Yamaha RZV 500R motorcycle test

Menus

• GP 500 2 stroke … road !
• 50 ° V4, 494 cc, 100 hp, 134 kg
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Test
• Cycle part
• Braking
• Conclusion

GP 500 2 stroke … road !

50 ° V4, 494 cc, 100 hp, 134 kg

Sports bikers are familiar with the Yamaha RD 500 LC, inspired by Kenny Roberts’ YZR500. Launched in France in 1984, the Japanese V4 sports car was also known as the RZ500 in Oceania and Canada.. But only Japanese bikers were allowed the RZV500R version, much lighter, produced in only 1,600 copies..

Yamaha RZV 500R review

Discovery

The road is long between Okinawa, the southernmost island in Japan and the US Army’s easternmost outpost at Cape Canaveral and NASA’s take-off base, a third of the way around the globe to be precise. But for U.S. Air Force Maj.Wyn Belorusky Jr. and the four Yamaha RZV500R road missiles he brought to the United States with him, it was a journey of rebirth when he traded sub-tropical Japan for the coast. from Florida after three years as a C-130 pilot. Since then, every Sunday morning, he has led repeated raids to keep his Yamaha squadron ready for action. After a 17-year career in the US Air Force, Wyn was retired with a nice pension from Uncle Sam in the early post-Cold War era..

I’m a biker again thanks to the American government. Instead of being paid by the Pentagon to send rockets into space, Washington is giving me the budget to play with two-wheeled rockets on the road. I would say it’s quite a good peace dividend, isn’t it ?

Wyn Belorusky Jr. and his RZV 500R

It’s hard to dispute that, especially since Wyn’s latest weapon is a masterpiece of motorcycle art capable of eliciting as much admiration in the parking lot of a local McDonalds as it does at the nearby Daytona International Speedway. . This is arguably the bike Yamaha engineers dreamed of building in 1984 when the first 500cc two-stroke racing replica – the RZ / RD500LC – was released. The public did not expect it and neither did the accountants! They were the ones who put the brakes on, reluctant to grant such an expression of freedom to a motorcycle disguised as a road by its racing engineers..

While the RD500LC was presented during its two years of production in 1984 and ’85 as Roberts and Lawson’s motorcycle with headlights, that wasn’t really the case. It was more of a RD350LC on a steroid diet after surgeons doubled its bench power, simply by coupling two RD250LC twins into a common crankcase to create a 50 ° V4 with serious performance potential..

The modern Superbike era was barely beginning with motorcycles like the 20-valve FZ750, not to mention the RC30, which would allow Honda to rewrite sports standards. So the RD500LC, like the Honda NS400 or Suzuki RG500, instead became a mere footnote in the evolution of Japanese motorcycles. In doing so, it also became a cult motorcycle of which 8,000 copies were built in two years, according to the International RZ / RD Owners Group of which Wyn Belorusky belongs..

The Yamaha RD500LC distributed in Europe

Of these, the majority were steel-frame motorcycles producing 87 horsepower at 9,500 rpm (78 hp at the rear wheel) for the European, Canadian and Australian markets. The 2-stroke V4 has never been officially imported to the United States..

Alongside these, 3,700 aluminum-framed versions were produced exclusively for the Japanese domestic market under the name RZV500R, with a 64-horsepower engine restricted to comply with Japanese law. The RZV is the first Yamaha production model with an alloy frame. And it is also the first two-stroke model with a balance shaft, here mounted between the two counter-rotating crankshafts and gear-driven on the front crankshaft to eliminate the vibrations of the reed motor. The engine also includes two different intake arrangements for the two pairs of cylinders: the lower pair is fed by valves mounted on the crankcase, the upper pair using valves mounted on the cylinder. The two crankshafts are driven directly from the wet clutch and the six-speed cassette-type gearbox can be removed from the right side, without the need to open the crankcase..

The Yamaha RZV 500 R only sold in Japan

As a serious fan of the GP 500, being stationed in Japan opened up a huge field of possibilities for Wyn Belorusky..

I’ve been riding motorcycles since my twenties, but when I was posted to Okinawa. I sold my 900 Ninja because I KNEW I was going to buy a Yamaha two-stroke as soon as I got there. It is a motorcycle that dares to be different and which at the time was the forbidden fruit for us Americans. With my 1.90 m and my 109 kg, I was automatically disqualified to drive a 250 or a 350, so it had to be the V4!

Bringing back four RZVs, Wyn set about transforming one into a real road GP 500

Returning home three years later, Wyn began concocting the ultimate GP sports car with headlights on his most recent RZV, a late 1985 motorcycle he intended to be as close as possible to a 500 GP. while keeping the road homologation. Objective he accomplished with the help of his friend Steve Cisewski.

