[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Observations of the RD based on my 50K kilometers of riding. (Accumulated over the 3 bikes approximately)

Spot on Mahesh.

Though I have been having only one RD350 for the last 28 years, I endorse everything Mahesh has posted in the post below.

The feel of the new RD is something which is still fresh in my mind even after all these years. Even my new Bonnie or couple of other new multicylinder Japanese beauties down the line could not give me the same feeling (may be them being 4 strokers and heavier). The feel of the RD is something some one like my "Home Minister" still cherishes. Every time she gets on to a new brand of bike with me the comparison is always with my Blue Beauty and invariably the comment is "Nah not as nice as the RD". Only thing she has liked as close is a Honda Goldwing (expensive taste).

If you are a little bit mechanically inclined, you can do a lot of DIY on your RD to keep it in ship shape and give the so called RD Specialist Technicians a feel that you know your bike and they don't bullshit you. Yes you need a lot of patience to handle the quirkyness of some of the guys whether small timers or big timers.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

The feel of the new RD is something which is still fresh in my mind even after all these years.

Ram Sir,
Thought the bonnie was quite forgiving for the rear pillions. RD has one of the most comfortable seats for 2up riding. The Goldwing is completely different and with its creature comforts is the best cruiser.
Makes a good sense to be hands on with RD for minuscule maintenance.

[ku69rd]

Carefully riding the bike during the break-in she was my daily commute for an initial 300 miles. Bike saw its first highway run when I did a solo run to Mysore. Bangalore-Mysore (SH17) highway might not be the best place to take it out for a ride on a second Saturday. But with its many hazards and with people crossing it like their backyard, this road has always been my favorite for breaking in a new engine. With the bike nearing service interval of 1100 Miles, decided to switch partners and got it serviced at Power Crest. Work was done to my expectations and met all my requirements. Oil Pump was serviced, Cables lubricated and Engine oil was replaced. The old oil was checked for any smells and quantity to assess the engine condition. Oil was seemingly good considering the fact that the bike had done close to 1800 km. Was able to source a brand new seat plate for RD but the beading was/is in a sad stage which was better than my current one. There was a minor offset in the way tank was seated which was then corrected with some minimal fabrication work.
If you can recollect the bike was shod with US Spec Barrels and Indian Cylinder Heads. Decision was made to change them for US Spec. Upon contacting my US friends got the relevant parts and a pair of rear indicators. Service was completed in a span of 2 weeks post which the Bike’s behavior was entirely different. She now howled more vocally, Midrange was very strong with a very linear acceleration all the way to a strong 5K RPM. Low end is sufficient and have seen her pull effortlessly from as low as 1500 RPM without any jerks/downshifts. Have seen many RD’s ride at 25 KMPH in top gear but this is something that I would have to live with. Revised power settings on my bike are to be blamed for this.
Have attached a few photos of the ride now and will try to regularly maintain this thread as an ownership review going forth.
Believe now all of you can ride alongside me and not wait for another update in 15 years time

[Gill]

Herculean effort. Hope you enjoy and get to ride it often.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Gill

Herculean effort. Hope you enjoy and get to ride it often.

Thanks Gill hope I was able to answer to your queries which you had posted on my garage? If there is anything specific you would want to know please shoot

[SunnyBoi]

Fantastic writeup Mahesh! I cant help but envy your replationship with RDs

BTW how many KMs do you do on it in a year?

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

BTW how many KMs do you do on it in a year?

Thanks Sanjay, have received lot of hate mails now post this thread

The 2 RD's actually saw me riding them a lot compared to the third one which incidentally is the longest owned RD. With the current situation I do not think it makes sense to replace the existing one as real gems are very hard to find by.

1999 to 2002 saw me use the RD's extensively roughly averaging around 12-15K per year. Am yet to find my service notes which I want to upload on this thread.

[hdus001]

What is the shade of orange on your bike? Is it Potuguese Orange? I'm hoping to paint it the same as yours and had ordered the stickers from a US website. If you dont mind, please can you share the colour code and brand?

