While many motorcycle fans are sticklers for originality, I take a more flexible view: basically, if you make changes, even significant ones to the bike, but manage to maintain the spirit of the original, I’m probably on board. And while this Yamaha RZ350 isn’t quite stock, the seller obviously wanted to stay close to the…
Yamaha made a name for itself in the US building giant-killing two-stroke parallel twins that powered the RD and later RZ models like this 1985 RZ350. The 347cc engine reatured liquid-cooling and made over 40hp stock, with plenty more available with careful tuning. While Honda largely focused on their heavy, but very sophisticated two and…
Looking for all the world like Wayne Rainey’s 1990 YZR500 GP bike, this sparkling tribute is a lot more streetable than an expert-only RZ500 race replica. Based on a titled RZ350, this machine has been treated to a full race fairing from Air-tech Streamlining, as well as a comprehensive rebuild. Appearing well-sorted and immaculately finished,…
We just saw a very nice NS400R and now we have this immaculate RZ350 with just 10 miles on the clocks. It wasn’t a powerhouse, but Yamaha’s claimed 55hp combined with a dry weight of just 305lbs made for a very engaging riding experience. As long as you keep the revs and corner speed up,…
When it comes to the RZ350, examples fall into three basic groups: Stone stock (the most rare), nicely modified models with tasty pipes and suspension, and rat bikes thrashed within an inch of their poor parallel twin lives and then tarted up for a quick sale (most common). While RZs are climbing in value overall,…
The last of the factory two strokes to be imported into the United States (and even California!), the RZ350 continues to be a fan favorite despite the relative lack of rarity. A decent RZ can be found pretty much any day of the week in the US or just across the border in Canada. The…
First up is this submission from regular reader and frequent commentor “SixthGear” in this 1985 Yamaha RZ350 that reportedly has 10 miles. It’s listed in San Francisco for $13,500. The second bike was emailed to me by several readers for consideration. We’ve actually seen this one before in this post but I agree that this…
I will admit that my first real exposure to SportBikes started in the late 1980’s with fast Freddy Spencer so I didn’t really get to appreciate what people like Kenny Robers did for motorcycling. King Kenny, applying a dirt track racing style to 500cc racing circuit, became the First American World Champion, and to commemorate…