1975 Yamaha RD350

[SlowOldGuy]

Hey Megsy,
I noticed you Yamaha YL2 100 in your sig line. 

My first bike was a 1968 YL2C Enduro with electric start, rotary valve, and auto oil injection system.  Unfortunately that heavy generator out on the end of the crank used to wear out the main bearings, causing them to leak air, making the intake mixture lean, and occasionally bunring a hole in the piston.

Finally replaced it with a '72 Hodaka 100, the only non-Yamaha I've ever owned (but still a nice bike).

DavidR.

[motohorseman]

RD350's rock, they are the original giant killers to many.

I've got a friend with one, and I've got a '75 CB750 - We decided to have a little show down at the drag strip a while back -

Whole story is here http://www.wristtwisters.com/forums/f95/cb750k5-for-the-strip-19902.html

That was a great time!

[megsy]

Hey Megsy,
I noticed you Yamaha YL2 100 in your sig line. 

My first bike was a 1968 YL2C Enduro with electric start, rotary valve, and auto oil injection system.  Unfortunately that heavy generator out on the end of the crank used to wear out the main bearings, causing them to leak air, making the intake mixture lean, and occasionally bunring a hole in the piston.

Finally replaced it with a '72 Hodaka 100, the only non-Yamaha I've ever owned (but still a nice bike).

DavidR.

Hi there.

Mate she 's a ball of fun, yah can ride her flat out & not brake the speed limit




She's the pride of the fleet.

[SlowOldGuy]

SWEET!

Mine was yellow, with a high pipe,  and the gas tank had a very sharp rise right at the front of the seat.  NOT a good design for a dirt-oriented bike.  More than once I hit an unexpected bump and had a VERY uncomfortable "encounted" with that tank.  :-(

I believe the top speed on mine was about 45 MPH, maybe 50 downhill with the wind at my back.

Nice to see one sill running!

DavidR.

[JCainFJ]

 Yes, do it! I have a 75 RD250 that I will build as a 350. A nicely updated RD with alloy rims and a set of chambers is just too good looking. I will post some photos of the parts I've made for mine.

[TheRadBaron]

For a couple hundred bucks you should go for it.  They really are great bikes and I think that they're a good "my first 2-stroke street bike".  They're very simple and easy to work on, and they have a reputation of being one of the more durable and reliable 2-strokes of the era.  They have plenty of snappy power, but are still very manageable.  Unlike, say, a Kawasaki triple.
As far as they cylinders go, you can certainly find a used set that's still got some overbore room for much cheaper than a new, reproduction set.  There's some really good websites for the RDs, too.  www.usa2strokers.com is the one that I use the most.  I have a '72 R5, which is the precursor to the RD350 that came out in '73.  It's a very similar bike, but styled a bit differently (much more classic looking, I think), and it has a DLS front drum and a 5-speed tranny as opposed to the RD's front disc and 6-speed.  The R5 also lacks the reed valves that the RD got, though mine has an RD top end.
The aftermarket is still very active for the RDs, with companies like HVC Cycle selling almost everything you need to fix one up. 
Buy it up.  Vintage 2-stroke street bikes are great to ride and very addictive.

[JMR]

What resources are there for me to learn how to restore a motorcycle like this.  I've no experience in restoring aluminum or other bits of it.  It took me 7 1/2 years to track down all the parts and restore my '67 Firebird and get repo parts.

What am I getting into?  I am amazed at some of the restored bikes out there (see the Monterey Mecum episodes) and wonder how they get them so perfect and new looking.  Old AL parts can become extremely pitted and seem impossible to fix.

http://born2trump.home.comcast.net/~born2trump/resto/Restoration.html

That's nice. I had a red 67, 326 HO with the hood tach. Not a convertible though. Wish I still had it.