[busa1300]

After 35 years of dreaming....this is the year the dream will be reality.
MotoGP bred V4 two stroke for the street.....the real Kenny Roberts/Eddie Lawson replica
I have the bike, now I need to build it to ride......

Proof of start date/point of bike progress to come....

A bit of history....will need translator though
https://bike-lineage.org/unpopular/rzv500r.html

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[busa1300]

This is a true NO BOLT UNTOUCHED rebuild, with a few possible changes as I go....

Yamaha's very first production aluminum frame....

 

[busa1300]

I will repeat a little bit of how the project got to this point. And hopefully move only forward from here with progress.

July 1984 I bought a brand new Yamaha FJ1100.....the magazines said this was the baddest production bike made.
I was in love, but only a couple months later the magazines had a new cover model....that I wanted even more.
An aluminum frame JDM only GP replica, with no way to ever get one.

After untold half attempts at getting a RZ/RD 500, I decided if I'm going to do it.....quit fucking talking about it and do it.
I found one for sale in Japan....looked at a few very small pictures....made some connections....and committed my money

My middle man (woman actually) got the bike to her shop

Boxed it up and sent it to me

An untouched 6000 mile bike.
That let long term storage take it's toll on too many areas for me to neglect.
I put it back together to run it, and decide from there what I had to do
https://youtu.be/wUrWZCCEkY8

This was the last time the bike was ever seen in one piece....

That takes us to April 2018.....I tore the bike down, pulled the engine and found rust in the cylinders....which led me to a point that that shut the project down.
And me not giving a fuck about working on anything anymore.
I bought a new bike to ride, and did just that until winter came back to put me in my place.

Back in the garage.



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[busa1300]

Cranks are out and ready to ship out.

Cases are cleaned up, inside and out as well as flushing out the transmission.
Ready for cranks when they get back from rebuild.
Clutch pulled and checked/cleaned up.

As much as I had wanted to keep this completely original....
I knew I had to put different/lighter more powerful pipes on it.
And I really did not want to run skinny tires on the oldskool 16/18 combo....
Not sure what route I will take with wheels yet, but the FZR1000 front and rear I have right now, are an easy swap.
But....I might also swap forks, and if I do that I'll have to swap calipers and master too....and then it just goes on to a project that will never be done.

So, I really need to focus on simplicity/functionality/and ease to take it back to completely original.
Because in another 15 years when I put this on permanent display in the basement, functionality won't matter.

Wheels will be....any color other than white....probably very dark grey metallic

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[busa1300]

Dug the carbs out after I cleaned the cranks up to double check bearings (and deciding to just get ALL new bearings and not think about it anymore)
Looks like it will be in the upper 40's tomorrow, so I will soda blast the outside of the carbs first.
Then put them in the sonic cleaner for about an hour for all the internal areas.

Inquired about the possibility of boring out the stock carbs from 26mm to 28mm....I know...small either way.
But simple options are few, and cheap options non existent.

Might do a bit of porting to try and fit bigger reed cages in as well.
The stock reed cages are incredibly small, severely limiting the potential of the bulletproof bottom end.
Here is the difference between the RZV500 reed and the RGV250 VJ21 reed
This is why the VJ21 was the very first production bike to break the 200HP per liter limit.

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[busa1300]

More wheel possibilities...
02YZF600R 17x5

It is posing some fitment issues though, more questions than answers so far.
Next is possibly a 89 up FZR 1000 17x5.5.....?



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[busa1300]

Carbs are completely stripped and now spotless, inside and out.
Sadly since this was a restricted home market bike, all the jets and needles will have to be changed....
....sad because it will be all trail and error/seat of the pants tuning work.
Which is dependant on what pipes I use as well as reed valves and ignition timing curve.
And that takes a lot of time, before it will be good enough to then go to the dyno.

One step at a time I guess.

 

[busa1300]

More done.
Soda blasted my heads and cylinders when I blasted my carbs.
Finally got around to getting the parts masked of correctly so I could repaint them.
Used acid etch primer then single stage polyurethane semigloss black at work.
Pulled tape off when I got home, then put them in the oven for a couple hours at 200 degrees.

Pistons and main bearings showed up Monday, and my rod bearings should be here tomorrow.
Then I can get my cylinders sent off for rebore, and cranks 100% rebuilt throughout.


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[busa1300]

Bought the correct Koyo/Yamaha bearings for the cranks, and sent them out for a rebuild.
Two weeks later....and $$$....
And I just got them back today, now I can really start making some progress....

Cylinders were sent out at the same time for a rebore to get rid of the fucking rust.
Came back looking new, Put my cleaned up powervalves in with all new seals.
Ready to get some pistons put in them now.

 

[busa1300]

Other areas of progress.....
Rebuilding FZR forks.

320 rotors are cleaned up and ready to bolt on.

Put in new steering head bearings.

And used paint remover and the soda blaster to get wheel ready for paint.....(maybe tomorrow)

 

[busa1300]

Was given one set of rings the wrong size with my piston kit.
New rings showed up a few days ago and finally put my last cylinder on today, ready to be torqued down, then.....
....put into the frame....Finally

Also my pipes showed up today as well.....FUCK YEA.....!!!!!

Talked to Wiley at Racetech about my gold valves and tuning for my forks....
Everything is still in pieces everywhere, but closer to making it look like something soon.

 

[busa1300]

Part of this build off thread asks for cost of parts or cost of the project....
Not sure if anyone really wants to know how much money has to be spent on one of these to get them back on the street properly......

Lets just say, if you have a joint checking account with your wife....you might be looking for a small apartment soon.
For yourself............
Mine never asks, she knew the way I was with bikes way before we ever got married.

 

[busa1300]

Got the cranks timed, and clutch reinstalled.
Clutch cover back on.....and then progress stopped
But will resume soon, and the engine will be back in the frame next time you see it.

 

[busa1300]

More progress today...

Hope to have the front end on tomorrow....




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[busa1300]

Youtube walk around.....Sony entertainment shut me down, so there is no music now.
https://youtu.be/DAeUYq3gPPQ

 

[busa1300]

The final part to adapting the YZF 5.0x17 rear wheel to the RZV swingarm was making a caliper bracket for the R1 caliper...the problem was there is less than 1/4 inch clearance between the caliper mounting bolts and the swing arm. It is a close fit, but everything lines up perfect when torqued down.

 

[busa1300]

Finished up my foot peg brackets, and made a rod to hold the caliper.
New HH pads and calipers bled, feel like they are working great.

Put on my 520 sprockets

Also ground down the spare ignition switch I bought so I have clearance on the steering head.

 

[busa1300]

Put on a DID VX2 520 chain, and a new clutch cable.
Bolted up the sprocket cover and my shift linkage....rear end is basically done now.

 

[busa1300]

My 3MA 41mm handlebars showed up, so it was time to get the front end together

Radiator is ready to go in, but I am still waiting on my reed valves.
Once I have those I can get them in and intake boots on....no room to do it with the radiator and fan on bike.

 

[busa1300]

Reed valves showed up last weekend.
So it was time to try and get them in.
Needless to say, it was quite the bitch getting them bolted in and the lines on....but they are in finally.
And then was able to put the radiator and all the hoses on.

Yea....its seriously fucking complex for a two stroke

Have a Zeel ignition on the way, and already have the connector ends to hook it up.
Have a pair of Uni filters for the ears.
Time to get jets ordered now....



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