A halo motorcycle for any Yamaha fan or collector, and a sure show-stopper at any vintage Japanese bike show, this beautiful, partially restored 1985 Yamaha RZ350 can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The seller is asking $13,500, and it isn’t perfect, but it sure looks great overall. Here is the original listing, and thanks to NW Iowa Kevin for the tip!
Kenny Roberts is still around, thankfully, at 74 years of age, and he retired from an incredibly successful 13-year motorcycle racing career in 1983. He jumped right into being a team owner the following year, and his ride of choice had been Yamaha for years, after first racing a Tohatsu and then a Hodaka in his teens. Dropping out of high school, he placed fourth in his first official race a day after his 18th birthday, and the race was on, so to speak. For Yamaha fans and motorcycle racing fans, in general, his name ranks pretty high on the list.
While never having officially raced a Yamaha RZ350, the company created this model to pay homage to him, and his signature adorned the cafe-racer fairing. This example looks like an absolute jewel, but there is one area with a couple of visual cosmetic glitches. The seller says the paint is original, and that’s amazing that these are about the only flaws in this one that I can see. Some road rash of some sort, and part of the black and white decal is missing.
Yamaha offered customers this special model from 1983 through 1985/86 (some sources say 1984 and 1985 only), at least for U.S. customers. The RZ350 was made until the late 1990s for other markets, but went away here due to emissions regulations for two-strokes in the mid 1980s. The RZ350 is reported to be the last two-stroke motorcycle sold in the United States. This example has just 9,162 miles. Hagerty gives a #3 good-condition value of $9,400 and a #2 excellent value of $14,900. For such a nice refurbished example, the seller’s asking price is in line with many others that have been sold in the last few years.
The engine is Yamaha’s 347-cc liquid-cooled two-stroke twin-cylinder with Yamaha’s Autolube oil injection. Backed by a 6-speed manual, it put out somewhere between 50 and 60 horsepower. The seller’s list of work done on this one is extensive, so please check out the listing to read everything that’s been done. They’ve also included a video showing it starting on the first kick. Have any of you owned or ridden an RZ350?
Here we go… love these bikes…Had some seat time on an RZ350… didn’t expect much considering the size… boy was I wrong. Absolutely love Kenny Roberts and those yellow Yamahas. Scotty check out this awesome video if you haven’t seen it…celebrating Kenny’s success on that wicked 750 2-smoke flat tracker.. many years later. 😎 🏁
https://youtu.be/8cS3ou7AOzM?si=rYGmgg5Pm9hHHKKs
Good stuff, Stan. Saw him at Laguna Seca-an amazing artist, challenged there on different occasions by the likes of Wayne Rainey, Freddie Spencer, John Kocinski, Eddie Lawson, Randy Mamola, and Dave Aldana. Never forget the wheelie festival between he and Mamola in 1985.
Yes, Scotty. A friend bought one of these in yellow and his boss thought it cool so he bought a white/red one. Rode my friends bike and like Stan it was a shocker; it was unexpectedly so fast and flickable it’d slap you if you didn’t stay on your game!
Love these.
Is it in your garage yet, NW Iowa Ken??
I had an RZ350 back in the day and loved it. It had lowered handlebars and a removable matching yellow cowel over the passenger portion of the seat. So light, fast and fun to ride. Unfortunately my brother buried it into the side of an old lady’s car who turned out in front of him.
Crap…..sat on one in the dealer show room – Big D Yamaha – I’d been going to them since the early 70’s and buying….these were just not in the budget as I was still paying off my first house. Still a neat bike…..
Nevada… Roberts is just too cool 😎. He hadn’t ridden a bike all year he said prior to that ride back on the 750. Lol. what a master, true legend 👏 🏆 🏁
What has not already been said about Kenny Roberts quite possibly the best rider ever. And regarding the RZ350, the absolute pinnacle of 2 stroke development. I own a 76RD400 and while not as powerful as the RZ, it reminds us of just how good these bikes are. First kick starts are the norm. Brakes are way more powerful than the weight and power requires. Self cancelling turn signals, a first in 76. These can be ridden for miles at 80+ without issues. My 77 RD ran 1440 troubles free miles in a 24 hour race at Palm beach. Nothing feels, sounds or smells like these. Wish I could afford this nice example!
The bike originally had a dual cat set-up and air injection system(not to mention a different YPVS control box that opened the valve at a different rate from the Canadian and Europian spce RZ’s) and now has a set of expansion pipes: is it legal to ride outside of the track in the US?
Yes, at least in Nevada..
Yes, I’ve ridden this bike, not this particular one, but the same model. You cannot keep the front wheel down! Is one of the quickest rides I’ve ever been on ! I don’t regret not buying it because the bike I got was much better me, GPZ550
Yeah I could use 100% of my GPZ550’s power, and most of its handling.
This bike would have scared me.
My friends brother bought one brand new from the Yamaha dealer!! Yellow and black color too!! He put on a set of Spec II pipes, and road the bike everywhere!! He says he always regrets selling it!! The front wheel just won’t stay down!! I had a GT 380 with Bassani pipes, but that RZ was a Ferrari compared to my Fiat!!
