Yamaha RZ350 restore

[smudge]

My 1986 RZ has been sitting in the garage and is now old and rusty just like me. It has only done 15000km and mostly used on the road with some club racing thrown in for good measure 'back in the day'....

Anything in particular I need to be checking on this thing? I have already found the mouse nest in the airbox, thankfully before it inhaled anything.

I know it needs new pipes as the old ones are a little bent up and there is some rust in the tank, any good way to deal with the rust?

Oh, if you got any old bits I am keen to own them... it's a red and black model but apart from the cosmetics its pretty much the same as the 'newer' fully faired ones that came out in 86.

Thanks, Michael.

[crash99]

Nice! I raced an RZ250RR a few years ago . . . fun! Re the rust - the classic guys have tank sealer that sorts the rust - puts a layer of plastic gunge over it all.

[smudge]

Crash, I did a little bit of that stuff and it was fun indeedy but I was never going to set the world on fire.

[F5 Dave]

Don't want to pre empt things but some time in the future I may be selling the left over parts from my project. Included are some chrome Toomey performance pipes. I also will have ported 350 barrels & head. 6 petal reedblock & KRI 28mm pwks jetted to suit. Reputedly 70 rwhp with this setup.

But really I won't sell anything until my monster is up & reliable.

[Max Preload]

Nice! I raced an RZ250RR a few years ago . . . fun! Re the rust - the classic guys have tank sealer that sorts the rust - puts a layer of plastic gunge over it all.

See here.

[bimotabob]

Hi

That tank sealer info given here is supposed to be the bees knees.
Bit of mucking about to sort it but all good otherwise.
Is yours the early model (1983) K with the round headlamp and bikini fairing?
Cool bikes these, don't see many now though.
Even the 250 models are scarse.

Cheers
BB

[Grahameeboy]

I had 2 85 YPVS350's at the time......they reckon the frame was tuned to really come into it's own about 80mph......and you could tell the difference, it just seemed to tighten up.

I had the RD350 black, before which was tricked up with a race fairing etc which was cool.

[F5 Dave]

er . . yeah right. I messed around with mine for ages replacing fork bushes, headset bearings,servicing shock, experimenting with tyres. One of the best handling bikes Below 80kph. After that all bets were off.

[crash99]

Aw c'mon F5 Dave - this was mid 80's remember. Anyway, from memory a top speed of 175'ish down the back straight at Manfield into the sweeper with no wobbles seemed ok by me! Mind you, (he says in a little wee voice) I did fall off at Higgins trying follow a certain young Mr A Slight . . . the tyres were cold, I tell you and that was way below 80ks.

[chanceyy]

I my betsy even is she is a hussy & a real harlot ..

when she behaves she is so much damn fun can not stop while riding her ..

she is 1983 RZ350

[F5 Dave]

I'm not dissing, its just that comments like 'tuned to come into it's own at 80mph' make me sneer a certain sneer reserved especially for comments like that.

Yes I do remember (vaguely) which is why I've just bought another after all these years. . . .However it is in a different frame.
And that is currently away being braced . . . heavily.

In the tight twisties they felt awesome. Add a bunch of speed & uneven ground & they do get a bit exciting. As I used to say about my GS nothing another 20 years of chassis development wouldn't fix.

[smudge]

Yeah mine is the red and black model with the bikini fairing. They were are very predictable bike to ride with no surprises with good brakes (for the time) good ground clearance with only the pipes and pegs touching down so the rear wheel didnt unload in a big hurry. Mind you I took the centre stand off mine. Their handling wasn't bad for a bike that felt like an ironing board to sit on but they did squirm a lot under heavy front braking (nothing scary) and they did tend to weave a little at the top end of their speed range but once again it wasn't bad and a little tutu ing sorted it out. Quite a good alround bike that was lots of fun on tight twisty stuff and somewherre between middling and awful on metal roads. Can't wait to get back on it...

[F5 Dave]

You're making me all sentimental now.
Can't wait to get my project finished.

Metal roads, bah you don't know bad until you've ridden any modern heavy bike with a 180 rear tyre in gravel.

[smudge]

Dave you're probably right, I did have a GSX400 twin Suzuki that was really easy to ride on metal roads which is probably the only good thing I could really say about the bike. Even it was better than the Yamaha, I think the new generation bikes would be a real handful alright but then they are way to pretty to do that to.

[F5 Dave]

My RF900 is my tourer, I like it as that, but it is ugly as sin, the paintjob is pretty average so I had no qualms on my last big trip when the road unexpectedly (well to me) changed to gravel on the way to Lake (Spelling) Waikarimoana. I'd been doing a lot of dirt riding so no drama thinks I.

Except it was. I struggled on for what felt like 50 k but was probably 2. I had to turn back, I wasn't going to make it without dropping it (& almost did just trying to turn around). What a pig in the gravel!