The Clean Side of Dirty: 1985 Yamaha RZ500

The legendary Yamaha RZ500 – the twin-crank, V-4, 500cc two stroke GP bike for the street – never officially came into the United States. By the late 1970s the EPA had their sooty little hands in, well, everything, and raucous power plants such as internal combustion two strokes were strictly off the list. Yamaha tried…

Featured Listing: 1985 Suzuki RG500 Gamma for Sale

2.19.2016: The seller has contacted us and the bike has been sold. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc These days, MotoGP machines are powered by four strokes, so anyone with Marc Marquez fantasies can buy a nice Repsol CBR1000 and pretend they’re getting a pretty authentic experience. But back in the 1980s, when two-strokes were…

Marlboro Man: 1985 Yamaha RZ500

Update 2.5.2013: After selling for $9k, this RZ500 is back on eBay after the buyer couldn’t put together the funding. Good luck to buyers and sellers. -dc While good friend and co-worker Ian may not be stuck in the 1980s, I am happy to languish in that era for as long as magnificent two strokes…