed blocks, lectron carbs, specialized aluminum swingarm, mulholland rear shocks, re worked front forks with air, ack rearsets, tapered head bearings, adjustable steering damper, clip ons, steel braided brake lines, fully safety wired

Receipts
TZ cdi mag assembly, black box, full race bodywork, Tony smith motor mods and handcrafted expansion chambers, westach cylinder head temp gauge, mulholland shocks, lectron carbs

Racing stuff
A signed letter from Keith Code with the envelope dated 5-12-78 explaining what his riding school (now known as california superbike shcools) consists of and what he hopes to teach you, an original copy of his instrucional riding/race manual dated 11/76 which according to his website is before his school even opened, they are claiming 30 year anniversary this year (‘09) and well before the famous twist of the wrist series. Also have an old California superbike school brochure with Eddie Lawson on it

AFM (American Federation of Motorcyclist) competition racing license (‘79), number assaignment card, 4 race programs (‘78-’79) race schedule (‘78 ), 3 competition rulebooks (‘78-’79)
ARRA (American Road Racing Association) 12 newletters (78-81), standing regulations, 10 race programs, 1981 race schedule and a points standing sheet from ‘79 which show Cooley, Lawson and Oliver

Brochures
ack rearsets, westach cht gauges, mulholland shocks, lectron carbs, goodyear slick tire band, 2 Tom Hayner racer supply cataloges (78-79), specialists 2 performance cataloge

Other
20+ cycle news from (‘79-’83) and I believe this bike/racer is listed in reults in 1 or 2 of em, I have to go through and check for sure though, old motorcycle sport book by bob greene, cycle mag feturing the rd400 from 11/77, official program from the champion spark plug 200 at laguna 6/83, Kimberleys Grang Prix bike team guide #1 which talks about yamaha gp racing from ‘82-’85 including Roberts, Lawson and even Graziano Rossi who is Valentino Rossi’s father

Bike also has bunch of jetting lectron needles, extra head gaskets,rear sprockets, plugs, chain pieces, master link and tool, # plates and other stuff needed for a day at the track all from that era.
The Windscreen is broken but I have a new in the box from gustafson racing. The guy said one of the Toomey brothers pushed him into the grass back in the day and he dropped it, also has a small dent on the left side of the tank.
I’m probably also forgetting some stuff, any questions just ask

If you’re in the market for a vintage racer or classic piece of art, this bike should be considered!  See the bike on the Pacific Northwest Riders Forum here.

AG

Located in Benton, Pennsylvania is a nice 1985 Yamaha RZ500.  The bike is stock except for turn signals, manual fan control, clip-ons, stainless steel brake lines and the anti-dive units have been blocked off.  This Bike has 14,000km (8,700mi).  The bike is stated to be in excellent condition with a fair asking price of only $8,900.  This RZ is titled and registered in Pennsylvania.  See a good RZ500 on Craigslist here.

AG