Standard RZ - '83 no longer modified with RGV, Brembo, Zeel & other parts

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JonW
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Standard RZ - '83 no longer modified with RGV, Brembo, Zeel & other parts

#1 Post by JonW » Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:10 am

*** 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_RZ350_RD350_Y ... 3_31k.html

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PLEASE NOTE:
As you will read when you run through this thread this project changed a few times during its build, from a modified bike back to a standard machine.

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And then in July 2017 Photobucket came and fucked it all up for everyone...

This build started off with Imageshack hosting the photos, they got greedy and while they continued to host the photos for a while I moved to Photobucket and all was great with the world until they decided we needed to pay $399/yr to post our pics across the net.

So, Thanks photobucket, you trashed this thread and thousands (more like millions!) of other around the world.

IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS THREAD WITH THE PHOTOS AND MY REHASHED TEXTS (BUT NOT THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE THREAD), HAVE A LOOK AT MY WEBSITE, 2SMOKED.COM.

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Ages ago an old RZ frame sort of followed me home... it was free... wow! Those were the days LOL.... It even has compliance and is an 83.

Of course it didnt stay free for long... A mate needed rid of an engine... and i paid him some coin and it arrived... most of it was junk, ahh well it was cheap...

Then someone locally was selling off their stack of race parts and i bought the lot, so gained some small parts for it... and also a front light and an OEM cowl... and a dented fuel tank... cool!

Then earlier this year a UK forumer sold of some 350cyls... not cheap but well, i had to.... oops...

Another friend called me up and asked if i wanted a few old RZ bits.... I ended up with some side panels and a tail... nice!

Then i was at a mates place who had an 80s honda MX swingarm and didnt want it... hmm...

Then another mate said 'you like RGV forks... you can have these if you want to buy them'... not cheap but i do like these forks...

Then over time parts just started adding up... a few things like a toomey battery box, a set of Gibson stainless pipes and a bunch of other bits got added to the pile, and then this week I bought a set of PVs from our resident Canadian bike parts guy....

And, since i managed to score an LC Zeel at the weekend, i now have an ignition for this bike as the one i bought in the USA earlier in the year will grace this frame when its built...

So... er.... they say things come to those who wait, and well yes it has been 2 years of slowly sticking parts in boxes in the corner, but if i could find some nice 17inch wheels id have most of a bike now... blimey...!

Im struggling not to laugh really... i reckon Ive now got more of this bike now than some of the bikes iv bought 'whole'! And ive no real desire to build it yet as ive got the RZ, LC and the MT to finish first. LOL

So, my advice... when you buy some bits and the guy offers you a box of bits for cheap as a side deal, buy it. When you see something useful or a mate wants rid of it, get it... you never know, you might find youve most of a bike without too much hassle! :smt003
Last edited by JonW on Wed May 15, 2019 9:55 pm, edited 6 times in total.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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L.B
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#2 Post by L.B » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:24 am

LOL,I luv it!Another build thread :smt003
Well I got some forks + triples etc,wheels & a proper 83 RZ swinger I'd like to donate (help me get rid of some of my stuff & I'll help ya get rid of yours lol) Got a bent frame if ya want that too,Ill even deliver it! :smt005
Post some pic's of the bits bloke.... :smt004

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JonW
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#3 Post by JonW » Tue Nov 01, 2011 8:20 am

LOL, well, yeah another bike in bits... my garage is like a bloody bike wreckers LOL!
No pics of this one... Its just not feasible... Ive stashed the parts all over the place, some is in dark corners covered in spiders webs, some is hanging from the rafters and some hanging on the wall like fine art (LOL!), and some is in boxes awaiting the day its turn comes... but all of it is kind of hidden, its only really getting a thread as Ive been talking about this project elsewhere and ive finally realised just how much of this build actually exists...

