[ac 427]

Hello Boys,

I am on route to check for myself a RD 350 that i have shortlisted. Wanted to know from you guys what are the things that HAVE to be checked and need to be in place before i Buy the RD 350.

Kindly advice.

Cheers,
AC

[the_trooper]

Look at the fork tubes for cuts and scratches, it will tell you if they have been straightened after an accident.

Open the seat and look at the air filter box. See if its been eaten by the battery acid. Stock RD air boxes are not of much use anyway, but one that has a hole in it is a sure sign that there was no air filteration happening on the bike and dirt would have gone into the cylinders.

Check the main stand pin. Park the bike on the main stand see if the bike has sideways play when u shake it. You will almost end up stripping the whole bike (and probably rebuilding it) just trying to correct this.

Its a long list, but the above will give you sure shot signs that your bike will spend its first few months in the garage, not to mention the money. Apart from this, u should just check it like you would inspect any second hand bike.

[hillram]

Checking the authenticity of an RD 350 is a very tedious task.
Manipulations can be done from LT to HT,stock pipes can be altered and most important check if the CB points are tuned well.

[iceman91]

check if the clutch and gears are in good shape.
also the clutch bell

[ac 427]

What is preffered more ?

Point or CDI and what are the benefits of either one.

AC

[Sudipto-S-Team]

On a lighter note - check the thickness of your wallet and keep checking it periodically. Even VLCC can't guarantee this kind of fast slimming I am told.

[insaneroller]

Originally Posted by ac 427

What is preffered more ?

Point or CDI and what are the benefits of either one.

AC

I'm a total amateur in this, but with points the timing always keeps going out, so much so that it can happen post every ride too, if ridden hard. CDI the distribution is always constant & with a RDD CDI, it will start even if you've had a major overflow. Ignition & timing are key attributes. There maybe plenty of more attributes which I have no clue of but I've got both my RDs on CDI

[ac 427]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

On a lighter note - check the thickness of your wallet and keep checking it periodically. Even VLCC can't guarantee this kind of fast slimming I am told.

well said, currently i am extemely light on my wallet but still. . . when you want to buy one, you have to buy one.

THe same was my situation when i wanted to buy my bullet, did not have money, did not know how to ride a bullet. . .hell i did not even know how to ride a bike. . .but went ahead with my 'Gut' feel.

Anyways thanks for warning me.

Cheers,
AC

[trammway]

Points are hard to maintain - Regular correction, Mechanic expenses and Points & Condenser parts availability are very high. I bought a Condenser (new OE, old stock) for Rs.1000 and magnetto coil with points for Rs.4000. This will tell you what is the kind of market rates going on. But performance wise points are the kings

CDI is not so bad, and they are easy to maintain. You can live with RX135 OE Yamaha CDI for RD350. I'm using one and very happy about it. Minor changes needs to be done on the plate that holds the magnetto coil and keys. Easily available.

RDD CDI Digi III model are talk of town or suggested to all the RD restoration. My point is that you don't need to go that extent spending 13-15K on CDI.

1. If the RDD CDI magnetto gone, as of today no replacement parts.
2. How many of us keep on changing the settings with USB
3. Are you really looking for winning a race, is that your intention ? even then I never heard of any race in chennai woned by RDD digi III CDI.

so, keep yourself with in affordable performance league. If any of your friend's are visiting US ask them to bid and bring some yamaha CDI kit. Otherwise use RX135's

[ac 427]

hi all,

i just had a look at my prospective RD, It is a HD, 84 make, with point ignition.

has black mag wheels, front disc brake. A new battery, new wheels.

But has a Indian Block.

Rode her, she was fast and how. . . i had to literally hold on to the handles to just stay on the bike. I humbly agree that me, a bullet owner has never had that RUSH ever.

Anways back to the bike, she went easily above 8000RPM without any stress, beyond which i was scared.

How do i judge if both the cylinders are firing perfectly ?? I trsut my mechanic, but i want to have my own judgement.

Guys Please help.

AC

[Sudipto-S-Team]

What did the owner say about FE? I mean how many litres to a km? I think FE was one of the reasons why the bike didn't get volumes in India. But then when you are talking about performance you don't calculate FE. Go for it.

