Yamaha RZV500R Restoration Project - RZV RZV500 RZ RZ500 RD RD500

Yamaha RZV500R Restoration Project - The Plan

This bike had been standing a long time but the engine does run, see the "Take Apart" page. It will be a full nut and bolt strip down, replace all the bearings etc. and get the engine sorted out professionally.

The front end could do with updating, Yamaha Thundercat forks and yokes just slot straight in and then maybe R6 brakes on the Thundercat wheel. There is no limit really but whatever changes I make I want them easily reversible to standard. The rear end can be updated, R6 swingarms are popular. There is a guy in Austria who owns an awesome Wayne Rainey replica and he converts Aprilia RS250 banana swing arms for the RZ/RD that look really cool.

Then there is always the question of paintwork. The Gauloises scheme that came on the bike is not that common but I don't think I like it. I did find picture of an 1983 YZR500 OW70, ridden by Kenny Roberts, this was the second YZR model to use a V4 engine but the first to use a Deltabox frame, it is what the RZ/RD is based on. The RZ/RD was the one of the first true Grand Prix replicas. See the picture below, it even has the same gold wheels! Maybe a paint job like that...

Paint scheme is the last thing to worry about though. The first job is to take as many photos as possible, for later reference and then carefully take it apart labelling everything as I go.

No time limit, no rush. I could park this bike in the garden for 5 years and it would still go up in value....

1983 Yamaha YZR500 OW70