Do you remember race replica motorcycles like the 1984 Yamaha RD500LC?
1984
This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most eagerly awaited and desirable motorcycles of modern times, Yamaha’s now legendary 1984 RD500LC.
The first of the mid- ‘80s 500GP replicas, the all-new Yamaha simply had it all. As an RD-LC it was the big brother to the hugely popular RD250 and 350LC. As a two-stroke, 90bhp, 500cc V4 it promised superbike-beating performance. And as a road going replica of the 1983 factory OW70 campaigned by three-times world champ ‘King’ Kenny Roberts, it had a provenance second to none.
Actually inspired by the 1982 OW61 (which had a box-section cradle frame) but styled more akin to 1983’s succeeding OW70 (which had the first twin beam Deltabox), the RD500LC was unveiled at the Paris Show in October 1983 and caused a sensation.
Its looks were a doppelganger for King Kenny’s factory V4 and in terms of tech’ it featured all the latest trends – YPVS, ventilated front discs, sophisticated anti-dive and 16-inch front wheel.
Under the fairing, like both racers, it wasn’t a true 50-degree V4, instead having twin cranks meaning it worked as a pair of 180-degree parallel twins geared together, with, also like the racer, a cassette gearbox.
Road considerations, however, forced some changes. While the racer positioned its four big carburettors inside the vee, on the RD this was taken up by the YPVS system requiring four smaller 26mm Mikuni carbs relocated to the engine’s side.
Where the racer used rotary disc valve induction, Yamaha gave the RD reed valves for a broader, more street-oriented powerband. While the two upper expansion chambers meant the rear monoshock, instead of being upright behind the engine, was underslung horizontally with a complex link arrangement.
RD500LC
Initial race results heightened the anticipation. Bikes arrived first in Australia, in April ’84, where it was called the RZ500, with Michael Dowson promptly winning the Hub 300 production race at Lakeside, Queensland.
So, by the time the European RD500LC arrived in Britain that June, with MCN Road Tester Mat Oxley declaring “Yamaha has produced a GP racer with a tax disc” followed by Bike magazine’s memorable cover stating, “Take a good look – there ain’t no way you’ll get this close again”, expectation was unprecedented.
No wonder then that the UK’s first over-subscribed shipment, despite a retail price of £2995 (around the same as Kawasaki’s GPz900R) immediately sold out and was often quickly punted on for a profit.
“We wanted to prove to anybody and everybody that Yamaha could build the most sensational, pure sports, total performance motorcycle that any factory had ever let loose on the public road,” stated Yamaha boldly in its promotional blurb. Few argued it had achieved just that.
Sadly, history now tells us the RD500LC’s success was short lived. Although hugely significant, evocative and fine handling, its performance was a little sanitized, so, although quick, it wasn’t the earth-shattering experience expected.
Further race success didn’t come, either. After missing 1984 homologation targets, plans for the following year’s F1 series with Harris frames soon stalled.
But most tellingly, in 1985 Yamaha debuted its new FZ750, a bike that was far more significant for its future; the first supersports 600s arrived, with the performance of the RD500 but with added practicality for £200 less, and by 1987 the 500LC had been canned with just 1400 built.
Today, however, the 500LC is celebrated as one of the greatest modern classics. As the first ‘500GP rep’ it’s iconic and, for as few brief months in 1984, it was the most desirable motorcycle imaginable, which is why it’ll now take £20K to get a good one.