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RZ 350 Kenny Roberts Edition

NJFZ1 said:
Yea, it's hard to find one that doesn't have any stress cracks unless it hasn't been ridden like that one on eBay with the 5 miles...lol

By the way you see the price of it! Auction is almost over and it's over $11k :eek5:
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I saw that !! 11K. and sold for 12.1K incredible !! . . . . Maybe another one will surface sometime soon?! :tup:
 
The RZ today

I didn't get much done today. . . but I did get a couple of pics to post .. .
I sanded and prepped the inside of the chin fairing (first pic) then mixed and applied the epoxy/glassmat last Monday. I cleaned and detailed the front fairing, removed the fly-screen and re-blacked the lower portion (matched the factory blackout) where it was wearing thin. I installed new black Wind-screen screws to finish 'er up. I still need to polish out some light scratches in the clear screen. Maybe do that tomorrow!! :cheers:
 
pilot8127 said:
I didn't get much done today. . . but I did get a couple of pics to post .. .
I sanded and prepped the inside of the chin fairing (first pic) then mixed and applied the epoxy/glassmat last Monday. I cleaned and detailed the front fairing, removed the fly-screen and re-blacked the lower portion (matched the factory blackout) where it was wearing thin. I installed new black Wind-screen screws to finish 'er up. I still need to polish out some light scratches in the clear screen. Maybe do that tomorrow!! :cheers:
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Nice work Gary! How did you "black" out the nose cone like that? It doesn't look like a "spray job". It does look like when the bike came from the factory. Keep up the great work!:tup:
 
Thanks Billy and Dustin, being retired does have it's advantage's . . . I get to putter on things for hours, heh,heh and still get a few things done around the house too.

That black on the top of the front fairing is factory. What I repainted (gloss black) is the inside of the lower fly-screen. It too was factory painted (flat-black) but, it was wearing thin. I suspect it was not real thick when sprayed on in 1984. I just followed the mask line and re-shot it to freshen it up. Looks way better now IMHO, , , I like the gloss look better than the flat.

And I know you both know what I mean, but I think there are guys out there that-- 1.) LIKE to work on motorcycles. 2.) Guys that LIKE to work on them and also LIKE to ride motorcycles. AND, 3.) Guys who DON'T like to work on motorcycles and would rather just RIDE them!! Girl's too. I don't mean just the guy's of course. . .. heh,heh Of course, , I am in group TWO with Billy !
 
Like you I'm in group 2, but just don't have the time that I'd like to ride and work on them so it's mostly riding for me.

By the way that upper fairing came out nice with the respray of the black section.
 
That is sweet !! Thanks Tony !! I have got it on my watch-list now. I have never seen one like that. . . . is Lockhart a good brand ?

I am guessing it is. And, that anything under $100. is a deal . . . :D
 
If yours is going to be like mine always was, you're going to need a good damper if you're going to ride it fast. These bikes had a rep for head shaking bad enough to throw you a good scare.

I tried everything to make mine quit, diff wt fork oil, diff fork oil levels, diff pressures, diff tire pressures in all kinds of combos. The taper roller head head brgs I installed on mine helped but didn't stop it totally.



Never forget the 1st time mine did it, nobody had warned me about it.....
 
Thanks Duster . . .! I didn't know about the headshake on the RZ's !! I have been on the RZ site and I didn't see any mention of such. BUT, I will be the first to admit that-- 1.) I wasn't looking for that particular thread, and-- 2.) I haven't searched (yet) for any info on the propensity to shake at speed.

The PO didn't mention it either but he might not know about ? I will ask him though.

I am thinking on whether or not to spring for it. I doubt I could recover the money for it on resale . . .. .thinking, thinking, thinking. . . . .
:thinking:
 
I went to the Yam dealer show at the SuperDome in New Orleans Dec '83 where the RZ was introduced for the Yam SE US Region - KR wheelyed one across the stage - was a pretty exciting moment. We got to met him and all that (he is kinda short....), but was super nice guy and a blast to talk with.

Shop got 10 RZs initially and me and another mechanic bought the 1st two - he used his as a daily driver, mine was a baby since still had my '74 RD350 and that was my driver at the time, also had (and still do) '71 Ply Duster. We stayed in touch several years til he wrecked his and compared notes - his was a shaker and the other 3 or 4 RZs owners that stayed in town that came back to the shop for service said theirs were shakers as well. You don't see it until 80-85 or so and it will toss you off if you let it - have seen a wrecked RZ that was basically destroyed that way. If you blast thru that speed where it shakes, you'll get past the shaking, but if you ease up to it, you can have a prob. Mine is stone stock except for pipes and it was that way with the stock tires and the set of Metzeler tires that were supposed to make it stop (and didn't).

The RZs the shop got were early production - my serial number is within the 1st 1100 units that were made as were the others. I don't know if Yam made changes that were aimed at this prob or not. I know our dealership communicated that there was a prob, but don't know if Yam did anything or not. From some of the others comments, sounds like they did, just don't know what. Mid '84 was where I got off the bus so to speak, my real job started taking over and I became more and more just a rider as my real job took more and more of my time.
 
I had an 86' and she was rock solid up to top speed which I tested repeatedly. Of course the later years all had needle bearing in the steering heads and full fairings so maybe that had something to do with the stability?

Originally the steering head bearings were ball style and they took a pounding from all the wheelies (I suspect).
 
Ohh soooo interesting . . . . . The FZ1 is sooo rock solid. Mmmhhhhhh. . ..

Thanks guys, I REALLY appreciate all the helpful, insightful, informational tips. Such a wealth of knowledge out here . . . impressive ! :D
 
The RZ today

I got started cleaning on the tank today. I am cleaning and detailing the outside, the filler neck inside/outside, and the gas cap, (I got the cap pretty well cleaned up the other day), got some more attention. I lubed it up inside and out. The keys all work it flawlessly now. yay

I am wondering about removing the petcock, the pickup screen, and the vacuum diaphram/hose assembly. The inside of the tank will get cleaned with a mixture of kerosene/gasoline. I plan to swish/slosh, swirl, and shake it vigorously several times to loosen and remove any gum, varnish, and sticky deposits that might me in the bottom. I guess when I drain it out I'll know by what the out-flow from the tank screen looks like. Free flowing or restricted by gunk. . .
The pics of the tank are 'as removed'. Some dirt and small nicks are visible. Should be all sparkly-clean in the next set of pics. . ..:tup:

I did go and check on the RZ today too. NO progress. NONE. . .. not even got the carbs off yet . . . .:ugh:

No replacement parts . . . ., , , not even ordered yet. . . .. . another :ugh:

Of course they promise me they will be on it first thing next week. CLEAN the carbs, install a battery, and get her firing on two cylinders. I hope so. If not, I'll be loading her up for the return home where I can get her going. yay :D
 
That tank is pretty nice Gary. Can't believe it even has the factory info stickers on it yet.

I would definitely remove the petcock so you can assess it's condition and clean the inside of the tank really well. Only way you'll really get all the gunk out is if you remove the petcock. Might not be a bad idea to rebuild it as well (if they sell a rebuilding kit). I would imagine after all these years the gaskets and o-rings are not in the best shape.
 
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