[fajhar.faiz]

Who would have thought it. Nope not even in my dreams. Never! Unexpectedly or destiny, what to term it? I don’t know yet. RD 350 – the ultimate dream bike of every motor head, seen in movies, heard a lot about it and after getting into the two-stroke loop with my RX the craze and love for RD 350 have only enlarged. Yes I am talking about the privilege to use a Yamaha RD 350.

In April last year, my friend MR P approached me to help him get a RD 350. At first, I didn’t show much interest because I thought he would leave the topic after seeing the prices of spares and maintenance struggles. He called me after a week asking about the RD again. This made me feel that he is really desperate. So, I decided to help him out.

The hunt for the beast begins.
I know mostly everything about the RX series but the not the RD. I am just a newbie in RD zone. All I have is a word document where I save the details of every RX model from various forums including Team BHP. Yes, that hobby what others called madness has helped me here. And I contacted my friend who owns a RD for further information.

Finally, after searching a lot me and my another friend decided to check out two RD’s. One was at Kottayam and the other one at Alappuzha. I better not talk about the bike in Kottayam which was the first bike we saw. The second one was fairly priced but it needs cosmetic works and electrical works. Its engine was just silent. Interestingly it was the first batch of LT’s which came with HT head and cylinders along with the metal chip in exhaust ports. Rest everything is LT’s. Meanwhile while we were about to return another LT popped up in OLX at Alappuzha. We texted him and waited for almost an hour for his reply. This one was the best bike of all. Recently restored by Shibu Kumar from Trivandrum and running on his digital cdi kit. Man, this bike gave me the first feeling of what RD is all about, all the hype and praises turned into reality. It runs like a FI.

Me and my friend while we were sitting behind the RD during test ride.

This bike was the best pick and we were planning to pay the advance the following day, and suddenly we found a beast in Trivandrum. Surely it is destiny. We were the first one to know about the sale of this bike through our mutual friend. Seeing the specs and price we never had a second thought. It was the best buy. I don’t need to elaborate much about the buying process. The bike specifications will do it.
Yamaha RD 350 HT (1984)
• It is resleeved, corrected and optimized the ports to stock HT spec.
• Head is corrected with a modified squish.
• Rebuild crank with Yamaha RZ 350 rods.
• Gear Box is a low mile US spec which has been imported.
• Low mile US spec clutch assembly.
• Mudguards and silencers are sourced from Rajdip Fadikar.
• Indicators, mirrors and tail lamp assembly is of Stanley which is also imported from US.
• Carburation is optimized using brand new TM28 Flat slides.
• The bike breathes through a pair of twin pod UNI filters from US.
• Handle bar switches are brand new US SPEC ones imported from US.
• Most important thing: the ignition-RDD digital programmable ignition with the 90/100 kit.
• Tires are Pirelli sports demon at the rear and Michelin M45 in the front.
• Front brake: Kawasaki Ninja 250's plate mated to Apache RTR 180 master cylinder and Bajaj Pulsar's hub and caliper.
• Yamaha Banshee reed valves and fuel clock.

In simple words bike is a fast and smooth cruiser.

The following day of our visit to check the bike we paid the advance. And waited for almost a month for the bike’s delivery. During this month day in and out I was just thinking about the RD, I rode the bike only for a few minutes, that obsessed me for a month. Man! That roaring sound of the HT! It is ineffable.

The delivery day

260km ride back home. We were very cautious as the right-side cylinder was not firing perfectly. But it was just a normal day for the bike, done with ease. Only broke some oil seals during the journey.

I thank the almighty. The best part of this story is that, as my friend P is abroad, I am the caretaker for a while. At first, we decided to do a proper maintenance service on the bike. Checked A to Z in mechanical side and done some plating and buffing works on the cosmetic side. It took almost a month to get the bike from workshop. Daily after my classes I went straight to the workshop and spent hours over there. This month went crazy because I was so obsessed about hitting the roads again after the service. I badly wanted to fire her up and hear that exhaust note. I was living a hectic life during that time because of my entrance exams. The RD was the real stress buster back then. Day in and out ‘RD, RD, RD’ that is all my mind whispered in between the entrance life.


Finally, the long wait is over. RD was ready to pick up. I started her and took a short test drive. Man, I was in tears, I could not hold back the excitement. It was like the bike just rolled straight out from the factory. All credits to my mechanic ' The tuning doctor '. I know he is excellent in RX works as he is my trusted mechanic for almost 5 years, but I never imagined this much in RD. It was way beyond my expectation. I straight away congratulated him after the ride and paid him extra for the great work.

The maintenance part of the bike is not a big trouble like I imagined, except the cost. If you have money to spend there’s no worry. Wear and tear parts can be easily sorted out from many sellers and it is reasonably priced. I am currently collecting from Goa. And for OEM spares too there are many sellers who collects it from US and UK. The OEM spares are quite expensive but if you have friends and relatives in UK and US it won’t be a big trouble. Also, you can place orders from Dubai showroom. (MR P is in Dubai)

It has been almost a year with RD 350. The bike never gave much trouble after the service until now. It never shows the sign of being 39-year-old. Whenever she touches 5,500rpm mark it will take you to the 7th heaven. It just exhilarates you by the way she pulls up along with the roaring exhaust note. It is poetry written in gasoline. At times I get no words to describe how beautiful this motorcycle is. I thank God and the Yamaha engineers for the RD 350. Like quoted in the movie Rush “They could never have imagined it, those pioneers who invented the automobile, that it would possess us like this in our imaginations and our dreams.

