[Gordon]

All of the parts have rusted badly. Probably at most places and many mounting points (threads too) the rust may have eaten right through. Most of the parts seem to scream "REPLACE ME".

[nandishpal]

you have found a very good RD i must say.all RD owners here will agree with me.
you dont see many bikes with OE handle,OE switches,OE grippers you can see the bulge on them,the OE headlamp stays,OE front mudguard,
be very careful while stripping the bike,restore evry part & refurbish,dont let it go to the junk or the mechanic who would be smart enough to say thet is corroded & is a waste.i am sure you can get it in very good shape.
all the best!

[Gordon]

be very careful while stripping the bike,restore evry part & refurbish,dont let it go to the junk or the mechanic

This I shall agree with. These parts are rare to find and since you have them with the bike, try saving them. Although I have no idea how you'd restore those parts.

[gypsy1989]

Thanks Nandish,

Its heartening to know that there are some plus points on this bike,like you told me.I will definitely take care of all these original parts.

Arun,you are spot on mate.The right exhaust and silencer is missing! So,I think thats going to be my first challenge.Ajay Bhai,I think I am going to need your help here.Will ping you when the bike arrives.Theres been a change in the plan and the bike will only come next sunday now.

Thanks Khaleelda for the input on RTO thingy.Actually I have some contacts and I think everything is possible in India...All you need is a few papers,green in colour,hehe!

The reason why the bike was left like that to my knowledge is that the person(my friends dad) got a car for himself and never bothered about it.The papers are all genuine.

If its possible to get spares from Yamaha,then nothing like it.They are my clients and the person who heads this particular deptt( spares and service)for karnataka is pretty close to me.So hopefully that should come in handy!

Will keep you all posted with the pics ...Definitely all the moves are going to be made with the help of everybody's advices here

[kuttapan]

Originally Posted by gypsy1989

Thanks Nandish,

Its heartening to know that there are some plus points on this bike,like you told me.I will definitely take care of all these original parts.

Good to see your enthusiasm. Let me be very clear - you need deep pockets, if you have to restore this bike without cutting corners. Parts are available, not all though, and you need to know where to look. Make some friends in the Gujri(Shivajinagar).

Strip the bike completely, label each and every part. Front and rear mud guards, silencer etc are rare items to get original in new condition, so try to salvage them if you can. I am not sure if you can get the original seat anymore, but somebody should be able to make you a replica.

Be prepared to use as many parts from other models of bikes, else you will be like a dog chasing it's tail. There are couple of RD specific forums, where you can get more help.

[Khodays]

Just checking, I would be very keen to pick this bike up if you find it a handfull, cause, I am going to be being very honest, you aren't going to find this project that easy, provided you have an AMPLE amount of time, money and patience, folks dont flame me for this post though.

[milindajp]

Congratulation and welcome aboard. Be a proud owner of RD350.

It will take some time to restore it but what I can suggest is that if you don't have any problem with funds, you can still make it a great machine. All spares are available - just need to know the source though sometimes they take lot of time.

However, feel free to seek help from me and other RD owners and also our fellow bhpians. Read the forum in details and join the RD specific groups.

Till then wish you all the best.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by gypsy1989

Thanks Nandish,
If its possible to get spares from Yamaha,then nothing like it.They are my clients and the person who heads this particular deptt( spares and service)for karnataka is pretty close to me.So hopefully that should come in handy!

Gypsy1989, all the best with the restoration.

I am sorry to disappoint you on the above, as this looks like a pure wishful thinking, as Yamaha India has done nothing about this for last one yaer or so, since they announced it indirectly.

I am a owner of RD 350 since 1984.

The bike I am sure is in better condition than it looks. As suggested by all get it cleaned up properly and then make a photo documentation of all as it is and the proceed with stripping and cleaning.

I don't know what is going to be your methodology. If you have place to garage the bike do that and get a good mechanic to come to your place and work on it at least at the dismantle stage, so that you would be in control of all items.

This is very important as there is a great demand for most of the parts of the bike (in any condition) don't throw away anything at all.

All the rubber parts are available in Bangalore, along with most of the engine spares etc and cables. Even originla seats are available in Bangalore

The problem you are going to have is with the Silencers and the Indicators- well, there are other ones as well but in your bike those seem to still servicable.

