[bigron]

@captrajesh: I can relate to what you are saying. A bad mech is the worst thing that can happen to a RD owner.I ve had my share of bad mechs and even now i bump into them.But i guess thats the price of owning a RD in todays time.

@victor: I or for that matter anybody cant really answer your question unless you ve actually ridden a well maintained RD. Having said that i ll say that it was the most explosive thing on 2 wheels in India and maybe still is. And RD and FE dont go in the same sentence. I have got close to 7-8kmpl on some of the rides.

[rvmohankumar]

thanx to all for your comments.
yesterday i took the bike for a first long ride ( 150 Kms in total to start with ).

it performed like a dream and ran like a rocket. I found it very easy to handle and ride and almost similar to my the Rx100 characteristics but more powerful.

This is a 1985 LT bike completely redone with Paint and chrome.
Newly sleeved with new pistons(TKR) and conrods.
90/100 CDI Kit with new electricals.
New tyres, Battery and seat. And the front Disc set up from comes from a used HONDA CBR Bike. Has a good bite and decent stopping power which is much needed for an RD.

Pending list
1) Front Chrome mudguard
2) Luggage carrier
3) Crash guard
4) New Front tyre ( current tyre is newly fitted but is a dunlop and old stock)
5) Get the rusted bits painted or replaced ( some nuts and shafts)
6) Fuel filter
7) Seat lock
8) Meters ( the current meter is from this bike)

Few more things will be addressed during the first service.

Will comeback with an update and some more pics soon.

[GTO]

Congrats on your RD350! Spend some time understanding her tantrums & on-road behaviour. And of course, ride safe

Originally Posted by bigron

It is definitely not agonising to keep the bike running.

Originally Posted by captrajesh

Trust me, it is real agony to keep the bike running.

When owning any discontinued vehicle, ease of ownership all comes down to your mechanic. I drive a 14 year old Jeep (the discontinued Classic) and believe me, it's all thanks to Milestone (authorised Mahindra workshop) that I spend very less time on her upkeep. Milestone can provide me with whatever parts & labour my Jeep needs. I guess its a similar case with the RD350...if you find a garage that has the required knowledge, and can source the right parts, you are all set with an RD.

Originally Posted by VictorSinha

Whats so special in a RD350 which the new generation bike e.g. Ninja or even a Hunk/Pulsar/Unicorn does not have ?

Let me put it this way. As an RX100 owner, the first time that I rode an RD, I almost flew off the seat! If you've ridden only regular commuter bikes, nothing can prepare you for the initial burst of acceleration. I believe the 0 - 100 time of the RD is <6 seconds....a time still unmatched by any sub-500 cc bike in India.

P.S. You'll never get a Ninja / Hunk / Pulsar / Unicorn that sounds as awesome either.

[kuttapan]

Originally Posted by VictorSinha

I may sound like a bit of noobish...To the RD owners......Whats so special in a RD350 which the new generation bike e.g. Ninja or even a Hunk/Pulsar/Unicorn does not have ?

Also, I have heard that a RD350 has a FE around 10 KMPL at max. Is this true ?

RD350 is a motorcycle in it's purest form. Wild, almost untamed. If you must, look at the Hunk/Pulsar/Unicorn as a German Sheperd/Labrador/Whatever. RD is the Wolf. Gotcha?

If you haven't experienced raw 2 stroke acceleration, you must, at some point in time. It will be an experience to cherish.

Please note that I am not saying one bike is greater than the other, that's all individual perspectives. But the feel a raw 2 stroke can give, nothing else can match.

[kolimuttai]

Originally Posted by GTO

I believe the 0 - 100 time of the RD is <6 seconds....a time still unmatched by any sub-500 cc bike in India.

P.S. You'll never get a Ninja / Hunk / Pulsar / Unicorn that sounds as awesome either.

Ha ha ha... spoke well... The one ho has and loves it... knows it...

The simple answer for a 30 year old bike to be still in so much demand...

[Sheel]

One of the most beautiful RD I have come across.

2 strokes, well despite riding a few I wasn't enamored by one much and was happy with my regular 4-stroke commuters. (premium Indian Motorcycles)

But occasional ride on one would thrill me to no ends, but I somehow would gulp down the feeling and brush it aside.

After much thought and deliberation, got myself a completely junked RX-100 and my project RX is finally back on track. It has been 6 months since I got it, but wasn't able to manage my finance to bring her to life.

Two-strokes whether 100cc or 350cc is pure music to ears, sadly the same can't be said about 4 strokes.

Both have their advantage and I will have a dream 'Indian' garage soon with the RX joining my YZF.

Someone who hasn't ridden a well maintained RX/Shogun/RD won't understand and they are hence forgiven

[Ajaybiz]

Nice bike and RVMohankumar where in Bangalore, being in Makka of RD you should get in touch with other RD fellows over here and see how you'll get the knowledge, friends through RD.

[octane1002]

Originally Posted by GTO

I believe the 0 - 100 time of the RD is <6 seconds....a time still unmatched by any sub-500 cc bike in India.

P.S. You'll never get a Ninja / Hunk / Pulsar / Unicorn that sounds as awesome either.

The HT version does 0-100 in the region of 7.5secs.Sub 6 seconds is stretching it a little far

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by GTO

I drive a 14 year old Jeep (the discontinued Classic) and believe me, it's all thanks to Milestone (authorised Mahindra workshop) that I spend very less time on her upkeep. Milestone can provide me with whatever parts & labour my Jeep needs. I guess its a similar case with the RD350

NO NO its not. I own a Classic and a RD 350. And no its not a similiar experience.

Heck I can maintain 2 more Classics if I didnt have the RD350.

You get parts, rubber bushes and everything else for the Classic.

For the RD350 other then oil everything else is suspect. Unless you are one of the past part hoarders. I am not and have to pay some thousands for gaskets and the like (now I know better though so avoid the hoarders).

For a Classic you can get a mechanic/garage who will do whats required. For a RD350, you need to massage egos, pray at the altar of a grease monkey, pay through your nose and then after riding the bike for a couple of kms realise its seized. Not that I went through this but sometimes I have shed some tears. With a Classic I never did.

Maintaining a Mahindra Classic and a RD350 is not the same ATALL!!

PS: Now I maintian both myself, though my friend and his garage takes care of them presently.

[Ajaybiz]

What about 3.5 seconds to touch 100?One guy in Punjab did but his bike is loaded with all US market parts and he blown onver 6L Rs on his RD, its actually 1975 RD350B, check HVCCycle.com the have posted his bikes youtube video link on their site.
Spitfire mate if its done preperly RD's are same as other usual 2strokes and can be used for daily rides, buy spares only from US sites and enjoy trouble free ride, RD's weak points are electricals and 2T lubrication sort them out and see how many kms it can do.
My friend Vijay rides an RD which has done over 120K kms on odo and still running on standard bores.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Spitfire mate if its done preperly RD's are same as other usual 2strokes

I am wiser now. My comments were for first time buyers.