Yamaha TZ750
The TZ750 was the fiercest customer racing motorcycle ever sold: a 140 hp two-stroke four that dominated Formula 750 and Daytona for a decade, terrified its riders, and produced Kenny Roberts' immortal 'they don't pay me enough' dirt-track win.
History
Yamaha built the TZ750 for the Formula 750 boom: essentially two TZ350 twins joined into a water-cooled inline four, sold over the counter to anyone with the money and the nerve. The 1974 original's 90+ hp in a flexing steel frame earned instant notoriety; by the definitive OW31-pattern TZ750D/E of 1977–79, output approached 140 hp with monoshock chassis that could — almost — cope.
Its record is the 1970s privateer era itself: every Daytona 200 from 1974 to 1982 fell to TZ750s, Formula 750 world titles (Steve Baker 1977) and national championships across Europe, America and Australasia ran on them, and the grid photos of the period show twenty identical Yamahas chasing each other. Agostini, Cecotto, Roberts, Sheene-era stars all raced them.
The bike's mythology peaked on dirt: Roberts' 1975 Indy Mile win on a TZ750-engined flat-tracker — followed by his 'they don't pay me enough to ride that thing' — remains American racing's most quoted line, and the machine was promptly banned. Today TZ750s are the crown of two-stroke collecting: genuine period racers with history headline classic events (Daytona vintage, Spa Classic bikes), supported by a small expert community that keeps crankshafts and cylinders alive.
Palmarès
Daytona 200 winner every year 1974–1982; Formula 750 world champion 1977 (Baker) and title-season dominance through the formula's life; national F750/MCN Superbike-era crowns across three continents; Roberts' 1975 Indy Mile flat-track win — plus the modern classic-racing record where TZ750s remain the fastest thing on period grids.
What to check before you buy
Serial-verified genuine TZ750s (A through F/OW31-pattern) are documented by the two-stroke community — establish the frame's series and whether the engine's cases match period. Crankshaft rebuild provenance is the ownership question: a fresh crank by one of the recognized specialists is thousands well spent and the first thing buyers ask. Check cylinder/liner status (good castings are finite), period-correct monoshock hardware on D/E bikes, and be realistic about running costs — these are maintenance-intensive machines that reward mechanical sympathy and punish neglect immediately.
Did you know
- Roberts' Indy Mile TZ750 dirt-tracker was banned within months — officials concluded nothing about it was survivable at scale.
- Period riders nicknamed the early flexi-framed bikes with dark affection; several stars publicly called the TZ750 the fastest thing they never wanted to ride again.
- At its peak the TZ750 was quicker down Daytona's banking than contemporary 500 GP bikes — a customer purchase outrunning works grand prix machinery.
In the marketplace now
View all →No exact Yamaha TZ750 listed right now — here is closely related machinery on the market.
