Team-BHP - Embarking on a Journey-Restoration of RD-350

Hi Guys,

I have always been in awe of this super machine,the RD350.And guess what,my friend just laid his hands on his dad's long forgotten RD-350!!!
The pics may not look much,but RD is an RD! The bike presently is in Chaibasa,Jharkhand.However,its going to be in Bangalore by day after tomorrow,that is by 25th of oct...
I just cant hold my breath at the prospect of having this bike at my place day after tomorrow..Hurray!!!

Now,this is where I need your help.I am attaching the pics for you people.Please go through it and let me know what needs to be done.As far as I can make out,the engine,the exhausts,carburrator,kick looks ok.Now,I know restoring an RD is not everybody's cup of tea.Would appreciate your feedbacks and suggestions on how to go about it and which mechanic to approach.And ofcourse,do have a limited budget right now,so just want to make this machine look stock,no fancy stuff !

great challenge buddy!!
all the best!!

please keep updating your progress as i will be copying your every move in restoring my rx135, its almost half the way from the condition this is in.

looking forward to your processflow in cleaning the engine and bringing it back to full glory! :)

all the best again, and dont lose hope, as you said ......the rewards will surely be sweet..:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by gypsy1989 (Post 1545770)

I know theres a long way to go.But then,the fruit of hard work is going to be sweet,for sure:)

Thats the spirit mate.

Also, I think you are off to a great start with Ajaybiz already around to help you with restoration. Being from the same city you'll can team up and have a great end-product. :)

Making stock RD is also costly affair, but be patient and start with cleaning the bike and removing the rust from all the parts, slowly start with engine and complete with cosmatics, dont leave this beauti at any mechanics place just work on your own, as i said in my previous post help is around anytime.

all the best with the resto gypsy1989.. :)
the RD looks fine, and may not be in such a bad shape as it looks and guess would look dandy with some rust treatment. the cyclinder, chambers, and the mikuni carbs and the silencers also look without collateral damage. :D

again hope to see this up and running, if you need any help regarding mechs or parts for the buildup..holla me, would be glad to help you any way possible.

Wow...Thank u guys!!!

Thanks for the support..This is really pepping me up:) I knew help would be just round the corner here:)

Yes,I am going to go slow with this...But do enlighten me here fellas....Are the original RD parts still available in the market?( I know I sound like a complete dumbo,but I honesty dont have much idea about it..) Also,for rusting,I know for jeeps people do sandblasting.Does the same mechanism work here or just doing some cosmetic touch up would cover up the rust?
I have heard that govt has abolished the law to pay road tax for vehicles from other states.Is this true?

The bike will be at Kr Puram station on sunday morning.So will have to wait till then.Till then,ur support and ideas are awaited

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Definitely going to be an expensive restoration!But might be worth every penny if you get the right set of people to help you with this. There are some really good RD mechanics in B'lore, and if you can source all the parts from reliable places then you'll be in for a treat at the end of the project!
Good luck!

It's a pity such a nice bike has been left to rust. As Nitin said, this will be expensive, but in the end you'll really have a great sense of pride.

One of the first things you need to do is find out why this bike was taken out of service. Likely a mechanical failure of some sort - hopefully not serious like a blown engine, but the engine will need rebuilding anyway.

Obviously the first thing that needs to be done is stripping the entire machine down to the frame. Before anything, you need to evaluate the condition of the frame and if it's restorable. Make sure those tubes are not rusted beyond safe service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gypsy1989 (Post 1546204)

RD parts - original - were no longer availabel, but just recently ( by recent i mean a week o so) i heard on forums that yam is extending spares support for its older models (rx100 and rd350) in an attemt to rebuild its image in india.

about road tax, yes you do have to pay tax again when you bring it to another state. also considering the age of the vehecle you might face some issues.

i would suggest even before touching the bike , take all the papers to a rto agent talk to him, and get an estimate of the damage, both tax and the registration that yuou have to do...