[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by MaverickRD350

Hey Pramod

Is it really possible to find complete history of RD's.

If you know the RTO in which the vehicle is registered, you can get something called b extract which will give you ownership history. You need to pay some minor fee for that. Now this issue is most often people don't change ownership's of these bikes and sometimes just the original paper and TO forms move between 2-3 owners without any change in the RC. So the credibility is limited to just that.

If the previous owner has service history that also would help, but that also rarely happens these days since most of the dealers don't service these bikes and it is the friendly neighborhood expert who maintains these machines.

[MaverickRD350]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

If you know the RTO in which the vehicle is registered, you can get something called b extract which will give you ownership history. You need to pay some minor fee for that. Now this issue is most often people don't change ownership's of these bikes and sometimes just the original paper and TO forms move between 2-3 owners without any change in the RC. So the credibility is limited to just that.

If the previous owner has service history that also would help, but that also rarely happens these days since most of the dealers don't service these bikes and it is the friendly neighborhood expert who maintains these machines.

Thanks Jaggu

But when registration for older vehicles (**read more than 15 yrs old) are expired. Getting it renewed on old owner's name might not be possible. Hence to get all papers again road worthy one has to get it registered with green tax/re-registration and transfer if required.

[Cooleo]

Hello to all you good folks at Team-BHP.

I have just come across a 1989 make RD 350 LT.
The Bike is located and Registered in the State of Haryana.
It is an Original Police Issue Vehicle purchased and transferred by the Current owner in his name.
All Paperwork/Documents required are in order and up to date.
The RC is valid upto 2021.
The Original Colour of the Bike was Black, whereas it has been repainted White now.
The Bike has been given an Engine overhaul and is on it's First Piston.
It has covered 600 Kms(approx) since.
It is running on Points(Rx-Series)
It comes shod with New front & Rear tyres.

I took a test ride of the bike from a Cold Start and my observations with my limited knowledge and experience are as under -

1. The Bike Roared to Life in the first Kick.
2. The Pick-up is awesome. The moment I twisted the throttle I was pushed several inches back and had to grab onto the handlebar for dear Life.
3. I rode it hard and fast over a real bad stretch of road and there were no vibrations/unnecessary sounds, whatsoever.
4. Gearshifts were smooth, however, shifting from 1st to second required more effort than the other gears.
5. Although the Bike was fitted with a fuel gauge, the Clocks were faulty.
6. Somewhere beyond the 100 kmph mark the Bike's pickup would taper off and then come back with a jerk. This seemed to happen sometimes after gear change as well. I don't know what to make of it as this is probably the only major negative of the Bike.
7. Post the ride, the Bike leaked Oil/Petrol right under the Engine.
8. The Battery needs replacement.
9. Most Parts on the bike seemed genuine to me, the rest I would leave to the more keen eye.

The asking Price is Rs.3,00,000.

I wish to seek your opinion and advice before I finalize the deal, for which you may kindly find pictures attached.

Regards and Thanks in advance.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Cooleo

The Original Colour of the Bike was Black, whereas it has been repainted White now.

One thing I found odd was the above statement.

All the police RD 350s were in White as far as I am aware. Otherwise White bikes were not available for regular customers. Black bikes were not available initially but I believe a few were available towards end of production.

So if the owner says that the original colour was black and it was police bike then I would take it with a pinch of salt.

The chrome plating on the Engine of the bike wouldn't be any good if you intend to use it regularly - but would be great to keep it as show piece in my opinion.

From the symptoms you have explained it look like the jetting is wrong or the tuning is wrong. Also possibility that the needles are on wrong notch or getting stuck, or there is muck in the carb making the float stuck - indicated by the carb overflow - the leak of petrol.

Is the "autolube" working or the bike is on a pre-mix? On a well maintained almost single owner bike the Autolube should be in working condition.

Fuel Gauge - Its definitely an after market alteration - original there was no gauge or indicator

These are few of my thoughts.

On the asking price - there are a lot of more experienced people here who could offer more authoritative opinions.