But don't be dis heartened, both of those could be fabricated almost to perfection (except on sound of silencers). I am sure it could be done in B,loe.

There are few dediated RD forums (like in Y Group). Bangalore has an active bunch of RD owners. Get in touch and they will all help with their knowledge - like Ajay and few others have offered.

PM me if you need contacts of guys who could help you from Y group (if you are not there already) Info like where to get an original looking seat etc are available there.

For heavensake stick to original visuals as far as possible while restoring, with original colours of Red, Blue or Silver. They suit the RD the best (my opinion)

All the best and keep posting pictures.

Best Regards and Ride Safe

Ram

[jayakrishnan_v]

Hi Gypsy1989, congrats for finding a RD and your chance to restore it. I totally agree with Ram as he mentioned above and dont make a hurry. You have to first strip the bike, make a clear list of each and every nut and bolt...make four separate sets viz
a) for Black painting/powder coating parts like the frame, swing arm, engine side cases etc plus the tank, sidecovers and the headlight holders for colour painting.
b) the parts for plating
c) The engine cases for the sand blasting and cleaning and finally with a light coat of aluminium paint d) All the parts if any can be reused.

when you are giving this to each one of the shop, collect the phone number, agree on the amount and make a condition with a list of the items you are submitting and getting that counted by the shopkeeper who is getting it handed over from you and if any goes missing its his responsibility. I know its difficult, but even a small part can make u run around to be procured and there are people who are having parts business.

I hope the engine especially the barrels are unsleeved and hence you can use it but the reboring work and the pistons u get have to be cross checked with some good mechanics or by some of our forum mates. The same is with the crank rebuild too...

For the silencers, i would suggest you to get a pair from some RD breakers in US and make sure that you are picking the models of 74/74 RD350 not earlier than these years. Check with your friends in US or buy it via Ebay US which is much much cheaper than the price of a LT pipe in India and that too with dents. The same is the case for most of the parts like the gaskets, oil seals, graphics, indicators, tail lamp, etc...even you can try sourcing a pair of barrels and keep it as a back up.

Once everything is ready, again like Ram said, bring the mechanic to your place, pay him whatever is the agreed amount, but if he's working two days with a new engine and the full wiring with the parts ready, you can get your bike up and running....

[r_nairtvm]

Jay

Welcome onboard TeamBHP

Some sound advise you have given Gypsy)

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[nandishpal]

1 very important thing.get a proffesional & ask him to unscrew the spokes.i think they are in original shape.how to know??start from the drum side & you will see a step on all the spokes.very difficult to find this spare.thought this would be useful.

[aruncheloor]

Originally Posted by nandishpal

1 very important thing.get a proffesional & ask him to unscrew the spokes.i think they are in original shape.how to know??start from the drum side & you will see a step on all the spokes.very difficult to find this spare.

easily available @ JC Road @ astronomical prices. rs.15 per spoke. I picked 40 of them 6 months ago paying a fortune

[hillram]

Good luck with your restoration.Its going to be an arduous job.

[Khodays]

@Jayakrishnan
Is this JSR from TVM??

[gypsy1989]

Thanks Nair Bhai and Jaya Bhai,

Your inputs are invaluable.Solid advices ! I am going to take my time,but I am going to ensure that no matter what I get the original parts.
Kuttapan( hehe,I like your screenname ) As far as I can,I am going to try to get the originals.
As far as the colour is concerned,I have a soft corner for blue RD.Although I havent seen a lot of silver ones and I think that'll be a unique color.

Now to this-:

Originally Posted by Khodays

Just checking, I would be very keen to pick this bike up if you find it a handfull, cause, I am going to be being very honest, you aren't going to find this project that easy, provided you have an AMPLE amount of time, money and patience, folks dont flame me for this post though.

Whatever made you think I was expecting this project to be easy??? If it aint a challenge brother,there is no fun !!!
I think I can decide if I have ample time,money and patience or not...Thank you!
Bikes ( Read Rd350 ) and 4X4 automobiles are my passion,my life.Any amount of time,money spent on them is well spent! I think all of you would agree on this...
So,as far as your offer is concerned,Thanks but no thanks!!!