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1984 Yamaha RZ350
A German-market RD350 re-framed as a USA-legal RZ350 with just 31k miles and the original frame included—this is the liquid-cooled 350 that should've come to America but didn't. If you understand why aircooled two-stroke 350s became legend, you already know why this mongrel matters.
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1988 Yamaha FZR400
The FZR400 is a unicorn—a lightweight, high-revving 399cc screamer that never made it stateside after '88, yet somehow this example landed in Indiana at under $7.2k with meticulous care. If you understand why a nimble, 14,000-rpm middleweight beats a modern 600cc brick around a technical course, this is the cult classic you've been hunting.
1993 Yamaha GTS1000
The 1993 Yamaha GTS1000 was so far ahead of its time that the motorcycle world didn't quite know what to do with it. James Parker's RADD hub-center steering, fuel injection, ABS, and a 102-horsepower Genesis inline-four made this one of the most technologically ambitious motorcycles of the '90s. Unfortunately, all that innovation came with a price tag that scared off buyers who preferred conventional forks and familiar engineering. With just 5,038 miles, this largely original example is a reminder that Yamaha was willing to take some serious risks back when motorcycle manufacturers still thought outside the box.
1986 Yamaha FZ750
This 1986 FZ750 is a rolling tribute to Eddie Lawson’s Daytona-winning Yamaha, and the parts list is ridiculous: Yamaha race-kit dry clutch, close-ratio six-speed transmission, Dymag magnesium wheels, Spondon swingarm, Öhlins shock, Brembo brakes, and a full SuperTrapp exhaust. With just 11,960 miles and a frame-off restoration, this is a serious piece of 1980s superbike history. The FZ750 was overshadowed by the two-stroke RZV500 hype and eventually had its thunder stolen by the GSX-R750, but Yamaha’s five-valve Genesis engine was no joke. This is what happens when someone builds the FZ750 Yamaha should have sold in the first place.