As for more parts... Well... I do have a spare set of RZ forks and a RZ front wheel already and even a spare 85-on swinger i could use on this, but i sort of wanted to do this one with some other wheels, not sure what yet, but maybe some 5 spoke 17s... we'll see what happens i guess...

LOL at the bent frame... er, no! I already have a full frame ive been cutting up for the KTMaha, which i guess will get built alongside this project now...

I have been wondering... should i build this as a 250... hmm... I have a lot of 250 top end parts... and its the only way im ever gonna ride a RZ250 i reckon as everyone is making 350s of them now! LOL!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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JonW
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#4 Post by JonW » Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:08 am

Just for Jason... some pics... I'll lose all my garage artwork when i eventually build up this bike LOL

Image

Image

Image

Image

Gibsons are in there somewhere...
Image
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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L.B
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#5 Post by L.B » Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:11 am

Oooo,hang on,that tank,is that your's or......?Those LC cases? :smt004

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JonW
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#6 Post by JonW » Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:20 am

eh? The white tank is the 83 (the build that this thread is about), the black one in the background is the 85's tank...

The cases are RZ... 34Js.... and for this build...

LOL, its all accounted for Jason... I dont have many 'spares' these days... sigh....
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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#7 Post by JonW » Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:22 am

The orange tank in the pics behind the pipes is a generic long range plastic tank set up to fit an XT500, but fits other bikes with some bracketry. Its a proper old skool 80s part, made by someone called 'MS', I did know its history one, but that was a while ago, sighhh. Its on ebay to help fund my 85's paint job... :smt001

In fact from those pics, the RG250 pipes have already been sold and were shipped this week, cash for the same good cause! :smt002
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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L.B
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#8 Post by L.B » Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:45 am

Ah sorry Jon,just had LC on the brain,I see that it is RZ tank now lol.....& the cases,how could I get that wrong :smt017
Just been reading through DOCO3 LC build thread & yours again......LC on the brain lol. :smt004
XT tank,is that the start of that "always wanted a XT500" build hehe.

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#9 Post by JonW » Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:52 am

LOL, yeah, I know what you mean, its hard to get your head around projects one by one, but bouncing round between different bike types makes it harder. Try having a Honda to do at the same time, gets very confusing when parts turn up like bearings... 'whats this set for then?' LOL

Nah, I have an XL500R and the MT250 to satisfy my need for an XT if im honest... I still love the look of them but they are slow and that project idea died out when the prices went up. :smt009

I may redo the XL500 as a flat tracker yet tho... but i have a lot of good parts for it so who knows... slow old 80s big single tho, what else can you do with it really?! anyway not for discussion in this thread or on this forum.... lets stick to my current Yamaha projects! :smt003
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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#10 Post by JonW » Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:12 am

One of my few and far between posts....

Jason (LB) came round today for a chat, he came bearing gifts for this project.... a rear wheel, seat and a few other plastic parts. Thanks m8!

Alex has a couple of parts I need to pick up also for this bike, and its great to think this one is slowly creeping forwards!

So with the excitement about Aarons 'budget build', Jason and I got to wondering if i could do this as a budget build... we also reasoned he could build one from his parts stash as well LOL

Our problem always seems to be that as Aaron highlighted, we dont all have enough parts, and some of us has more than one of something, so i will create a Sydney SwapShop thread where we can swap parts about.

So, who knows, maybe i will do an Aaron on this one... I do have almost all i need for it now... scary thought! haha!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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#11 Post by aaronmvrider » Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:35 pm

you make me sick......
i t m us t be the sp i ri ts...


:smt002 :smt002 massive night on the cenral coas

[smilie=blowup[1].gif] ..... my head...
1 x 4mm stroker rz 375cc 1983
1 x 7mm stroker rz 443cc 1984 (under construction)
1 x rz 500
1 x mv agusta 1000

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JonW
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#12 Post by JonW » Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:19 pm

LOL, didnt u like the parts swap thread?
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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JonW
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Re: My next RZ project.... RZ 1983...

