Topic: TZ750 questions...

[GroovieGhoulie]

Not that I'm in a position to buy one, but what would be the going rate right now on a low serial number '74 TZ750, less than 10 hours since new, recently "refreshed" but largely original, with documentation that it ran in the '74 Daytona 200?

Also, they HAD to have more than 90hp right?  The MSO said 90hp, but that's gotta be a friggin' joke.  I thought they had 120-140.

Any known issues with them, besides that they were hard-to-ride unwieldy beasts?

[Steve_K]

A TZ750 a cool bike.  I heard that not ridding as hard as Kenny Roberts, the bike was great for privateers in the 70's.
That said I never rode one,  but the sound, the sound of it running down the tract
Steve_K

[bwaller]

Not hard to ride, but hard to ride fast. I'm not current on TZ750 pricing, and can only say from second hand experience that even the cost of upkeep for one doing a half dozen races a year, isn't privateer friendly. But those guys out there that are fast enough, and own them, like to keep them.

[tsflstb]

Not sure on the TZ, but for comparison this Gamma just came up for sale locally for $11K.  You also get an RD400 with it. 

[bryanj]

Rings 2 or 3 times a season, pistons and rings twice a season, barrelles every year, cranks at least every other season and crankcases every 2nd rebuild.

That gets expensive even when parts were available!!!!

[Maxacceleration]

Gammas are Suzukis not Yamaha FYI...

[tsflstb]

I'm pretty sure I knew that at one time.  I get pretty excited talking about big 2 strokes though.

I'll make it up to you with this pic:

[lordmoonpie]

Cheap runner sold recently for £13,500 over in the UK but a fully fresh one expect to pay anywhere between £22,000 and £50,000 if it comes with proven provenance...

[malcolmgb]

I'm pretty sure I knew that at one time.  I get pretty excited talking about big 2 strokes though.

I'll make it up to you with this pic:

Hmmmm no engine braking and no front brake now THAT is exciting 

[Steve_K]

That TZ looks like Kenny Roberts' mile dirt tracker.  I believe that is  the bike he said  "They don't pay me enough to ride that &^%$ing thing!"  I think it used a Trackmaster frame.
Steve_K

[tsflstb]

Here's a pretty good writeup on that bike.  Sorry to get off topic, but I've always been fascinated by it...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/dontpaymeenuff.htm

I thought this part was pretty cool:

They realized that the Champion Yamaha was, in essence, over-kill, so much so that in the final races of the '75 season Carruthers affixed a kill-switch to the number three cylinder on the Yamaha. Roberts would push the switch on the entrance to corners, killing the spark to that cylinder in order to tame the wickedness of the machine.