5 BIKES THAT REALLY MATTER THIS MONTH
[ NEW OLD STOCK ]
Bike reader sells his zero-miles Yamaha RD500LC on eBay for £36,100
When Bike reader Steve Brankston nearly bankrupted himself to buy this RD500LC in 1985, his plan was to store it until he could afford the insurance, then get out and enjoy what was then one of the hottest race reps on the roads.
But things didn’t turn out quite as planned. He never registered it, never rode it, never even started it. And he’s just sold it for £36,100.
‘I bought it from Webbs in Lincoln when I was 22,’ Steve tells Bike. ‘I’d got a 350LC that I was using as everyday transport and when I saw the RD500 I knew I had to have one. It was £3250 and took me two loans to buy – I got one from the Yorkshire Bank and another one through Webbs. A bit naughty, I know, but I was desperate to have it.
‘I hired a van and brought it home myself. It had the plastic wrapping on from the factory to protect the bodywork so I left that on. I was living with my parents at the time and I tried to get it in the house (they were out), but it wouldn’t go through the hall. So I had to keep it in the garage.
‘Obviously with two loans to pay I was skint for quite a long time and didn’t do anything – I hardly went out and I certainly couldn’t afford to insure it. But I loved the fact that I had it in the garage and that it was mine.’
After a few years Steve could afford to use the RD, but by then Yamaha had stopped making them – and he realised it was too good to ride. ‘So it went from my parents’ house to where I am now,’ he says. ‘It’s only been out of my garage once, when it was on display in Webbs for a year.
‘I’m feeling okay about it going because I’ve been thinking about selling it for a while. Me and my wife were quite poorly last year, so that spurred me on. I’ve got an R1M, VMAX and a Honda Monkey, so I’m not short of bikes…’
OFFERS
Steve’s had a few over the years. Legendary dealer Clive Padgett made an offer at the NEC bike show but dropped his price when he got back to Yorkshire!
ENGINE
Twin crank V4 499cc two-stroke with YPVS exhaust powervalves. Steve has regularly turned it over on the kick-start to stop it seizing but it’s never been started.
PILLION COWL
Signed by Yamaha greats Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Steve Baker and Alan Carter – Steve took the pillion cowl round a lot of bike shows…
