For Sale: 1977 Yamaha TZ750D OW31
I seem to be in a race bike mood these days. Maybe because the start of Summer is upon us, and I for one am looking forward to spending some of those sunny days at the track. Mind you my idea of a track day is on something a little more managable than this fire-breathing historic rocket ship, but for those of you with the skills, the next level of race track experience is beckoning.
This bike might look familiar to regular readers of RSBFS. You might recall this TZ500 in similar livery and listed by the same seller posted back in March (and still for sale at a pretty good reduction in price). Well today’s TZ750 looks every bit as clean and cared for as the previous bike. Check out some of these pictures and see for yourself!
From the seller:
1977 YAMAHA TZ750 D MODEL OW31. THIS BIKE HAS HAD ONLY ONE OWNER SINCE 4/1978. IT USES A STOCK FRAME AND SWING ARM. IT DOES HAVE SOME PERIOD CORRECT MODIFICATIONS WHICH INCLUDE TOOMEY PIPES.36MM ELECTRON POWER JET CARBS,BOYSEN REED VALVES,LOCKHEED GRAND PRIX FRONT CALIPERS WITH DRILLED/SLOTTED ROTORS. ADDITIONALLY IT CURRENTLY HAS A 16 INCH DIAMETER FRONT RIM FOR FASTER TURN IN ON THE HIGH BANKS OF DAYTONA AND OTHER TRACKS.THE BIKE HAS FACTORY PERIOD CORRECT REPLACEMENT CASES WITH 500 MILES ON REBUILD NO WELDING OR CRACKS
IT HAS BEEN ACTIVELY CAMPAIGNED BACK IN THE DAY AT DAYTONA, GROTTEN, BLACKHAWK, ROAD AMERICA, WENTZVILLE, MID OHIO, POCONO, LAUDON, LAGUNA SECA, ASPEN, LAJUNTA, HALLET, TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY, BRAINERD AND WAS WERA NATL CHAMPION IN 1980
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT BIKE TO ADD TO YOUR STABLE FOR RACE OR DISPLAY
These two-stroke GP bikes really represented the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing through the 1970s and 1980s, and finding a clean and loved racer from that era is becoming more and more difficult. What you see here is an opportunity that does not come through these pages often. If you have the space to display it or the, er, cajones to ride it – and you have the cash – then this is a “what are you waiting for?” kind of moment. For me, it is an opportunity to look, appreciate and drool just a little.
If I understand these two stroke engines correctly, the picture above is where the birds and other small mammals get sucked in by the 10,000 RPM whoosh of the intake. The picture below clearly shows where they come back out, but how do you determine which pipe they shoot out of?
All kidding aside, this is a beautifully preserved piece of racing history that can still be used and enjoyed (if that is the right term to use for riding it). This auction is on right now, and the BIN price is a lofty $49,999 or best offer. That is not a ton of money to pay for a bike of this quality, but it is certainly in rarefied air. Click on the link to check out all of the details, and then be sure and check back and share your thoughts. Do you want it, would you store it or would you ride it? Good Luck!
MI
Although these 1977’s were referred to as OW 31’s, they were really just TZ 750’s with a new monoshock frame replacing the 75-76 twin shock frame. The OW 31’s were reserved for the factory guys (Roberts, Baker, Cecotto, Ago and the rest) and were all hand built versions of a standard TZ 750 which were sold to non factory racers with a racing resume. Abouit 30 TZ 750’s were built every year from 1975-1979 and cost around $12,000 with a huge spares kit. They were a great deal and you had to have one to be in the hunt. They won every Daytona they entered.
This bike appears to be a 1977 TZ 750 with modifications here and there. The Lectrons (not Electrons) were a good mod as were the Stewart Toomy pipes. The 16″ front wheel is not what you would do for the banking at Daytona as “quicker turn in” is the last the last thing you want. The seller says the cases have been replaced (they threw rods) with a fresh rebuild (by who?).
I would have about a million questions about this bike with the first being why $50,000.00 when much nicer and more original examples have sold in recent months for $20,000.00 less.
If you’re thinking of racing one of these, keep in mind that parts are more expensive that a rock cocaine habit and much harder to find.
[…] the original asking, it seemed an appropriate time to bump this post with Mike’s post on the TZ750 OW31 for sale today. Links updated. […]
It’s pretty shocking to see how spindly and under engineered the frames and swingarms were on these!
(Phil) Funny..that was state of the art back then. The old Goodyear slicks (bowling balls by today’s standards) were good for over two seconds a lap and the fronts we use on street bikes today were bigger then most rears we used back then.
To put it in perspective…there was no armor in the leathers, duct tape was used for knee pucks and if one of these seized a piston and you didn’t pull the clutch in fast enough, it would lock the rear wheel and high-side you into a concrete wall. There were no air fences. Great to see how things have changed in the last 40 years.