Post Sale Update: After 2 bids on eBay, this sold for $19,000. However, it was relisted and then sold again for a BIN of $17,999.
When Kenny Roberts won a World Championship with the YZR500 OW70, Yamaha decided to honor the occasion with the world’s first production bike equipped with a 2-stroke V4 motor. Meet the RZV500R, which was never offered in the US. Some markets also knew it as as the RD500LC, for liquid cooled. It featured reed-induction, Yamaha’s Power Valve System, and it was one of the most desirable bikes of the 80s.
The 499cc engine put out about 60 horsepower and the bike weighed 381 pounds. For more information, check out this write-up on RZ/RD. Or, enjoy this video:
This bike (VIN: 51X000761) has 3,226 miles and it was imported from Japan in 2008. It has a Florida title and the seller says it’s in outstanding original condition. It’s said to start on the first kick and everything is said to work. There’s a few blemishes in the paint and the tires should be replaced if you want to take it on the road. Find this RZV for sale in Miami, Florida with an unmet opening bid of $16,000
If it helps, I featured a modified RZV that was titled in California a couple of years ago and it sold for $16,299.