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The Yamaha RD250LC is considered to be an absolute hooligan machine, its reputation particularly in the UK in the 80’s is partly why it had such a short lifespan.
The RD250LC was released in 1980, it was an extension of the earlier RD250 and it was very quickly deemed a two-stroke icon; it is highly collectable today.
It was the ultimate amateur racers motorcycle, it spawned many local legends and well-known professional racing heroes.
In the US it was known as the RZ250LC, although the whole RD line wasn’t really aimed at the US audience as emissions laws were tightening and were making two-strokes effectively obsolete.
The model remained in production until 1987 although it was no longer produced for the UK market after 1983.
The UK laws changed in 1983 and it restricted learners to 125cc, which essentially killed the 250cc market.
By 1986 it was coming up time to replace the whole RD line and it saw the TZR250 introduced as the first to replace the RD250 and RD250LC.
Review
History
Design had begun first on the RD350LC and it was in production although delays meant that it actually launched after its smaller sibling the RD250LC.
The RD250LC arrived earlier in the year in 1980, first hitting the streets of Britain followed by Japan shortly after, and it is safe to say it took the young motorcycle population by storm.
It was the fastest two-stroke you could get your hands on and its presence encouraged riders to test their limits and give racing (legal or otherwise a go).
The 250 had been built specifically for the L plate law in the UK, it was to cater to new riders that were restricted to a 250cc motorcycle, although the Yamaha went out of their way to push the boundaries of what these restrictions meant.
The fact was the 250LC had 35 horsepower as opposed to the 47 horsepower of the 350, but the top speed was nearly identical with the 350 claiming close to 110mph and the 250 100mph.
Basically the RD250LC was fast, faster than any learner legal motorcycle probably should have been.
The two bikes were identical with the only exceptions being that the 250 had a single not dual front disc, a different rear wheel and smaller brake master cylinder and obviously the max power output being slightly lower.