Funny, isn’t it? Wonderful, really, we are allowed to worship whatever we want,,within reason of course. Trying to be delicate, while some like something, it does nothing for another. Take this post, enjoy the variety, but these bikes do nothing for me. In fact, I think they are the poorest form of motorcycling. Now before you fire your weapons, I’ll explain. Unless you drive around Laguna Seca all day, these are noisy, uncomfortable, loud, and generally offensive to anyone around them, but who cares, right? Biking is all about me. Exhilarating? You bet. Fun to ride, absolutely,,,for about 15 minutes. I look at motorcycling a lot differently. An Electra-Glide, a RT1100, a Guzzi, you get my point. I’d venture a guess, with 9,000 miles, it got old in a hurry. A guy here had a “crotch rocket” like this, a Honda, it sat most of the time. These get a bad rap from bike gangs that terrorize common citizens with their “stoppies”, and general lack of rules.
Re: Kenny Roberts. That’s another thing, racing heroes are personal. There’s no question his outstanding ability, but outside their venue, relatively unknown. My interest is drag racing, and I’m shocked when someone has never heard of someone as colorful and successful as John Force.
It’s a really cool bike, end of an era, really, but certainly nothing I’d be interested in riding.
Understandable, Howard. This isn’t an Aspencouch or Elazyboy. It’s what we want when zipping through a canyon or riding the backroads to work. Would I trade it for my K1600B GA? Not a chance. Loved my 2000 FLHTPI when I had it but obviously not the bike this or my BMW is-as you have correctly pointed out each has its own unique characteristics.
Insofar as the subject of Kenny Roberts I’m 100% with you there too.
As we all know here’s a guy that instead of resting easy on his laurels he would forgo all the comforts afforded to him as the AMA king to go to Europe. He was snubbed, racing with very little support-had to cut his own rain grooves in his tires, finished races with broken bones, later became the first American F1 motorcycle world champion. All the while being mocked and ridiculed by the media there.
That’s a world class racer.
Even if he did moon the European press at the award ceremony.
Nevada, Howard, I’ve always said a guy needs about 6 motorcycles in the garage for a complete collection to cover all the needs lol 👍
Thanks Stan, just being a good American, is all. See, that’s the thing, it’s really tough to find a motorcycle that actually “does it all”. Lord knows I’ve searched. With probably 15 different bikes in my life, came close, but I still say a dual sport Sportster would be the fun way to go.
Obviously, this is more of a toy, right next to the CJ Mustang and hemi Cuda, it’s not an everyday thing, just for feeling like going 100 mph today. :)
Thanks for the input, Howard, but we all knew how you would feel about this one. You make sure to tell us every time.
Just glad that this bike does do something for many of us here and that BF continues to post more like this, and skip over this negativity,
Awesome, legendary motorcycles. My dad bought a yellow 1984 new in spring of 1985. it currently has just under 3000miles. Unfortunately, dad passed last year & now I am the caretaker of it. Its not for sale!
Howard, to each his own. My RD400 has stock mufflers and is quieter than most Harley’s. It has a thick flat seat and comfortable riding position with a rubber mounted engine. I also own an 83 Yamaha Seca900 and a 2001 Yamaha Vmax1200. All 3 have their own distinctive personalities and are fun in their own way. Strangely enough, the RD became my go to bike as the other two being antiques, developed running issues. About the only thing I miss when riding the RD is its lack of low end power which is made up for by its 6 speed and more attentive riding. But at bike week at Daytona, the RD draws more people and more stories than anything in the endless sea of Harleys. This one would as well. Again, to each their own.
I used to get the same sort of comments at Willow Springs with the ’77 RD that I have tricked out for the track(I have two with the serial numbers in sequence, so it seemed natural to keep one bone stock and build the other up for track duty). The most common comment was, “What’s it like to ride one of those?” and at the end of the day a lot of the younger riders would drop by talk shop with the RD being the usual subject of conversation. To be honest the best part of the day was always talking with the other racers there, seemed like there was always something new to learn when the stories were being swapped.
My first bike was a ’73 RD350. Put flat bars on it the second day, before I even had my bike license. Eventually it morphed into a barely street legal cafe racer with clip-ons, bikini fairing, rear sets, Borani expansion pipes, milled heads, raised/hogged out ports, aluminum rims, dual front discs, etc. Painted yellow and black just like the factory racers. Ran it in cafe class races at Summit Point, WV. No torque, but so fast it scared the sh*t out of me. Sold it before it killed me.
Agree with Howard – totally impractical for anything but flat out racing, but damn, it sure was fun!
Bought an RD400 for my 50th birthday. All my friends back in high school had one
In the mid 70s .Had it completely rebuilt put some DG Chambers on it
it was a blast to ride. brought me back to my younger days
Not a Powervalve, but I have a 350LC. And a Honda NS400, just in case I’m short of ways to hurt myself…! Ring ding ding.
Bought one new in ’84. Trailered home in Ft. Lauderdale FL and added a Toomey Kit (40% more power w/new exh, jetting, fiberglass reeds, K&N air box) added a 500 Full Faring, and steering stabilizer. Stock top end was 112 mph, now around 138 mph. Good match for running against Honda Hurricane 600 up to 100 mph then that 4 stroke could pull away. Also took it to the drag strip with a lowering strut for the rear rear shock, bolt on wheelie bars (raised to ride to the track), rear geared front sprocket (14 to 17 teeth). Launched at 11,000 rpm and hang on! Best time was 12:94 @ 106 mph 1/4 mile. Very light bike, power band kicks in after 5,000 rpm. Also had a Suzuki Katana (Vance & Hines pipe, carb jetting) faster but way heavier. Thanks for the memories.