VIVA LA RD!

[GTO]

Read your entire post in one shot and all I can say is, lucky you / your friend . Big congrats on experiencing the most iconic motorcycle ever sold in India. It was vastly ahead of its time and I deeply regret not buying a used RD350, and getting a new RX100 instead. That was my only chance to own this motorcycle. I remember the first time I rode the RD350 and the acceleration was mind-numbing. And also s-c-a-r-y. The acceleration was unlike anything we'd experienced back then, and the RD350's brakes...LOL.

Nothing quite like listening to the sweet symphony of an RD350. Thank you for the memories:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EapZxvg-yQ

[Prathiiik]

Congrats on the RD! The bike looks beautiful. Always been my dream to get an RD someday, but for now I'll have to settle with this, another hoon machine.

[boniver]

We don't get to see an RD thread here everyday, so this is a pleasant surprise. Wish the RD gives you countless smiles and lives in your garage for a long time to come!

[Axe77]

Fantastic post. Loved the short & crisp but engaging way in which you described the entire experience. For most 70s born kids, the RD was an iconic feature of our adolescent and college years. Seeing the bike never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Wish you many happy miles with this rare and classic beauty.

[v12]

Now this is the dream life. The RD350 has been a dream motorcycle for many, many of us - as Axe77 rightly put it. Back in the 80s when superbikes were almost non existent and difficult to obtain, the RD was the closest you could get to a superbike feeling. It has been my dream bike ever since i started knowing about bikes. I keep looking at classifieds even though I know i would not buy one (at the prices people quote).

A big congratulations to you! Wish such dreams come true for all of us too

[SnS_12]

Congratulations on getting a well restored 350.

A few pointers.

a) Avoid riding the bike in reserve as with old tanks there would be rust formation which will mess up the carbs. And, if you have to ride in reserve avoid hard acceleration.

b) Since, you have UNI filters avoid riding in rain and don’t pressure wash the bike. Ensure the filter doesn’t absorb any water or you will end up seizing the pistons.

[Sebring]

Fantastic post! How many of us can title our post 'Living a dream'! You have attained true Nirvana with this bike.

[fajhar.faiz]

Glad to see your response guys, especially when most of you were able to experience the RD back in the 90s and 80s. Let me add something into it. MR P (the owner) actually had a RD 350 LT back in the 90s and he sold it for 10K and now he has bought his dream back.

Originally Posted by SnS_12

b) Since, you have UNI filters avoid riding in rain and don’t pressure wash the bike. Ensure the filter doesn’t absorb any water or you will end up seizing the pistons.

Sure brother, I am following this pointers very well. Because of the UNI filters I instantly check Google weather before taking her out.

[Gordon]

Why exactly is resleeve or reboring done? I usually hear these terms particularly with RD350s and sometimes with RXs. Any reason why only these bikes undergo such things? Is there an issue with these engines?

[pramodkumar]

if i am not mistaken this bike is from a mutual friend, used to be green with US spec decals. Welcome to the club!!

With the risk of overstepping, I would like to tell you one thing, there is no RD 350 which is complete in all the sense, owners always plan to add something or the other and can easily become an open money pit. Best parts doesnt really mean best builds, finding the right guy to fix things the right way is equally important.

With my almost a decade ownership of an RD i can tell you with all honesty, learning to tinker on your own bike is the best way forward, I learned to work on my own bikes and now i can say i can take things apart and put them back without any extra spares

There is an rd 350 watsapp group called the Gods own lords, please join it if not joined already

Pramod

[jas_mirage]

Wow! that is a clean bike. What were the damages? I am on the lookout for one myself and since we are from the same region, it would be nice to have numbers. And there will be a lot of follow up questions happening as we go on ahead.

[rajeevsulu]

Wow, I had an RD 350 when I entered Dental college in 1987.I also had a Rx 100.Had to sell the RD after a couple of years because it was too expensive to maintain for a college kid. One of the best bikes of those times! Congratulations and have fun

[chandrda]

Looks Amazing in Black, though Black was not a regular color for RD in 80s and 90s.

I let slip multiple chances to own RDs for reasonable price and now regret the decision every time I see one.

Brakes on RD is a joke, so please be careful while riding RD as the pickup and torque can be intoxicating.

Regards

[susan3004]

I owned a RD during my college days(early 90's). I know what exactly the feeling, our kind of passionate riders have for this bike.

You are actually living your dream. Heartiest congratulations!

Coincidentally, I happen to be at Trivandrum airport right now as I read this thread. There's not much rush in the terminal at this point of time. I took the liberty of playing the YouTube video uploaded by GTO on my MacBook with the maximum volume which could be pumped out of this device. The sound of the bike boomed in this hall, and the scanty passenger lot and the security personnels could not but help notice my cynical smile