Summer Project? 1985 Yamaha RZ500 For Sale

New Lebanon, OH – 32,250mi – $4,052 No Reserve

It’s no wonder that the Yamaha RZ500 is one of the most searched for bikes in the RSBFS archives. These things are awesome and that V4 two stroke engine sings a song like no other. Eddie Lawson was able to find success on the Yamaha back in the mid 80’s, here is your chance to see what at the hype was about.

This bike presents an interesting opportunity for anyone looking to take on a project this summer. The bike will need some care and a few items to make it a solid runner, but for the most part, everything is there. One thing that is there is a clean title. You should know that that is one of the hardest things to come by. Other than that, you will need some fairings, air boxes, and mirrors among some garage time to get this in good shape.

From the seller:

I am selling my 1985 Yamaha RZ500 (or RD500LC as it is known outside of the U.S.). It has a clear Ohio title, in my name. It does not have any liens against it. I have had it nine years. I have not rode it, nor started it. It is in good condition, with the usual wear and minor scratches expected from a 28 year old motorcycle. I do not have the mirrors or the right side mid-panel of bodywork. It has 52,013 km, or approximately 32,250 miles on it. It is missing each airbox for the carburetors. There is a small dent in the gas tank, as noted in the pictures. The pictures are part of the description. I reserve the right to end this auction early in the event of a local sale. There is corrosion around the front master cylinder. It appears to be stock and unmodified. The bodywork does not have the proper fasteners.

The bike does have some pretty high miles, so if you are going to take on this project you might want to do some more research on the price of parts. We do see a fair amount of parts for these bikes pop up on eBay, so that could be a good start. The other hiccup is that you will have to travel to Ohio to pick it up. We tend to see good clean RZ’s go for around $12k-$15k. I would put this bike in its condition in about the $6k range. If you’re up for the challenge, check out the auction here and place your bid!

-JS