RD400, RZ500 and '88 FZ750

More classic and collectable motorcycles have appeared on CL. If I’d only waited before buying that silly GS.

The first one is a truly classic Yamaha RD400. It’s air cooled and so much cooler (no pun intended) than the later model water-cooled bikes. I remember in my teens, back when I read dirt bike magazines, there were a few articles dedicated to dunes racers in Southern California. They would build custom high-powered 3 wheelers featuring RD400 engines and paddle tires. They were the first hot rod ATVs.

In the 80s, when 3 wheeled all terrain vehicles were introduced, 2-stroke gas engines were common, in dirt bikes at least. It was a logical progression to add another cylinder of 2-stroke power for added torque. I would imagine it made for quite a wild ride. Despite living nowhere near a sand dune I always wanted to build one, if only to soothe my inner grease-monkey.The appeal of the RD400 has endured for me despite never having ridden one. I’ve read test reviews of 2-stroke street bikes that say, sure they’re as fast as 4-stroke 750s of their day, but they’re engines don’t feature the benefit of engine braking.

It’s especially rare to find a low-mileage original example of an RD, and I saw 2 of them! The bike in the second photo is a clean ’77 edition featured only “sensible” modifications such as an H4 headlight bulb and an electronic ignition upgrade.

The other bike that caught my eye this week was another Yam, an ‘88 FZ750. It’s curious how some bikes catch one’s fancy for altogether different reasons. For the RD it was the allure of the “ring-ping-ping” 2-stroke for the street as opposed to trail. But in the case of the FZ, for me it’s the paint scheme. To be truthful, however, this one has 2-stroke roots as well.

Again, back when I was a teenager, I lusted for the RZ500. It was truly an exotic, in my opinion. A guy that I worked with rode a brand-new Suzuki RG500 Gamma. He was only a year older than me and we both worked part-time at the same place, so I can’t understand how he afforded it. Nonetheless, I gazed at it longingly every time I parked my trusty steed, an ’82 XS400, next to it on the sidewalk at the mall.

Both those models, the RZ and the RG, went on to achieve legendary status; they’re pretty hard to find these days. I did see an RZ500 recently on CL for around 5 grand. But I’ve already got a semi-functional GS850…I know, I know.

So the appeal of the 1988 edition of the FZ750 is its paint scheme. It’s very similar to the RZ500, and the chances of coming across an FZ, even specifically an ’88, is a lot greater than finding an RZ500.

And now I’ve seen both the RD400 and the 1988 FZ750 in the same week.