50 cc's and 5 Speeds Of Ugly 80's Cruiser Two Stroke Awesomeness - I Bought A Thing

"Pickup_man" (zekeh) 08/17/2020 at 09:40 • Filed to: None

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A pretty rare thing at that, but not a particularly valuable one. This is a 1983 Yamaha RX50 Special. There were supposedly only 2000 of these ever made and they appear to be pretty spread out across the world so the number here in the US is probably pretty darn low and good info is hard to come by. These were prom otional bikes produced by Yamaha in 1983 and ‘84, given to dealerships to raffle off or sell to help promote then then new Virago.

A set of black tracker style handlebars are already on order, these green ones look ugly and are super bent.

This one is a bit rough around the edges, and I overpaid a little but I saw it and jumped on it and I’m pumped to have it. It’s missing quite a few pieces which is both a shame, and a relief because as cool as it would be to have a mint example, I won’t feel bad making some small modifications to it.

Sellers photo, this thing actually cleaned up really well, everything is original and in remarkably good shape. Must not have been ridden much.

It is a runner which is a plus but it’s going to need a few things to make it road worthy, and a fresh set of tires before I attempt to find it’s top speed of 55-60 mph. It also has no title, something I swore I wouldn’t do again, so I’ve got to get that sorted and will likely try the Vermont registration thing. Because it has a proper transmission it does need to be registered in my state, despite being only 50cc. I’ll probably putz around on it some but won’t take it anywhere outside of my little town of 1,100 until I’ve got proper rego on it.

I’ve already got it torn apart, going through it top to bottom and I’m glad I am, there were a lot of little things wrong with it. Loose fork caps, a missing bolt on the fork brace making the forks scary wobbly, a scotch brite pad for an air cleaner etc. I’ve already got the head bearings, front wheel, and forks rebuilt, the carb will get tackled tonight, followed by the rear wheel, rear suspension and electrical once I get a headlight, taillight, and blinkers ordered.

I’m really looking forward to riding this thing, I’ve got a buddy with a hopped up QT50 to ride around with, and there’s a local 49cc club I’m thinking of joining as well. In any case, I’m gonna put some miles on this thing. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 09:51

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I love it it's so cute

vondon302 > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 10:02

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V ery cool!

So is the 3 wheeler.

Pickup_man > vondon302 08/17/2020 at 10:15

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That 3 wheeler is my favorite creation, it’s a hilariously fun 90 cc machine  of terror. 

vondon302 > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 10:19

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Oh yeah you've written about that before.  

VincentMalamute-Kim > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 10:43

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I thought all 2-stroke street bikes were phased out by the late 70's due to emissions regs? I had an early 70's Kawasaki 500cc H1 triple. That one was more dangerous than fun.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/17/2020 at 11:18

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Yamaha’s RZ350 wasn’t phased out in the US market until 1984 or ‘85. I think that was the last street-legal 2-stroke sold in the US.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 11:19

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Missed the front disc in that very first photo & thought I was looking at the world’s tiniest drum brake.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 08/17/2020 at 11:21

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Forgot about those. They looked great!

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/17/2020 at 11:29

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No kidding. Yamaha’s yellow speed block livery looked great on everything that ever wore it.

The white/red didn’t work nearly as well.

Pickup_man > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/17/2020 at 11:43

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There were some holdouts, I think being 50cc helped it’s cause. 

Pickup_man > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 08/17/2020 at 11:44

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That’s what I thought too when I saw the add. It’s still probably a contender for worlds smallest disk on a motorcycle. 

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/17/2020 at 11:46

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My first bike was a ‘74 Suzuki GT380. A 2 stroke triple that sounded like a pissed off chain saw but would run all day long with my pal’s Kawi KZ750. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 11:47

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Very cool! :D

VincentMalamute-Kim > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 08/17/2020 at 11:50

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Yes - the yellow/black is classic. As is the b lue/white of the Gamma

VincentMalamute-Kim > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/17/2020 at 11:54

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oh yeah, W ater B uffalos.  Don’t know if yours was one.  I imagine yours had the handling of my H1?  i.e. none.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/17/2020 at 12:03

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Nope, mine was air-cooled. I’ve heard about the water buffalos though; That was the GT750. The handling on my bike wasn’t awful after I replaced the original tires with modern Metzelers.

Nom De Plume > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 12:03

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Neat.

Sounds like you’ll have no problems getting it sorted.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/17/2020 at 12:09

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The Gamma was a whole ‘nother level of cool (and complexity!), but unobtanium at the time in the US. I’ve never seen an RG500 in person, outside of the Barber museum, whereas I knew two people who had RZs in the late ‘80s.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 12:12

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I bet! The piston in that caliper must be the size of a thimble.

Is that a storage compartment in the back end of the seat? Looks like an ashtray, LOL.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 08/17/2020 at 12:29

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Me too - I’ve seen a few RZs back in the day.  The forbiddeness of the RG contributes to its allure.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/17/2020 at 12:29

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hmm... nah, I can’t imagine anything improving my old H1's handling.

Pickup_man > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 08/17/2020 at 12:35

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It is a storage compartment, I’m going to either have to cover it, or 3D print something because the missing lid is impossible to find. 

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Pickup_man 08/17/2020 at 13:08

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In the mean time, I’d mount something out of place there - an inflatable palm tree or something stupid like that. Presumably you’ll just be puttering around surface streets with this & not strafing the backroads at a blistering pace. It’s not like anyone is going to be riding pillion on this thing (I hope).

Pickup_man > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 08/17/2020 at 13:56

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I can find something silly to put on the back, not a bad idea.