I can come up with ideas and make parts, but I can’t weld. Steve assembles the parts that I make. We are a good team.

The first objective was to stiffen the original chassis to handle more power and additional suspension loads, while achieving the Deltabox GP frame look that Wyn wanted. This meant adding an extra aluminum section under the original to double its thickness, soldering and milling it to make it look like it was original and covering the whole with black paint. The triple tree and rear engine mounts have all been reinforced, the subframe has been made removable and the frame cleaned with the removal of unnecessary dropouts. The whole thing was fitted with a swingarm from Suzuki GSX-R 750 from 1994 modified to work with the original Ohlins shock absorber of the RZV, shortened by 20 mm to keep the wheelbase of 1.375 mm and "bananized" for allow the mufflers of the lower cylinders to exit side by side on the right, just like on a real GP.

The aluminum frame has been doubled to resemble the Grand Prix machine

A 1996 GSX-R750 donated its fully adjustable 43mm Showa inverted fork which is found in aluminum triple triple trees machined by Wyn and fitted with a titanium column, while retaining the original geometry of the RZV500R with 26 ° caster angle and 95mm drag. To replace the original 16 and 18 inch small wheels, Belorusky purchased a pair of 17 inch cast aluminum Marchesini rims fitted with Dunlop D207 tires and fitted with titanium hubs made by Yoyodyne (New Jersey), which also supplied 190mm titanium rear disc. The PFM steel front brake discs are bitten by Tokico 6 piston calipers also taken from the GSX-R of 96, the rear is a Brembo. The rest of the bike includes many elements made by Wyn such as the carbon dashboard, the footrests, the brake pedal, the gear selector or the brake and clutch levers, both cut from the mass.

The wheels were replaced with 17-inch Marchesini rims

The bike is covered with a fairing made entirely of carbon fibers and taken from the mold used in 1991 by Team Roberts for Wayne Rainey’s YZR500. A pair of 55 W headlight has been added. The carbon fiber fuel tank integrates the oil tank for the Posilube lubrication system. The use of these materials and the elimination of any unnecessary elements allowed Belorusky to reduce the dry weight of the bike to just 134 kg from the original 180 kg. !

The carbon fiber fairing is made with the same mold as that of Team Roberts

To deliver the right power, Belorusky brought in engine tuner BJ MacDonald to upgrade the Japanese model’s stock power from 64 horsepower to something closer to 100 horsepower. This involved keeping the V4 cylinders at 50 °, which still retains its original YPVS system, redesigning the cylinder heads, resynchronizing the original ignition and then installing four Mikuni 28mm carburetors to replace the 26mm ones. These are topped with K&N filters to feed each cylinder through 90 ° intake manifolds then via RD350LC valve boxes modified by Kevin Cameron and associated with TDR valves. Race-style trigger pots are placed, each made by Harry Barlow (upper) and Brian Turfreu (lower), but the mufflers and their aluminum brackets are the work of Wyn.

The 50 ° V4 has been revised to go from 64 to 100 hp without changing the displacement

In the saddle

Now that I’ve discovered the beast, I’m looking for a quiet stretch of the Central Florida Highway and a few bends to get a real feel for the first 500cc 2-stroke motorcycle I’ve been riding in a long time. To be precise, since the Bimota 500 Vdue of 20 years ago and its faulty injection. So how does Wyn’s 500 stack up against its Italian rival? ?

On the way to test the RZV 500R

Well, for someone lucky enough to test a fleet of mid-1980s factory GP500s, Wyn Belorusky’s Yamaha RZV500R represents both a trip down memory lane and a utopian glimpse into what could have been the current sports scene if the two strokes were still there.

What is most remarkable and surprising is that Wyn’s weapon should be so well elevated, usable even at legal speeds. Remember that in the United States this translates to 35 mph (56 km / h) on many 90/100 km / h roads in Europe and an absolute limit of 75 mph (120 km / h). h) on highways and 4 lanes. Perhaps because of this, Wyn lowered gears, so that the 11,500rpm at which 100hp is delivered makes it possible to reach 210 km / h before the switch trips. A point confirmed by the improbable Avocet 45 dashboard mounted cycle computer that recorded 172 km / h when the 80’s-style tachometer read 9,500 rpm. I would still like to know when and where a cyclist has managed to reach such speeds without going crazy or falling off a cliff. Maybe while mountain biking on snow on a Himalayan glacier ?

It is a small bicycle computer that indicates the speed

In contrast, riding along the Florida coast on the Yamaha RZV500R showed truly impressive acceleration from all points of view, especially for a homologated sportbike weighing just 134kg, or just 4kg above the weight limit of 500 GP! And that’s counting all the equipment necessary for the certification of the motorcycle for the roads of Florida. On the other hand, they did not do a specific MoT / TuV type inspection, which definitely helps for this type of machine..

