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…

Winter Blues: 1984 Yamaha RZ350

As many parts of the United States are deep in the throes of falling frozen water, riding is an activity that must wait for warmer weather and more favorable road conditions. There are locales, however, where riding can commence year ’round. The southern states on both coasts serve as a great example. And it is…

King Kenny’s steed: 1985 Yamaha RZ350

The Yamaha RZ350 lived a pretty short life on these shores, eventually leaving us in the face of EPA fleet emissions regulations and sales that paled in comparison to its bigger four-stroke stablemates. But, if you were serious about roadracing, or were a serious fan of the 500cc Grand Prix races of the time, the…

Ringer: 1984 Yamaha RZ350

I know that the RSBFS reader loves a good two stroke. And what better to post than a well-kept Yamaha RZ350? The last of the true factory street bike smokers, the RZ was successfully imported into the US – and even California! – for a short while. And so while these are not grey bikes…