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by hdus001

Is it Potuguese Orange?

Hi There,
It is Portuguese Orange which was released only on the Yamaha RD 350B back in 1975 for US Spec Bikes. The B Model of Yamaha made it to UK Markets with a different scheme of stickering that you will find similar to Indian markets.
The shade # 47662. The manufacturer is Dupont and you will have to buy their complete kit. But ensure the base coat is good enough to give the top coats a proper depth. Else Dupont will be a waste of time and money. Needs to be applied only by a well experienced painter. Did not prefer the oven finish as it generally robs the shine.

Which website have you got the decals from? Would strongly suggest you to order it from www.reproductiondecals.com.

Have put in the link which I used to order it from. They use 3M tapes which are very high on quality, do not reflect like the cheap stuff that we get locally here.
But they are pricey and I felt they are an overkill considering the shipping and customs duty you ought to pay for it. They very nearly matched the painting of tank, shield & head light stays

Do put in a thread if work is already underway

[hdus001]

Thanks.
I ordered this one:
http://www.diablocycle.com/RD350B-19...Decal-Set.html

I've having the bike stripped down and rebuilt (at Raymond's in Koramangala 1st Block).

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by hdus001

I've having the bike stripped down and rebuilt (at Raymond's in Koramangala 1st Block).

Hey that's very good to read, do put in a thread on your restoration bit. Will be fun to read through and enjoy the ride with you
All the best mate.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Which website have you got the decals from? Would strongly suggest you to order it from www.reproductiondecals.com.

Originally Posted by hdus001

Thanks.
I ordered this one:
http://www.diablocycle.com/RD350B-19...Decal-Set.html

Hi Mahesh & hdus001

Both the websites are for the same vendor. See the appended response I got on a recent enquiry

Quote:

Reproduction Decals
100 Bessemer Road, Unit 4
London, Ontario
N6E 1R2
Canada

Tel: 519 668-7152
Fax: 519 690-0774
PayPal e-mail: [COLOR=#0000ff]orders@reproductiondecals.com[/COLOR]

Thank you,

Ellen




[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Helvetica][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Helvetica][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Helvetica][COLOR=#000000]Reproduction Decals
[COLOR=#0000ff]www.reproductiondecals.com[/COLOR]



[/COLOR]Visit our NEW website [COLOR=#0000ff]www.diablocycle.com[/COLOR]
• NEW NAME
• NEW LOOK
• SAME PRODUCTS
• SHOPPING CART for simple online purchasing
[/FONT][/COLOR]
[/FONT][/COLOR]
[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR]


Unquote:

Just for information

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Both the websites are for the same vendor. See the appended response I got on a recent enquiry

Ram Sir,
Thanks for the update, realized that after posting my reply, when you open the link of diablocycle you will find reproduction decals on the top left hand corner.

By the way, what is cooking? I know for sure you have been planning for a rebuild of your bike for quite some time now. How is it materializing though

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Ram Sir,
Thanks for the update, realized that after posting my reply, when you open the link of diablocycle you will find reproduction decals on the top left hand corner.

By the way, what is cooking? I know for sure you have been planning for a rebuild of your bike for quite some time now. How is it materializing though

Mahesh,

My bike as of now doesn't need any rebuild. Its doing Ok and RTO passed til 2015.

I am trying build up a new bike. Got a completely rebuilt engine as of now. Need to get all other parts including a RD 350 in whatsoever condition but with papers, which can be validated/updated.

Small order eh ?

On a side note - do you happened to have the Colour Code of the Blue taht used to come on the Indian RDs

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

On a side note - do you happened to have the Colour Code of the Blue taht used to come on the Indian RDs

Ahh, am beginning to envy you now. Got a Showroom delivered RD and now plans to rebuild another one. Great going Sir, would you have plans to construct a cafe racer?

Regarding the shade of Blue, I will search for it in my literature and send it across. Please do give me some time as am unsure on which of my hard drives they have been saved onto.