The Year That Was: 1985 Yamaha RZ 350

Really a bike that needs no introduction, the Yamaha RZ350 had a brief couple of year fling in the States until the EPA shut them down for good. Today’s clean looking 1985 model has been mistakenly listed as a 1984 – however unless you lived in California, the differences between the years were minor and…

Angrier Bees: 1984 Yamaha RZ 350

The Yamaha RZ350 is just one of those bikes. It wasn’t particularly rare or super fast in the day (in stock form it struggled to compete with the 550s of the day). It wasn’t even super irresponsible for a two stroke, harboring lean burn technology, oil injection, an exhaust power valve to broaden the torque…

Legend: 1985 Yamaha RZ 350

Every iconic bike tells a story. In the case of the RZ350 – the last of the factory imported two strokes into all 50 U.S. States – the story is one of evolution. The RZ (or RD350LC as it was called in other markets), was an evolutionary beast that began with the RD series of…

Almost Famous: 1985 Yamaha RZ350

How much does star power help with motorsport sales? It helps if the figure connected with the sale is related to the vehicle in question. And in the case of the RZ350, the connection is very, very good. Sporting the signature of “King” Kenny Roberts, the RZ350 came emblazoned with the bumble bee livery that…