Yamaha YZR500 OW35K

By guest writer Richard Fowler of Motorsport Retro. When a young Kenny Roberts first ventured to Europe in 1978 to ride in the 500cc World Championship, no one was expecting him to be a title contender. But he was armed with the brutal Yamaha YZR500 OW35K, and created history by winning the 500 cc crown at his first attempt. He became the first American to take the title, despite having never ridden the European circuits before. Part of this is obviously due to his machinery. The original OW35 appeared in 1977; it was Yamaha’s first new 500cc factory racer since...