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Old 16th September 2024, 11:50   #16
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re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Amazing collection and salute your tremdous passion! For many its a dream to own even one 2 stroke. All the best with your restoration.
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Old 16th September 2024, 12:36   #17
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re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

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Originally Posted by SnS_12 View Post
Now, coming to the most difficult part in the ownership of old and especially rare motorcycles locating and sourcing parts. Luckily the previous owner still has a incredible collection outside India and is very knowledgeable about these bikes and also a bhpian TwinHead has similar motorcycles in his collection so their combined knowledge and my experience over the years made the process easy and the biggest benefit being that I travel for work quite often so major savings on shipping and customs wherever possible.

Following are the websites I have been exploring for various parts that I was on the lookout for my RD 125 (hopefully that will see road time soon), RD 250 Daytona Special and the RZ 350.

a) Ebay (US and UK)
b) Webike, Japan
c) Impex, Japan
d) Wemoto, UK
e) Yambits, UK
I have a 1987 Kinetic Honda with original Honda parts and engine and still maintain it in running condition, as have a nostalgic value attached to it. For me, sourcing the genuine and original parts of Kinetic Honda has been a challenge in recent years and many online providers, either have spare parts of the late 90's scooters or are refurbished one.

Would be glad to source few parts and stock them as I too intend to keep the vehicle with me... but only looking for original Honda (Kinetic) parts and any leads would be highly appreciable.
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Old 16th September 2024, 12:43   #18
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re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Crazy stuff Sachin, you made me keep guessing and not in my wildest dreams I would have guessed this. The knowledge you have around Yamaha bikes is absolutely amazing, hoping to see these bikes in flesh soon!!
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Old 16th September 2024, 12:57   #19
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re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

What a thread SnS_12! Just the right amount of technicalities and emotions pouring through. I think the RX 135 paved the way for your motorcycle journey. Crazy to see where not you have taken it and pictures invoke nostalgia. No doubt these are in good hands, given how well you take care of your bikes.

Looking forward to seeing all these in flesh sometime soon. :-)

PS: Is there a separate bedroom/storeroom for all these parts?
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Old 16th September 2024, 13:54   #20
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re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

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Originally Posted by Chisels121 View Post
AMAZING thread Sir!!
The restoration is great and I hope we see both the bikes in their full glory in the near future. Also, please share the video of their exhaust note even if they are gonna blow smoke all over.
Thank you Sir!

Had tried uploading those videos but since they are Youtube Shorts not sure the link will be posted correctly or you may have to copy and paste them to access the video.






Quote:
Originally Posted by Vmax1200 View Post
Awesome thread. Unique collection of classic two strokes.
Thank you!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AsphaltNomad View Post
Amazing collection and salute your tremdous passion! For many its a dream to own even one 2 stroke. All the best with your restoration.
Thank you!

The two stroke collection is only Yamaha and now the count is 5 and mostly different cc RD’s except for my RX

Quote:
Originally Posted by Motorfanatic1 View Post
Would be glad to source few parts and stock them as I too intend to keep the vehicle with me... but only looking for original Honda (Kinetic) parts and any leads would be highly appreciable.
Will be though but have asked my contacts. Benefit of Yamaha spares is they are still made by the Indian factory and you also have the option of International parts being easily available in India.


Quote:
Originally Posted by AtheK View Post
Crazy stuff Sachin, you made me keep guessing and not in my wildest dreams I would have guessed this. The knowledge you have around Yamaha bikes is absolutely amazing, hoping to see these bikes in flesh soon!!

Haha. The RZV 500R would have been an insane addition but I guess I will have to wait for sometime to get a V4.

Have been around Yamaha bikes since the beginning and always wanted a RD 350 but have managed to get all the variations around it which were never sold in India in the first place. Life at times has a plan for you which really takes time to sink in. But, I have no complaints.

Make a trip to Mumbai or I guess I will be in Bangalore again before that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy View Post
What a thread SnS_12! Just the right amount of technicalities and emotions pouring through. I think the RX 135 paved the way for your motorcycle journey. Crazy to see where not you have taken it and pictures invoke nostalgia. No doubt these are in good hands, given how well you take care of your bikes.
Thank you. The RX was definitely the stepping stone and my exposure to all these different bikes is thanks to the time I have spent at my friends workshop where you would find me 6 out of 7 days a week for years at a stretch.

Was chatting with another Bhpian and telling him how bikes helped me in becoming a more financially disciplined person and that is something you will see how the RX was kept in its initial days where my priority was the engine being in too shape always and what my wallet could afford back then. So, to add further to the garage post the RX i had to have a solid financial backing without being friends with the neighbourhood bank (zero loans/borrowed money) and that is what I worked towards a good part of the last decade.