[2StrokeJunkie]

just buy the bike dude. if u like it and its obvious u do , and want one bad enough then just buy it. not to take pot shots or dampen your mood but a few corrections :

Its not HD its HT as in High Torque

Indian Barrels would mean its an LT

not sure if early Indian barrels came with tongues ( which i doubt )

8000 Rpm on LT is highly unlikely . not many HTs see 8000 so forget an LT.

either the tacho was wildly dancing or its ported bike.

what u need to know is to decide against a good by or a lemon ( relative to quoted price ) :

is it sleeved or unsleeved. if it is unsleeved ( std to .75 oversize ) and the price is reasonable then just pick it up no questions asked. not that sleeves are bad . its just that most sleeves done in our country are not done professionally , they are done economically.

pistons ART , Mahle prefered. original TKR would third in my book. anything else ..well depends on your luck.

bike papers must be clean . chassis number and engine number must match . if an out of state bike must have valid NOC , valid fitness certificate . make sure of this. make sure you include paper work and get bike transfered into your name and include that price in your toal cost for the bike. paper work can set you back as much as 10K or even much more !!

make sure no cuts and welds on the chassis .

buying an RD with as many original parts on the bike as possible ( even if they are rusted ) is worth it , like original handlebar , seat plate , seat beading , mudguards ( not rajdoot 175s ) , tail light assemble , headlight dome , tank , side panels etc.

has 6 gears and both exhausts. carbs are MIC Made in Japan.

start the engine and listen for bearing noise.

engine rebuilds are expensive.

pipes in good condition are a benifit as they are hard to come by as replacements if ur wallet is thin.

points in good condition is good . but its still high on maintainance . CDI is great as long as its done properly. RDD CDI kit is seriously overhyped . There are many kits made by many RD specialists/tuners . The most famous and most successful of these is the Ravi Nagesh kit. The Auto Escorts kit is also works well . The RX100 Shogun Combo and RX135 kits function well also. rite now a CDI kit should be the least of your worries since there are plenty of kits available to keep your bike running hard for a long time to come. just remember that u need a 90/100 kit for the "best " electrical power when you switch to a CDI which you might have to sooner than you expect .

remember this with the RD , start all mechanical work once you have sorted out ur electricals . without proper electricals , even the best engine in the world will feel like ****.

[2StrokeJunkie]

sorry for the typos posted in a hurry . hope u find my post helpful in ur future endeavors with this bike

[turbo_v12]

either the tacho was wildly dancing or its ported bike.

Am sure it is the former.

bike papers must be clean . chassis number and engine number must match . if an out of state bike must have valid NOC , valid fitness certificate . make sure of this. make sure you include paper work and get bike transfered into your name and include that price in your total cost for the bike. paper work can set you back as much as 10K or even much more !!

Pay special attention to this point. You do not want to rue it later.

The Auto Escorts kit is also works well . The RX100 Shogun Combo and RX135 kits function well also.

Maverick5490 on Team BHP was running the RX135 CDi ignition earlier and had a lot of problems with it. The spark kept firing even before the pistons reached TDC on many instances since the 135 ignition kit is configured for a single cylinder. His bike kept overheating and one cylinder would shut off.

I would suggest you stay on points if your mechanic can check it once a week, else switch to AUTO ESCORTS TCi, which is very reliable.

I feel using Scooty Pep ignition coils and a magnet of some other bike etc. tends to rob the RD of it's power. Maverick's bike has gone wild after it was set up on TCi.

Correct me if I am wrong guys.


P.S. If you intend on getting the RD alternator and magnet (which will come for 4 grand as trammy said), make sure you do it quickly. The last bit of the lot is fast finishing.

[2StrokeJunkie]

^ u are wrong my friend. what mavericks problem sounds like is a because of over advance and has nothin to do with the CDI but with the stator plate and basically timing. if dailed in with the right timing , there shouldn't be any problems if rest of the circuit and carburation is right . you are also wrong about the scooty pep CDI and shogun magnet part as alot of street , drag and track RDs run them with great success. anyway to each his own.