My Eighth Motorcycle - 1984 Yamaha RZ350
This is my eighth motorcycle, a 1984 (mostly) Yamaha RZ350. I bought it on Ebay in August, 2007 for $2500. I've been looking for an RZ for quite a while, and when this one came up I decided to go for it. It was located about 30 miles away and appeared to be in pretty good shape. I really wanted one in the original yellow/black Kenny Roberts paint scheme, but I realized that I might not see one in my area at a reasonable price so I went for it and was successful. After I got it home and had a chance to go through it I found that the seller had not been completely honest in his Ebay listing, but since he threw in a bunch of extra parts when I picked the bike up I didn't make an issue of it and give him negative feedback. A few of the issues:
He described the bike as "unmolested," yet the engine number does not match the frame number, so the engine has been replaced at some time. A bidder specifically asked if the engine and frame numbers matched and the seller avoided answering the question. The engine cases are actually from a 1985 RZ.
The CDI has the classic problem that 1984 models were known for where it will suddenly quit, then will work fine when the bike has cooled down for 10-15 minutes.
The bike was described as "100% mechanically and electrically," yet the self canceling module for the turn signals was missing, the front brake light switch was missing, the left horn didn't work, the battery strap was missing, the lower carburetor brace was missing and the throttle return cable was missing.
Both front brake calipers were missing the pad springs and anti-rattle shims, and they vibrated and made quite a bit of noise when I first rode the bike.
The battery and fluids were described as new, none of which was actually true.
I have to admit that I enjoy working on motorcycles at least as much as I enjoy riding them, so having issues like these is not that much of a problem for me. I have been making plans to fix all of the problems and get the bike in good shape for the 2008 riding season, and I will try to update this page as I fix/modify things.
August, 2008: I have been working over the winter and the past few months and have made some improvements to the RZ. Here is a pic showing how it looks now (can you spot the differences?):
As you can see, I have made a few changes. I added some of the stock RZ stickers, and I stripped the black paint off of the front fork sliders. I have also done a lot of work on the brakes, rebuilding the calipers, replacing the rotors and the brake lines. I also replaced the front brake master cylinder with a new 14mm unit and it has made a significant improvement in the braking feel and performance. Here are a few more pics:
More Information: If you want more information on the mods I've made you can check out my RZ Modifications Page, or you can click on the links below:
1. Front Brake Master Cylinder 2. Brake Rotors
Useful Files:
RZ350L Parts List PDF RZ350N Parts List PDF
RZ350L Wiring Diagram PDF RZ350 Periodic Maintenance Manual
RZ350 Charging System Manual 1984 Cycle World Road Test
RZ350 Service Manual (54MB) RZ350 Cable Routing Diagrams
Toomey Exhaust/Intake kit Instructions
This page was last updated on March 14, 2010