Finally I’ve bought a 500...

[JonW]

*** If anyone is interested in reading about what im doing with this one in a more condensed and rewritten form, Ive hosted the build on my website now:
http://2smoked.com/Yamaha_RZ500_-_Home.html


Looking round the members here I think I know about half of you already from either the 350 side of this forum or elsewhere, but if you dont know me then I guess I should say 'hello'. Ive been restoring and building modified bikes for many years and about 10 years back moved back into the RD/RZ range from my youth and gradually sold all my 4T Hondas. I do have a supermoto XT500, but thats my only 4 stroke these days. All my bikes are on my 2smoked.com website, which i suspect a few here have come across in their internet travels.

So... I finally seem to have bought a 500, its a 53G Aussie delivered bike. Those that know me will know that over the years I said I never would get one due to price/costs/effort/too many projects etc... but I was offered this one by a mate as it belonged to his brother. It's in bits, the engine is out for a crank check but it's said to be all there but I expect I will be asking some dumb 500 specific questions as I go along and also looking for some parts as well. Plan is to restore it. Will arrive with me in a couple of weeks... more when that happens!

[TwoStrokeNut]

Congrats and good luck with it. Looking forward to seeing it!

[tacky1]

Nice one Jon, Be prepared to dig deep into the pockets...

[JonW]

Haha, thanks guys! I think my pockets are ok, its the short arms that cause me problems lol

[silverstrom]

Haha, thanks guys! I think my pockets are ok, its the short arms that cause me problems lol

Jon! Great to see you here. Congratulations on finding the 500.

If I can help with anything just let me know.

Welcome to the dark side

[JonW]

Thanks John, its great to finally be here.

[lost1750GTV]

'"finally seem to have bought a 500"

glad I'm not the only one, who for whatever reasons, never had one previously.

[JonW]

Haha, well... Yeah... many times over the years I could have bought one, but always something got in the way, either the price or I was buying something newer ie 'on the way up', and then more recently Ive just concentrated on the twin cyl models while these spiralled out of control around me, sigh.

Thinking about it, I remember one time I should have bought one... I was in the UK then and in Fowlers Bristol shop (when they had Swindon too) and there was one in the rows of modern bikes. I think it was £3995 which was silly money for one back then - it was about 2000 or 2001 I think. I was tempted but I'd either just bought, or was looking to buy a new R1 and I thought it was waaay too much for what it was.... I should have haggled (they were chancing their luck on it for sure) and bought it. I loved the R1, but I sold it 2 years later, perhaps I'd have kept the 500, hmm....

[Smoker]

Congrats!!

[kpke]

Will this be moved to the front of the "project" line?

[Kalim]

Nice to have you here Jon !

[JonW]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Will this be moved to the front of the "project" line?

That's a very good question... v2.0 of the 421 is currently on the lift but its nearing completion with a bunch of new goodies, what will hold that up is that ive a bunch of stuff to zinc plate and I may as well wait for the 500 and do all its plating at the same time... that sort of slows a lot of things down. I guess I'll need to decide when its here, but the short answer is 'yea' it will jump the queue, it'll be ahead of the F2 for sure and maybe some others.

[busa1300]

Congratulations.
I know the feeling about finally having a V4 500
I knew they were never going to get any cheaper, and I was definitely not getting any younger....I just had to do it.

[ns86]

Well done to get one finally. For decades I felt I would never own a Gamma myself. Then somehow I had 4. Passed on my project RG400 recently to a worthy comrade, who like many, was also wondering if it would ever happen for him. Congrats and enjoy the time with your new ride, she's real special!

[JonW]

Thanks guys, I feel much the same as you guys did from what you said. I have always wanted a Gamma 500 as well... The UK bike mag that lead with a story called 'fear of flying' really got me when I was a youngster lol.

Im excited to get this 500 in my garage and look it over, I didnt really get much of a chance when I did the deal, but its mostly standard with only a few non original things like a screen (I have a spare actually in my 350 spares) and aftermarket brake lines. Of course it'll need a full engine rebuild and probably a bunch of other things, but I do love a project