Motorcycle specifications YamahaRD 350 LC 1987 The sting of a TZ

At the end of the 70s, Yamaha was the only motorcycle brand at the time to market "customer competitions" with which private riders achieved positive results. In the past, many riders had achieved remarkable results at the handlebars of their Yamaha TZ 350s, such as Giacomo Agostini, Johnny Cecotto and Takazmi Katayama. So it was only natural that Yamaha should give its customers the benefit of technology honed over many years of competition. So, in 1980, Yamaha launched a new model on the French market: the RD 350 LC!

A 2-stroke twin-cylinder engine that was no stranger to Yamaha at the time, since the company had been developing and marketing such engines since 1969.
However, this model benefits from the technical innovations developed on the TZs that had been touring the world's circuits for many years.

The engine is identical in design to the racing machines, a puncture-proof liquid-cooled two-stroke that packs a punch. The racing-inspired frame features a cantilever rear suspension for excellent handling, and the saddle position is ideal for sporty riding.

This bike was sold for more than 10 years, with a number of notable variations and evolutions. Over the years, the engine on this bike has grown by leaps and bounds, gaining almost 15hp. Initially, the evolution focused on the machine's appearance, and both on the other side of the Atlantic and in Europe, the bike came in a variety of colors and fairings. In 1983, Yamaha decided to upgrade the engine with YPVS* and a thermostat. They also rebuilt the exhausts, the frame, the air-assisted forks and a new monocross suspension. Many of the other parts have been redesigned. Although the RDLC's appearance changed little, a minor facelift brought it up to date once again.

In 1985, the bike underwent another small evolution, with a new dashboard, an electronic rev counter, a new swingarm and, once again, modified exhausts. The brake calipers were changed to opposed pistons, giving the bike a little more bite on corner entry.

In 1986, the frame was re-modified, along with the fuel tank, carburetors and new settings... and yet another new bike rolled off the Yamaha production line, providing bikers with a new look and better performance.
This was the last notable evolution of the RD 350, since afterwards Yamaha began producing new machines, and therefore only sold variations of this RD with color modifications.

*Yamaha Power Valve System = rotary exhaust valve invented by Yamaha, which was the first manufacturer to market production motorcycles equipped with such a system, developed in competition on Kenny Roberts' TZ 500. It regulates the size of the exhaust port according to engine speed, delivering better performance at low revs, while retaining power at high revs.

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