Making the right choices early on in life makes all the difference

My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special-img_9287.jpeg

I don’t think any other bike will match the amount of running I have done on the RX or the places I have visited.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy View Post
Looking forward to seeing all these in flesh sometime soon. :-)
That is always on the back on my mind. Last time we spoke the dates didn’t match and then my bikes were stuck because of repair work and then I got busy with these two additions. Hopefully once monsoon’s are done for good and the bikes finally see street time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy View Post
PS: Is there a separate bedroom/storeroom for all these parts?
They are all around the house. Under my Parents bed is the Busa stock exhaust, RD parts and model cars
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Old 16th September 2024, 17:10   #21
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Amazing man! I have a friend who spent hours matching/tuning a RD 350 so the sound of that is etched in the memory, but to first know that there existed a 200 twin and then hear the low rumble of the 200 has been the highlight of the post.

And yes! Two 2 strokes being better than one you nailed that. Will follow keenly the 3 Y's of your life
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Old 16th September 2024, 17:42   #22
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Amazing thread! As someone who went on the 2 stroke journey for 15+ years, I can fully understand your passion. And maintaining these imported machines in India is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

After a few RXs and RDs, I had the good fortune of owning my ultimate 2 stroke dream for a short while here in Japan. Due to personal circumstances, I had to let her go, but it's quite simply the most exhilarating ride I ever experienced this side of a 1000cc.

My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special-8_rzv.jpeg

Ride safe, and may the 2 stroke Gods keep showering the blessings on you!

Last edited by Viju : 16th September 2024 at 17:43.
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Old 16th September 2024, 17:44   #23
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

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Originally Posted by Freespirit27 View Post
And yes! Two 2 strokes being better than one you nailed that. Will follow keenly the 3 Y's of your life
Thank you. I currently own 5 Yamaha’s and a Suzuki and a Ducati..

You can read about the other two Yamaha’s on the below link

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...-rd-200-a.html (My Barn Finds: Yamaha RD 125 & RD 200)

Suzuki and Ducati ownership links are below:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ebird-s12.html (My Suzuki Hayabusa aka Bluebird S12)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ry-bianca.html (Ducati 848 EVO Corse Review | Story of Bianca)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Viju View Post
Amazing thread! As someone who went on the 2 stroke journey for 15+ years, I can fully understand your passion. And maintaining these imported machines in India is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

After a few RXs and RDs, I had the good fortune of owning my ultimate 2 stroke dream for a short while here in Japan. Due to personal circumstances, I had to let her go, but it's quite simply the most exhilarating ride I ever experienced this side of a 1000cc.

Ride safe, and may the 2 stroke Gods keep showering the blessings on you!

Thank you Sir! And wow, the RZV which I missed owning by a whisker and so did M S Dhoni. With just 1600 pieces ever built in comparison to 10,000 RZ 500/RD 500 LC this is one beautiful motorcycle especially that hand-weld aluminium chassis and the feature where the temperature gauge doubled up as fuel gauge a feature limited to the RZV. So, did you remove the restriction from the exhaust and carburettors as this model was restricted in power?

Below is a picture of the one I saw and wanted to get after the I found out that the TZR 250 had already received a token.

My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special-img_4869.jpeg

Last edited by SnS_12 : 16th September 2024 at 17:56.
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Old 16th September 2024, 20:29   #24
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnS_12 View Post

And you know what is better than a 2 Stroke? Two 2 Strokes
An amazing thread! Reading it from the top till bottom I never ever felt this was such a long post. Salute to your passion. The Daytona 250 exhaust note sound was the one I liked the most. Hearing a 2 stroke nowadays is next to impossible. I wish to see your collection and hear the exhaust notes in person someday in Mumbai as I stay in Mumbai too! May your bikes shine and gleam along always.

Last edited by Eddy : 16th September 2024 at 20:31. Reason: Shortening quotes for better readability.
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Old 16th September 2024, 21:07   #25
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

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Originally Posted by SnS_12 View Post
So, did you remove the restriction from the exhaust and carburettors as this model was restricted in power?
I was a bit lucky as the bike came up on Yahoo auctions right when the COVID restrictions had started in Japan back in March, 2020. There were a lot of bidders, but no one could travel to Tochigi prefecture where the bike was located. It was used for racing at some point in its life and stowed away by the owner for about 17 years before he finally put it up on auction.

Fortunately for me my colleague lived very close by and he took delivery of the bike for me.

It was already derestricted to full power spec (around 85 bhp if I remember right). The engine was in fine nick, but of course needed some TLC and a full going through before she was back on the road. Even in Japan, there are not many mechanics who are experienced in working on these bikes.

I was addicted to RDs at one point and had four of them back home in Cochin at one point. The RZV was rode like a bigger RD - with the low end of an LT and the top end of an HT, and then a lot more. Handled like a dream as well. I should have a short start-up video somewhere. Will post it sometime. Don’t want to hijack your thread. Do keep us updated!
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Old 16th September 2024, 23:09   #26
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Quote:
Originally Posted by Auranator View Post
An amazing thread! Reading it from the top till bottom I never ever felt this was such a long post. Salute to your passion. The Daytona 250 exhaust note sound was the one I liked the most.
Thank you! Yes, the engine on the 250 is surreal and believe the single piece head contributes a lot to quite nature of the engine

Quote:
Originally Posted by Viju View Post
I was a bit lucky as the bike came up on Yahoo auctions right when the COVID restrictions had started in Japan back in March, 2020. There were a lot of bidders, but no one could travel to Tochigi prefecture where the bike was located. It was used for racing at some point in its life and stowed away by the owner for about 17 years before he finally put it up on auction.

