| Model year | 1984 |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Acceleration marks | 9 / 10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 8 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.4 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 25000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 26500 kilometres |
| Previous motorcycle | Yamaha XT 350 |
Summary:
Excellent
Faults:
Electrical short between the neutral and oil lights.
General Comments:
Very good 2-stroke acceleration.
Handles nice.
Cheap insurance (Low cc's)
Love it. It acts like it's a four stroke of double the cc's.
A little small in stance and overall size.
Not the best for carrying passengers.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th May, 2006
| Model year | 1983 |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 1983 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Acceleration marks | 7 / 10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 8 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.0 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 27000 kilometres |
| Previous motorcycle | Yamaha RD350LC |
Summary:
Awesome
Faults:
I have had absolutely no problems with this bike.
General Comments:
I rode the RZ as my main machine from 1983 'till 1994 when I bought a 600. It is a fantastic wheelie machine, and has always proved to be a thrill to ride. The RZ must be ridden aggressively, and thrives on full throttle treatment.
I added Toomey Pipes and Boysen 2 stage reeds as well as opening up the airbox. I did not touch the porting, but had excellent results with what was done. The bike pulls hard well past redline (up to approx. 11,500 RPM), and I found when in the mountains I could still get great performance at higher elevations by leaving it in 4th gear and reving the guts out of it. This bike really stands up well to outrageous abuse.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th June, 2005
You say it pulls well past redline (you say up to 11,500). That's good way to ruin the bike though, as the cranks are easily destroyed by being held at the redline (10,500) for a few seconds.
Like the man said "outrageous abuse, 10 years, 11.500 r.p.m.."
Must not hurt the crank too much if it's still going.
Just to clarify my remarks re reving at 11,500 (written a couple of years ago). The revs are based upon the stock tach and I do not know how accurate it is.
Also the engine is very strong and I have had no crank trouble whatsoever. I think if you keep the engine under load, it is not nearly as hard on things as blowing a shift, then pounding it back into gear. That can really stress things. The early Rz's had a couple of false neutrals that could take you by surprise.
I have a Canadian 83 RZ350. Live in California, I have owned it for almost 20 years. There as yet have been no problems with the bike whatsoever, just had all the plastic and tank repainted in SF by Pete@underground color... great job. Still run it on castor; smells great, runs great.
| Model year | 1983 |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Acceleration marks | 8 / 10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 10 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.9 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 38000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 41000 kilometres |
| Previous motorcycle | Honda CMX250 |
Summary:
A very good bike if you're on a budget and good with your hands
Faults:
Carburetor problems.
Kick start broke.
General Comments:
Very peppy off the line, eats a ricer car for a light snack.
Fairly comfortable for a sport model bike.
Handles well.
Not too reliable though.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th March, 2005