#13 Post by JonW » Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:56 pm

Ummm... Wow! it's been over a year since I even looked at this thread, let alone any of the parts of this bike... Tho of course I have still been gathering them... various engine parts have arrived including a whole better bottom-end without any chain damage, not cheap these days as getting very rare indeed in Australia, and probably everywhere else.

So, what changed to have me posting here in this thread again? Well... I had a tidy up in my garage last week, mostly as a guy wanted to come over and look thru my MT250 spares, of which there are fewer and fewer these days, tho I still have the restored bike (soon to be tuned and for sale as I need the cash for projects). To be honest I didn't realise I had sold (and given away) so much of the MT stuff. I had boxes and boxes of it, but no more! Anyway, as now that the other boxes of XL500R parts are formed into a bike shaped object, and the XT is much the same (it went from bike to boxes, to a bike again), a re-organise was long overdue. Winter is a great time to do that in Aus, its way to hot to do that kind of heavy lifting in Summer in my garage.

Anyway, while tidying some areas of my garage/workshop that I rarely set foot in I decided to sort out my wheel and tyre stash. Some of the wheels that no longer have homes (i.e. not bikes I'm building anymore or have sold, or are selling) are now on ebay or gone to mate's places so that helped but what was very cool is that I came across the wheels for this bike and was able to match them up as a set with tyres and disks from my spares stash.

Jason (LB) kindly passed me the rear wheel. With the old cracked 'Pirelli Phantom' (I think) tyre whipped off it and a quick wash it looks like it just needs a repaint and a polish (and of course new bearings) to be usable. Cool news indeed.

Image

The front wheel came with some project bike I bought a while back, it was part of the deal that I had to take it I think... it's sounds harsh and a struggle for me to say, but I really didn't want this RZ part, madness I know, hmm... It's just that I hate painted or powdercoated wheels... They are always a nightmare to restore... and this one looks to have been painted by a 5 year old using household acrylic gloss, probably Dulux outdoor stuff, as it's pretty solid! I've started to strip it with the best paint stripper I know of (KBS's aircraft stripper) and it's been hard going, but under the nasty white you can see its a normal RZ wheel that has been just painted over. Mental. Bloody POs!

Image

Amusingly there was also good news during the garage tidy up as I actually found a matched set of tyres for this bike in the stash. They are Michelin M45... One was on the white wheel and one was a gift from a racer. Looking on the Michelin site ( http://moto.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-m45" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) I see they have two characteristics...

1, Specifically designed for urban riding - That's cool.

2, Outstanding tyre life - That's not so cool.

...hmm... well we'll see... To give them some hope I gave em a clean up and a coat of product to keep em moist in storage. Hopefully the darkness of the workshop will have them stored ok for now.

Image

I may keep hitting these wheels with paint stripper and see how they go, I don't fancy springing for any posh blasting "with virgin's thoughts" or whatever is the blast media of the moment for alloys that avoids scratches/damage to the polished surfaces.

Actually.... When done these wheels may end up on the '85 F1 project if I can get my head around finally finishing that bike as they tyres are in more roadworthy condition than the "as new but sidewall damaged" Avon that bike is currently wearing. We'll see. Where I go from here on any build depends on what gets sold and what gets finally finished in the next 6months I guess! Keep watching every 12mths from past experience LOL!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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L.B
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Re: My next RZ project.... RZ 1983...

#14 Post by L.B » Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:56 am

Interesting Jon,doing some rims myself.
This KBS aircraft shizzle,where you find it?
Highly recommend you put these rims on the 85,luv that model & a beautiful rebuild that youve done.

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JonW
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Re: My next RZ project.... RZ 1983...

#15 Post by JonW » Tue Jul 30, 2013 3:25 am

Ta Jase, just google KBS coatings, they are Aussies and have a .com.au website, just buy direct. I've also used their tank sealer kit, it's very good. Seems the owner was a POR 15 guy and left to do his own thing.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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