Yamaha RD500LC YPVS Christian Sarron Replica
Yamaha RD500LC YPVS Christian Sarron Replica | |
Manufacturer | |
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Production | 1985 |
Engine | Two stroke, 50°-V4 cylinder, reed valve. |
Compression ratio | 6.6 :1 |
Top Speed | 148 mph / 238 km/h |
Ignition | Digital CDI |
Spark Plug | NGK, BR9HS |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Frame | Steel twin downtube |
Suspension | Front: 37mm Air assisted telescopic forks, 4-way spring preload adjustable and anti-dive variable. Rear: Monoshock, spring preload and rebound damping, |
Brakes | Front: 2x 267mm discs 2 piston calipers Rear: Single 245mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 120/80 V16 + |
Rear Tire | 130/80 V18 |
Wheelbase | 1375 mm / 54.1 in |
Seat Height | 780 mm / 30.7 in |
Weight | 180 kg / 437.8 lbs (dry), 198.6 kg / 436.5 lbs (wet) |
Recommended Oil | Yamalube 10w-40 |
Fuel Capacity | 22 Liters / 5.8 gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 148 mph / 238 km/h.
Engine
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Two stroke, 50°-V4 cylinder, reed valve.. The engine featured a 6.6 :1 compression ratio.
Drive
Power was moderated via the Wet, multiple discs, cable operated.
Chassis
It came with a 120/80 V16 + front tire and a 130/80 V18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 267mm discs 2 piston calipers in the front and a Single 245mm disc 2 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 37mm Air assisted telescopic forks, 4-way spring preload adjustable and anti-dive variable. while the rear was equipped with a Monoshock, spring preload and rebound damping,. The RD500LC YPVS Christian Sarron Replica was fitted with a 22 Liters / 5.8 gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 180 kg / 437.8 lbs. The wheelbase was 1375 mm / 54.1 in long.
Photos
Overview
Yamaha RD 500LC Christian Sarron Replica
Few superbikes have been as
eagerly anticipated as the RD500LC. In 1983 the
long-standing success of Yamaha's middleweight two-stroke twins, combined
with the factory's success in 500cc grand prix racing, made a 500cc
four-cylinder race replica seem the logical next step. Such was the demand
that some magazines went as far as publishing spoof road tests of a machine
that did not exist.
When Yamaha finally put the real thing into production in the following year, few who rode one were disappointed. The RD500LC looked superb, with a racy full fairing in red and white colors similar to those of the factory OW76 that Eddie Lawson was riding to victory in that season's world championship. Like Lawson's racer, the 500LC was powered by a liquid-cooled V4 two-stroke engine. The roadster produced 90bhp. weighed an equally impressive 392lb (178kg) dry, and screamed to almost 14()mph (225km/h).
Two-stroke heritage
Rather than being developed directly from the racebike engine, the LC's 499cc, 50-degree V4 powcrplant was essentially two RD250LC units with bottom ends geared together, and with a gear-driven balancer shaft to reduce vibration. Induction system, engine porting and exhaust design were very different to the OW76 racer's, but bore and stroke dimensions of 56.4 x 50mm were almost identical, and the roadster also shared features including exhaust power valves. Apart from the addition of lights and other roadgoing necessities, the main chassis difference between roadster and racer was that the RD50()LC's frame was made from square-section steel tubing instead of aluminum. This was still one dramatically purposeful streetbike though, with high quality chassis parts including anti-dive equipped telescopic forks, plus a single rear shock unit positioned horizontally beneath the engine.
The Yamaha's look and specification were mouth-watering, and its performance lived up to expectation. In typical two-stroke fashion the V4 felt flat at low revs, then came into its power band at 6000rpm with a crackle of its exhausts and a blast of acceleration that sent the lightweight machine shooting forward at breathtaking rate. That meant that in top gear it came alive only at about 100 mph (161km/h). Fortunately. Yamaha had supplied a good pair of mirrors.
Even more importantly, the 500LCS
handling was a match for its motor. As well as light and quick steering,
aided by its 16-inch front wheel, it was stable in slower bends and
high-speed curves alike. Sometimes the front end got slightly twitchy when
the bike hit a bump under acceleration. But that was no real problem, and
the Yamaha's powerful triple-disc brake system was among the best in
motorcycling.
Yamaha had succeeded in creating a bike that felt like a racer on the road, and the RD500LC proved its ability on the track with victory, against many big four-strokes, in Australia's prestigious Castrol Six-Hour production race. In the showrooms it was less successful, despite all the pre-launch hysteria. Drawbacks included poor fuel consumption, vibration, mediocre finish and a high price. Perhaps the real problem was that the RD500LC was just a little too much like a real racebike for its own good.
Source of review: Fast Bikes by Roland Brown
Make Model | Yamaha RD 500LC Christian Sarron Replica |
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Year | 1985 |
Engine Type | Two stroke, 50°-V4 cylinder, reed valve. |
Displacement | 499 cc / 30.3 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 56.4 x 50 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Compression | 6.6 :1 |
Induction | 4x 26mm Mikuni carburetors |
Ignition | Digital CDI |
Spark Plug | NGK, BR9HS |
Starting | Kick |
Max Power | 88 hp / 63.9 kW @ 9500 rpm |
Max Torque | 6.57 Nm / 6.9 kgf-m @ 8500 rpm |
Clutch | Wet, multiple discs, cable operated |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Gear Ratio | 1st 2.250 2nd 1.685 3rd 1.363 4th 1.166 5th 1.043 6th 0.960 |
Frame | Steel twin downtube |
Front Suspension | 37mm Air assisted telescopic forks, 4-way spring preload adjustable and anti-dive variable. |
Front Wheel Travel | 140 mm / 5.5 in |
Rear Suspension | Monoshock, spring preload and rebound damping, |
Rear Wheel Travel | 120 mm / 4.7 in |
Front Brakes | 2x 267mm discs 2 piston calipers |
Rear Brakes | Single 245mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 120/80 V16 + |
Rear Tire | 130/80 V18 |
Dimensions | Length 2085 mm / 82.1 in Width 705 mm /27.7 in Height 1145 mm /45.0 in |
Wheelbase | 1375 mm / 54.1 in |
Seat Height | 780 mm / 30.7 in |
Dry Weight | 180 kg / 437.8 lbs |
Wet Weight | 198.6 kg / 436.5 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 22 Liters / 5.8 gal |
Consumption Average | 27.5 mpg |
Standing ¼ Mile | 11.7 sec / 117.7 mph |
Top Speed | 148 mph / 238 km/h |