Fortunately for me my colleague lived very close by and he took delivery of the bike for me.

It was already derestricted to full power spec (around 85 bhp if I remember right). The engine was in fine nick, but of course needed some TLC and a full going through before she was back on the road. Even in Japan, there are not many mechanics who are experienced in working on these bikes.

I was addicted to RDs at one point and had four of them back home in Cochin at one point. The RZV was rode like a bigger RD - with the low end of an LT and the top end of an HT, and then a lot more. Handled like a dream as well. I should have a short start-up video somewhere. Will post it sometime. Don’t want to hijack your thread. Do keep us updated!
How well it was maintained for a bike which has seen a race track and then 17 years of storage. Incredible!

Working on two strokes is a challenge and then you have this where four carbs have to be tuned to perfection and the throttle cable that has to be synced along with the YPVS controller and oil pump is just pure madness. If it was not for my friend I would have not even dared to consider owning this bike as I don’t know who else could do a job that I would be satisfied with.

Do find the startup video and post it as any two stroke info is just contributing to this thread and may help a future owner of these beauties. And here we are talking about the second most important and famous two stroke from Yamaha after the TZR 750.

We had push started the RZV as the bike was standing for a while and seeing smoke emitting from those four pipes was just magical and I believe the video I took of that moment is what decided my faith as it was posted online by the guy who had the bike and a wider audience got to know about it’s existence and the rest as they say is history. Destiny definitely had better plans as I ended up with one of the most important motorcycles for Yamaha India and that too in fully stock condition just the way it rolled from the factory floor in Japan in 1979
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Old 17th September 2024, 01:01   #27
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Great restoration, very comprehensive! As someone who personally also restored and converted a 20 year old rusted RX100 to electric, I appreciate your efforts! I personally changed my forks and handlebar to not keep it cramped like the initial generation.

Posting my 2 year old thread and some new photos of bikes current avatar not present in that thread. Cheers!
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...bike-home.html (I made an Electric bike at home!)

My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special-dsc_2912.jpg
My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special-edroit.jpg
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Old 17th September 2024, 19:41   #28
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Hats off to your perseverance sir, the amount of effort you have put into these bikes is just phenomenal. I was not even aware of the smaller RD's existence

Will be following this thread eagerly.
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Old 18th September 2024, 00:31   #29
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

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Originally Posted by TechSavvy View Post
Great restoration, very comprehensive! As someone who personally also restored and converted a 20 year old rusted RX100 to electric, I appreciate your efforts! I personally changed my forks and handlebar to not keep it cramped like the initial generation.
Thank you and yes I do remember reading your thread on the electric conversion. While I usually do modifications or put different aftermarket parts on my bikes to suit my taste and needs this time I however am doing my best to maintain/restore both of these rare two strokes in their original form and being rare bikes its one expensive exercise and probably why you don’t see many keeping or maintaining two strokes the way they deserve to be as for the same cost or even lesser you would get a more modern and powerful motorcycle.

But, to be honest I enjoy saving these rare beauties more than buying powerful super bikes and that is the reason why the collection is more two stroke biased and that too only from Yamaha/Japanese.


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Originally Posted by jomson13 View Post
Hats off to your perseverance sir, the amount of effort you have put into these bikes is just phenomenal. I was not even aware of the smaller RD's existence

Will be following this thread eagerly.
Thank you Sir! I got to know about the baby RD’s too only when I saw the RD 125 in 2006 and six months of constant nagging finally made the guy sell it to me and after a few months a RD 200 which was owned jointly by some kids doing their engineering. All this while I was on the lookout for a RD 350.

Made a video like a tribute to the RD 250 for its such a special motorcycle and one of the most important and valuable air cooled two stroke from Yamaha in the country for how rare it is globally and then you have its history with Escorts/Yamaha India.



Another video when we fired it with the speedo/tacho meter view.

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Old 18th September 2024, 12:15   #30
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Re: My Legendary Yamahas | RZ 350 and RD 250 Daytona Special

Thanks for a very beautiful thread. This will remain close to my heart, due to the love for 2 stroke bikes. My whats app status has been RD 350 TORQUE INDUCTION for close to 15 years now. When I got team bhp membership, without thinking, I selected the username TORQUEINDUCTION. I do own a 2002 RX135 (4 speed, cat con) and do want to restore it as per original spec. I loved the cat con exhaust, but the original owner messed with the exhaust and its damn loud now. While purchasing, I though I can get the exhaust repaired, but no one here in Pune seems to know more about it. I now plan to put the regular steel exhaust which comes in regular RX135.
Right now, trying to find a genuine workshop to do the restoration work.
Quick question, what are the tire sizes on the RX135 and which alloys are those. Looks good.
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