Produced for a very short period of just two years, the Yamaha RZ500 was a high-performance, two-stroke motorcycle built from 1984 to 1986. The ‘bike was marketed as the RZ500 in Australia and Canada, but was instead the ‘RD500LC’ in all other markets. The short-lived model was powered by a 50-degree V4 engine, displacing 499c and producing just under 90bhp. The engine breathes through four side-mounted Mikuni carburettors. As typical for a two-stroke motorcycle of the period, peak power is reached just shy of the 10,500 rpm limit. Interestingly, the model was never officially sold in the United States as it did not meet pollution mandates. In Australia, the RZ500 was a hit on circuits as well as the road, with an RZ500 entered by Richard Scott and Michael Dowson scoring 1st place in the 1984 Castrol Six Hour Event at Oran Park in New South Wales.