On the whole its a nice eye candy.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[Cooleo]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

These are few of my thoughts.

On the asking price - there are a lot of more experienced people here who could offer more authoritative opinions.

On the whole its a nice eye candy.

Thank you for your valuable advice Sir, It is much appreciated.

I don't know/can't say what to make of the Colour, but it definitely looks good in White or "Eye Candy" as you put it.

I intend on using the bike frequently and not just keeping it as a showpiece, so kindly suggest what I can do to the Chrome Plating on the engine.

Your keen observations regarding the leak of petrol/oil and faulty clocks are much appreciated and I will definitely take them into consideration before purchase.

Afaik, the Auto-Lube is not working and the owner recommends and uses a pre-mix.(20% of the total Fuel)

And I agree with you regarding the fuel gauge as the owner himself pointed it out being an aftermarket addition.

I would be grateful to you if you were to give me a ball-park/approximate Price Range for the bike as it would go a long way in negotiating and finalizing the deal.

Best Regards,

[Cooleo]

Almost a week and only one reply.

Dear fellow BHP-ians, I would sincerely appreciate if more of you could share your valuable knowledge and advise me on the purchase of the RD 350 above.

Thanks & Regards, in advance.

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by Cooleo

...

Afaik, the Auto-Lube is not working and the owner recommends and uses a pre-mix.(20% of the total Fuel) ...

Best Regards,

I can't help you decide whether to buy it or not but if you do, a 20 percent oil to fuel ratio has WAY much too much oil in it.
According to my figures that would be a 5 (petrol) to 1 (oil) ratio.
Perhaps the owner meant to say a 20 to 1 ratio?

Most of the RD 350 riders in the USA use ratios more like 20 to 1 or 25 to 1 when using a 2 stroke oil.

You can use the 5:1 ratio pre-mix but it will smoke badly, carbon up the combustion chamber and exhaust port. Carbon up the silencer, drip partially burned oil on the ground and foul the spark plug resulting in misfiring often.

It might also explain the power on/power off feeling you mentioned while accelerating.
Beyond that, it won't actually hurt anything.

A 20:1 ratio would be 20 liters of fuel for every 1 liter of oil or 50cc of oil per liter of fuel.
A 25:1 ratio would be 25 liters of fuel for every 1 liter of oil or 40cc of oil per liter of fuel.

[nitrogary]

Originally Posted by Cooleo

Hello to all you good folks at Team-BHP.

I have just come across a 1989 make RD 350 LT.
The Bike is located and Registered in the State of Haryana.
It is an Original Police Issue Vehicle purchased and transferred by the Current owner in his name.
All Paperwork/Documents required are in order and up to date.
The RC is valid upto 2021.
The Original Colour of the Bike was Black, whereas it has been repainted White now.
The Bike has been given an Engine overhaul and is on it's First Piston.
It has covered 600 Kms(approx) since.
It is running on Points(Rx-Series)
It comes shod with New front & Rear tyres.

I took a test ride of the bike from a Cold Start and my observations with my limited knowledge and experience are as under -

1. The Bike Roared to Life in the first Kick.
2. The Pick-up is awesome. The moment I twisted the throttle I was pushed several inches back and had to grab onto the handlebar for dear Life.
3. I rode it hard and fast over a real bad stretch of road and there were no vibrations/unnecessary sounds, whatsoever.
4. Gearshifts were smooth, however, shifting from 1st to second required more effort than the other gears.
5. Although the Bike was fitted with a fuel gauge, the Clocks were faulty.
6. Somewhere beyond the 100 kmph mark the Bike's pickup would taper off and then come back with a jerk. This seemed to happen sometimes after gear change as well. I don't know what to make of it as this is probably the only major negative of the Bike.
7. Post the ride, the Bike leaked Oil/Petrol right under the Engine.
8. The Battery needs replacement.
9. Most Parts on the bike seemed genuine to me, the rest I would leave to the more keen eye.

The asking Price is Rs.3,00,000.

I wish to seek your opinion and advice before I finalize the deal, for which you may kindly find pictures attached.

