Yamaha TZR 125 LC
Yamahas next model the RDZ125 MK3 was unveiled in 1987. This model was under a lot of competition from the aforementioned bikes and was basically just a stopgap while the TZR125 was being finished off. The emphasis was on the motor with no real changes to the bike its self. It was fitted with an YPVS engine similar to the one being used on yams DTR125. It had a very nice looking exhaust resembling the F2 350 YPVS pipe and the pipe fitted to the still pipe and the pipe fitted to the still to come TZR125. The power valve was blanked of for the UK learner market, but you could get a power valve kit to get it running, if you did, boy did they fly.The RD was replaced with the TZR 125 in 1987, which used the MK3 forks, wheels, clipons, clocks and calliper. The MK3 did not sell as well as the MK1 and MK2 due to the other bikes also available at that time. The MK3 is the rarest of all the RD 125LC's.
In there hay day there where loads of modifications and trick bits available for the 125LC. You could get a full faring, there where 2 types a TZ style one and the more popular TZR125 type. You could get a 170cc big bore kit, they gave a load more power but unfortunately people didn't bother modifying the heads and often used the standard head gasket and they blew up a lot. Young 17 year olds just wanted to bolt on and thrash, and thrash they did all day and all night.
Most of them even back in the day had several owners; people kept them for 6 months to a year then sold them. Many of them have owners in the 20's and 30's . Finding a good one is hard now is getting hard, and if you do come across a restored 125LC you will pay as much for it as a 350LC. A real nice restored one will fetch around £1000, and a reasonable one will fetch £600.
Parts are hard to find for them these days and good parts are even harder. An example of the 125's and 350's being the nose cones. These were taken off by younger lads and stored in the garage, then sold the bikes. Years later they were found in the garage and thrown out, the ones which were still on the bikes got smashed when bikes were dropped, and loads got dropped, then they still ended up in the bin!