Attempt to start the RZV500R with the stroller

I would not have had the motorcycle approved in California. They have too many unnecessary rules in the West: Florida is the land of the free! Go ride !

Major, yes major! So I did. I only obeyed orders.

Test

Even with the smallest 17-inch wheels, the Yamaha looks like a late 80s GP sports car and is ironically smaller than most 4-cylinder motorcycles of the latest GP 500 generation. a 500 V4, light and quite compact although the footrests are very high as a result of the excellence of the Dunlop D207 which grip much further than the GP slicks of the time !

The RZV is compact to say the least

Kick-starting (there is no electric starter) is a skill that you have to have but which reminds me of the time when I rode the Sonauto Yamaha TR750 endurance during the Bol d’Or. It had the kickstarter attached to the clutch housing. Persuading the RZV500R to start is a bit the same, but once you get the hang of it it’s easy.

Test of the Yamaha RZV 500R on the road

The clutch lever feels a bit harsh at first, until you realize that’s because Wyn shortened it to save a few grams, reducing the leverage of the latter. Of course, this only matters when downshifting because the action of the gearbox remains sharp and precise enough to make it look like a GP and allows a change without disengaging. The Yamaha is torquey and easy to drive around town, pulling cleanly from idle to 1,500 rpm with virtually no clutch and accepting full throttle from 2,500 rpm, with no transmission jerks or hiccups as with the smaller carburetor. original. The four Mikuni are perfectly calibrated, allowing for 5-minute sprint runs to fetch the milk or 20-minute GP rides to the local McDonald’s, as easily as on a scooter or roadster. This is the case from an engine point of view, as the racing-style riding position with the handlebars down and the weight on the forearms, as well as the pathetic turning radius and poor handling at low speeds make it a motorcycle. that you will more want to pass in front of McDonald’s than in the Drive line…

The V4 accepts full speed from 2,500 rpm

But take the direction of a more open road, crank up the revs and heat up the rear tire to the remarkable sound of the four silencers and prepare to be impressed..

If she’s content to just wander around town, she delivers that constant promise of wanting to put the gum on the drag track as soon as you drop a gear or two and hit the gas. When you do, you feel a faster revving when the valves open wide at 6,000 rpm, then from 7,000 rpm you feel an additional kick that pushes the front wheel to stand up and flirt with it. ‘asphalt. But it’s not explosive power that makes the rear wheel skid and sends you to the mat if you’re on the corner in a curve, it’s just a sudden, more pronounced appetite for revs, an appetite that you look forward to. to satisfy with the right hand.

When reaching maximum power at 11,500 rpm, 2,000 rpm higher than on the original RZV500R, the V4 stops firing. It’s time to make a report, easily with the small selector. Playing with the gears while accelerating in the plains of Florida offers truly addictive performance, at least as impressive and much more accessible than what I remember with the Bimota Vdue, yet of equivalent power..

On the open road, the RZV shows another side of its personality

Cycle part

The reason a simple hundred horsepower motorcycle gives you such a thrill is because of its light weight and that slimming cure applied by Wyn, which also pays off in terms of handling. The Showa fork and Ohlins suspension are quite stiff, but the damping rates are well chosen for such a light machine on the road. Thus, the steering of the Yamaha will be briefly shaken before returning to normal by passing over a bumpy road on the angle and the bike absorbs the bumps in the road well, with a feeling of balance. The fact that the RZV’s steering geometry is more early-80’s than late-90’s means it’s not too drastic and arguably better suited to the road, turning precisely in the tight corners I have. could have met in central Florida.

The fork, which comes from a Suzuki GSX-R, retains the same geometry as the original RZV

Braking

The Yamaha is quite stable under heavy braking thanks to the excellent PFM front discs. They offer a lot of feel and allow you to get rid of any excess speed with a simple touch, which allows you to line up correctly to enter a curve. In fact, the whole chassis seems to be able to handle a bit more power and performance than what the modified engine offers, thanks to the package Wyn created by doubling the frame to add stiffness without adding too much weight..

The Tokico front calipers, also original Suzuki, work perfectly

Conclusion

This bike is not just a collection of beautiful pieces that look good but roll badly, but a carefully developed and progressively tuned project that honestly comes closest to a road-approved GP 500. And to prove how practical it is to ride regularly, Belorusky has accumulated over 34,500 km on the road on the bike since the start of his project. Imagine driving a GP 500 every day to go to work !

The Yamaha RZV 500R

Strong points

• Acceleration
• Motor
• Lightness
• Braking

Weak points

• Maneuverability in town
• Driving position

The technical sheet of the Yamaha RZV 500R

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