Regards and Thanks in advance.

I think 3 lacs is too much. probably 2 lacs is good for this bike. Most parts on the bike look like new - they are not. They are rechromed, and I would guess they were pretty bad looking.
My estimate is that the owner could spend about 50k doing the beautification work with a base price of 1.5.

The RX didn't come with points if I remember correctly. At least mine doesn't have points. They came with CDI ignition.
He's messing with you i think on this one.

With the leakage of oil and bringing up the carbs to a decent working level, you could look at a good 10-20k plus time and effort to resolve those issues.

Problem with the RD is opening the engine could be like opening a can of worms. Its better when its closed lol

Regarding pick up, a good LT should go past true 140 kmph. If you're lucky, 120 is a nice to have. If you have a friend who owns a ktm or something, check the speed with them riding along. You should be able to keep up with a 390.

Most parts do look okay to me, but they are not quite there. Overall, i am dibbly dobbly about the bike. The reason for sale is not sufficiently justified to me. The main reason people sell good RDs is if they can't take care of it any more. Put yourself in the sellers shoes - I have an RD, I just rebuilt the engine, rechromed the parts, etc. Why do I sell it after riding only 600 km? mostly because i am not satisfied with it.

He seems to be passing off a liability. You can take it, only if the price is right. I would keep aside some money for it - say 50k

Also if you could post some pics of the meters, it would help.

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

All the police RD 350s were in White as far as I am aware. Otherwise White bikes were not available for regular customers. Black bikes were not available initially but I believe a few were available towards end of production.

So if the owner says that the original colour was black and it was police bike then I would take it with a pinch of salt.

From the symptoms you have explained it look like the jetting is wrong or the tuning is wrong.

Is the "autolube" working or the bike is on a pre-mix? On a well maintained almost single owner bike the Autolube should be in working condition.

Fuel Gauge - Its definitely an after market alteration - original there was no gauge or indicator

These are few of my thoughts.

On the asking price - there are a lot of more experienced people here who could offer more authoritative opinions.

Ram

That is good input for a new buyer.

I have also heard that the police RDs were white. But there were some black RDs sold very late in their time.

History is so sketchy about this bike and lot of things are hear say. So exceptions can exist - but are super rare.

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

Most of the RD 350 riders in the USA use ratios more like 20 to 1 or 25 to 1 when using a 2 stroke oil.

A 20:1 ratio would be 20 liters of fuel for every 1 liter of oil or 50cc of oil per liter of fuel.
A 25:1 ratio would be 25 liters of fuel for every 1 liter of oil or 40cc of oil per liter of fuel.

Jim, that's correct. 1 litre oil per 5 litres petrol is not going to work.

Autolube has a bad name, but its not too bad. I've had it on my bike for over 10 years now (and probably overall 30) without major issues.

@ cool leo - hope this helps. pm if you need more help.

[pramodkumar]

the ratio of petrol to oil is 30 ML per litre, 3/100 beyond which it will smoke and if it goes further beyond that the plugs will foul. RDs always came in white if they were police bikes, but the bike in question could be a police auction bike where the bike could be seized by cops for some violations and if left unclaimed its auctioned off after some time, though these bikes are one of the cleanest in terms of documentation however 99% of these bikes are exposed to elements when they spend their lives in an impound. All Delhi bikes are visually great, but they run like crap, most of the parts are fake, fixing the carburettors can be a feat in itself as very less carburettors are rebuild able and even worse is no skilled technicians to do it. If you are a DIY guy then there are great resources available online.

There is nothing called a cheap RD, most bikes for sale today are people trying a quick flip, so money is the major factor in selling, lets say you buy a running condition RD like this one which is not that bad aesthetically you will easily incur 70-100K in getting it run like an RD. but if you spend this money with any roadside grease monkey then expect it to be extremely troublesome.

But once a while you do get well built bike for a laugh, reserve a 400k budget for the bike along with the build, buy the base bike cheap and spend the rest in building it up. This is not a bike I would buy even if I had 3 lacs to throw away, reason, its too pricy. anything below 2.5 is a OK price.

