5 Of The Rarest Yamaha Motorcycles Ever Made

As one of the leading motorcycle brands, Yamaha has its fair share of popular motorcycles, but the manufacturer also has its share of bikes that never made it to the mainstream. There are plenty of bikes that meet this criteria, and in many cases, they were motorcycles that only had a handful ever produced or they were exclusive to just one region. As a result, it's difficult to track them down nowadays, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

This list shines a light on five of the rarest bikes from Yamaha, but there are plenty more than that out there. As is the case with rare bikes, some of them are worth much more than their initial MSRPs. That could mean you're sitting on a hefty fortune if you happen to own one. On the other hand, it makes it difficult to get your hands on one if you see a rare bike that catches your eye.

The Yamaha FZR750R had a short production run with an estimated 1,000 or so ever made. In 1987, Cycle World called this "Japan's most exclusive sportbike," and it's hard to imagine the publication saw the bike becoming as rare as it did. Cycle World raved about the bike's performance and firmly cemented itself as a competitor in the 750cc range even if it wasn't the cream of the crop. What worked against the bike, and perhaps what led to its rarity, is the price tag. There were question marks about its price when it debuted, and it was the most expensive Japanese bike in the 750 range. 

On top of the high price, Yamaha recommended the bike only be sold for racing despite being fully street-legal. With those two factors working against it, the bike was never able to claim a chunk of mainstream appeal, and it has become something people look back upon fondly. This is far from a cheap motorcycle nowadays considering one is available for $28,319 at the time of this writing.

Yamaha's RZ500 was a powerful and popular racing bike in the mid-1980s, but horsepower restrictions meant it couldn't be sold all over the world. In Japan, Yamaha swapped in an aluminum frame and limited the engine's horsepower to get it within the legal parameters, and on top of all that it was rebadged as the RZV500R. This variation of the motorcycle was far rarer as just 1,600 of them were produced. The horsepower was dropped down and locked to 64, a big difference from the RZ500's 88 hp. These changes made it a tough sell since you're getting a weaker bike, and the fact that it was only sold in Japan made it difficult to find.

Since its discontinuation, it's made its way out of Japan and you'll see it pop up for sale all across the world. If you see one for sale, there's a good chance you'll have to spend north of $20,000 as this trio of bikes are all listed on eBay for more than that at £16,995, £17,950, and £18,250 – $22,148, $23,394, and $23,785 respectively.

The Yamaha XZ 550 Vision has a solid fandom despite its two-year production run. This is a bike that was plagued with problems throughout its run, but it's very much a bike that was ahead of its time. It was once called one of the worst Japanese motorcycles ever made, but history has proven to be much kinder to it. The build has a futuristic feel to it and the V-twin engine was one of its bright spots as it was called one of the best for its time. However, with issues like leaky motor seals and overheating issues, the bike was never able to gain a foothold.

There's no set figure as to how many of the XZ 550 were ultimately produced, but given the short run, it can't be many. Although it's more than 40 years old now, it's still a bike that can be found today for a price that doesn't break the bank. Between $1,000 and $3,000 seems to be the going price for one.

Yamaha's GTS 1000 production run varies by the market, but it wasn't a long run no matter where it was produced, and there are a lot of reasons for that. Perhaps the biggest problem with the bike was its $12,999 price tag, one of the highest of its time. It only lasted for two years in the United States, and while it had some nice features for its time like a good suspension and fuel-injection system, the price proved to be too much for it to overcome.

Many reviews from around its release praised the bike, but they couldn't save the bike from an early cancelation. If you're interested in finding the bike for yourself, they pop up every now and then for sale. Unlike some other bikes that rise in price over the years, this is an example that has dropped in value over time as you can grab one for $6,900 at the time of this writing. Of course, that may be more than the price of a new bike, so there could be better ways to spend that money.

[Featured image by Mike Schinkel via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

You might be familiar with the regular-sized TDR250 motorcycle, but you might not know Yamaha has a stripped-down version of that bike. With just a 50cc engine and a height of little over three feet, the TDR50 isn't exactly a practical bike for commuting, but it could be fun to ride around on for a while. Yamaha did something similar with the YSR50, so the manufacturer is no stranger to making little bikes like this. For its time, the TDR50 sported a newly created two-stroke motor that let it zip around through town with ease. With this being such a small bike, it makes perfect sense for people to have never heard of it, but that doesn't stop it from being sought-after today despite being produced back in 1988.

Low mileage TDR50s in good condition can still fetch a few thousand dollars, as evidenced by the one that sold in 2023 for $4,387 that had just 420 miles on it. If you do get your hands on one, it could certainly make for a nice conversation starter, but it's unlikely to ever be your daily rider if you value comfort.