Lozzo

The RG followed the design concept far closer than the LC did. The original YZR500 that the LC was meant to be based on was a proper V4 sharing a single crank, but the RD's was a twin crank engine. The bodywork of the RD didn't follow the lines of the YZR and it was a bulbous odd looking thing with the proportions all to skew. On top of that it looked like it had been rushed into production with some things needing more attention. Overall build quality wasn't good at all. The handling wasn't great, which was strange for a Yamaha - they usually led the class with the RD range. Top speed wasn't that impressive, nor was the power delivery, which was flattened off by the power-valves making it a bit of a softie to ride. Not what everyone was expecting.

The RG500 came out about a year later, and that extra year's development made all the difference. The Gamma handled like a 500 stroker should, it looked like the real thing, it had an engine that appeared to be based on the pukka GP bike (a square 4) and it was everything that anyone wanting a 500 stroker wanted in a bike.

The Yamaha gave crank and piston problems, the Gamma gave gearbox problems. Fixing the Yamaha was a nightmare, but the Gamma gearbox came out of the side in a cassette style, making gearbox repair a doddle.

I know which one I'd have if I was looking for a 500cc 4 cyl stroker, and it's not got tuning forks on it.