Having said that, RDs were rare at one point in time, where in you had to scout around with liquid cash and the once you would find were not for sale, the story has changed now. With OLX being quite successful in bringing people's inventory online finding decent deals is not difficult. Be careful while dealing with out station bikes.

Pramod

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

the ratio of petrol to oil is 30 ML per litre, 3/100 beyond which it will smoke and if it goes further beyond that the plugs will foul.

Hi Pramod,
My RD drinks a liter for roughly 400-450 kms which augurs to more or less what Jim mentioned. Somehow am not comfortable stretching that liter of oil lest the petroil mixture goes a bit lean and engine runs a bit hard.

[shibu]

Cooleo, start the negotiation with 1.5 and max out at 2 for this bike. Once you build a RD, build it right. It took me two years to get my RD right and few lakhs 7 years ago . Also I prefer to use 25 ml/liter, safe and not a lean mixture.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by nitrogary

Autolube has a bad name, but its not too bad. I've had it on my bike for over 10 years now (and probably overall 30) without major issues.

It was a "bad name" given by incompetent/impatient mechanics from our country, I think. I don't think good ones ever called it "bad". It took time to bleed it set up the cable adjusting etc. you know how our mechanics are with those kind of things mostly.

Once its set up properly it goes one and on as you yourself said - over 30 years - and in my case since 1985.

Originally Posted by shibu

Also I prefer to use 25 ml/liter, safe and not a lean mixture.

This is a good mix to live with for 2 strokes, I suppose. This used to be the mix advised for Jawa/Yezdi as well.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[Grr7]

Originally Posted by Cooleo

The asking Price is Rs.3,00,000.

I wish to seek your opinion and advice before I finalize the deal, for which you may kindly find pictures attached.

Regards and Thanks in advance.

Caution: I am not a Bike-expert. Heck, I have never even owned one.

But I do admire RD350 and oogle at every passing RD350 I spot on the road.

Coming to example in question. One look at the last picture you attached and I am sure that it is not even an enthusiastic/expert restoration. If it is so bad on the surface, no one can gauge what lies inside.

The engine cover screws are non matching. There are 2 four-headed screws(one with a sheared face and other intact) and the rest looks like the ones I recently bolted on a switch board in my store room.

As suggested by other Bhpians(with their experience and prowess), it is a poser RD350 and not a real deal.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Hi Pramod,
My RD drinks a liter for roughly 400-450 kms which augurs to more or less what Jim mentioned. Somehow am not comfortable stretching that liter of oil lest the petroil mixture goes a bit lean and engine runs a bit hard.

agree with you, there are many factors which leads to higher oil consumption from the pump, for starters they are not set right and the most important thing is my RX consumes a litre in 700-800 KMS, which roughly translates to your consumption since RD pumps have 2 nozzles and the gearing is slightly different. The 30ML/litre of petrol is what most of the guys online prescribe, above that the smoke increases and the plugs foul and yes the AFR is very lean. Another thing is a bike in idle requires more oil that a bike at high revs, that is why a bike that doesn't smoke at idle speed smokes a lot at certain revs, All these are to be debated and most online resources suggest that the auto lube pump should squirt a drop of oil every 5 seconds through one of the nozzle. I am not sure if anyone follows that. my experience with all my 2 strokes is 30ml per litter, though I put slightly higher in my rx 100, since I use both the auto lube and premix to prevent tank rusting.

Pramod

[wheelz]

Hi Mahesh,

It was really great going through your thread, appreciate you detailed writeup, having this kind of a history with RD itself is an epic thing and taking the pains to write it down so that fellow BHPians like us benefit from it .......hats off!!!

I picked up an RD last year, which was a Haryana Police vehicle, it's a 1988 model. The seller told me it's an HT, and the same thing was confirmed by my mechanic who opened up the cylinder while restoring it, though it does not have an HT silencer, and on the engine cover it's Made in India, but it has the gearing embossed on it....

I have heard that though the HT's were discontinued after 1984, it was still available with the Police and the Army, and info regarding that.....