Cytind.rs m...ure a very overaquare 66.4 x 60.Omm ••ch. Th. front benk
reli.. on crenltca.. induction whil. the rear i. pinon port.
Th. . . . .mbled .ngin. i. comp8et; intak•• are between the cylind.r••
• xhausts outsid•. A frame tube unbolts to .... r.moval.
The RZ500·. .ingle rear shock is positioned undem.ath the .ngine.
between the forward exhaust pipes; the carbs are stacked on each side.
22
snake around under the seat and
finally exit through the tail piece.
Problem solved, except that now you
have to (ind somewhere else (or the
rear suspension unit, the heat (rom
the pipes provides a heated seat (I)
and the cowling necessary to cover
the two top pipes becomes a stylist's
nightmare.
.
Housinl!; the RZ's rather compact
but complex mOlOr is a box-section
steel tube (rame cleverly painted to
look like aluminum. Two widelyspaced main frame tubes run (rom
the steering head to the swingarm
pivot area and carry most of the load
while the two rails that run below the
motor, and bolt apart to ease engipe
removal, are the secondary load carrying members. The plates that carry
the swingarm pivot also support the
two rear engine mounts and the
center spindle for the rear suspension's rocker arm.
A sub-frame (or the seat is carried
above and behind the main top rails
and the swingarm pivot area. The
swingarm itself is a box-section extruded alloy unit that is sprung via a
rocker-arm linkage and a single
spring/damper unit located under
the engine. This unit has four-way
adjustable damping while its steel
coil spring has an adjustment (or preload and hence ride height.
At the front, ~7mm telescopic forks
are mounted in alloy clamps top and
bottom-with tapered roller bearings
used in the steering head. The forks
use internal coil springs and hydraulic
damping and carry brake pressureactuated hydraulic anti-dive. Fork
travel is 4.9 inches while at the rear
there is some 4.7 inches o( travel.
Rake and trail dimensions are
26°/~. 7 inches while the wheelbase at
54 inches is very short.
Cast alloy wheels are used both
front and rear and both show good
attention in their casting to weight
saving. The (ront wheel is a 2.75 x
16-inch and carries a 120/80 section
tire while the rear ~.OO x 18-inch
wheel carries a I ~0/80 tire..
As with many of the more recent
performance-oriented Yamahas, ventilated discs are used and likewise the
opposed piston alloy calipers of the
RZSOO are similar to those of the
F] II OO/X]900' Completing the overall picture is a 5.B-gallon steel tank
and an ABS plastiefairing. Dry weight
is ~96.8 pounds while the wet is 440
pounds.
_
