1985 Yamaha YPVS RD500

Registration No: C675 JGF
Frame No: 1GE002795
MOT: Exempt

• A road-going relative to the rare YZR500 Grand Prix bike
• Rare and very original example supplied new to the British market
• Low mileage reading, with 280 miles covered since an engine overhaul by Stan Stephens
  

Introduced in 1984, just six months or so after Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson had taken the wraps off their very similar looking YZR500 V4 Moto GP bikes, the Yamaha RD500 YPVS caused a sensation. Inexpensive given its rumoured 150mph performance, a waiting list was quick to form with nearly-new examples trading above list price. Utilising twin crankshafts, reed intake valves, Yamaha’s YPVS exhaust power valves and four Mikuni carburettors, the newcomer’s 499cc two-stroke V4 engine was allied to a six-speed, close-ratio gearbox. A full fairing ensured that the RD500 YPVS sliced through the air effectively, while its square section tube frame was equipped with anti-dive front suspension, a link type rear and disc brakes. Briefly the ‘must have’ road racer of the mid-1980s, the RD500 YPVS enjoys something of a cult following.

A rare and highly original British-market example with eleven keepers on record, ‘C675 JGF’ was purchased by our vendor in 2018 for his collection of Japanese motorcycles. In that time, the engine was fully overhauled by Stan Stephens and it has only done 280 miles since. Indeed, it has covered under 1,000 miles since 2006, and the odometer reading of 28,800 is possibly genuine from new. Last used in late 2025, the Yamaha would benefit from some light recommissioning. It is supplied with the current V5C.

For more information, please contact:
Mike Davis
mike.davis@handh.co.uk
07718 584217