[captrajesh]

Presently avaialble RD's are too old to be lusted at for performance. It is desired purely for nostalgia and reliving the cult.

Performance wise, I doubt an average RD can beat the new gen performance bikes over a considerable distance. Trust me, with the re-sleeved under-performing engines and spurious spares, it will sputter and stop in the middle of the road if you attempt any serious racing.

Considering that, I doubt you would be happy to be driving the one shown on the pictures.

Moreover, you have to be a really serious RD fan to just restore it to an optimum mechanical state leave alone restoring it to original. From the pics, it appears, even exhaust has been modified and both the exhaust manifolds redesigned to pump into an single exhaust.

[james]

I am going to go against the tide here! Ride the bike and see how it handles. Check if there is any play in the swingarm. Can we have clearer pics of the perimeter frame and the downtubes? How has the engine been mounted/downtubes fixed?
That 2x1 exhaust woulld sound good but perform like $#it. You will not be able to mount the stock exhausts. You will have to get chambers for this!! Although Joe is a good mech, i wouldnt really take what he said at face value.(or any otehr mech for that matter).
If the engine is in good nick, barrels and heads are unsleeved, you can spare around 50-55k(if he is willing to sell @ that rate) and maybe another 30-40k for future work(for mechanicals and not cosmetic stuff), Its definately worth a second thought!! In your palce i would buy it @ 50k and sort things out from there.

P.S. The fact that you are even checking out this bike says that you arent on the stock trip. I LIKE!!

Cheers!

[desideep]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

The whole charm in owning an RD is to have a stock bike which. It is such a beautiful machine..

If you are getting something that doesn't look like an RD it defeats the purpose ...

I do agree there is a charm of having a stock RD. But a Tricked RD with a better frame would be very nice. but there are not too many people atleast in india who can do this. so once again if you can do it then go for the bike but not for 70K i would pay no more than 40K up here in north for the claims made like second over size and all that. though they ,may be true but Black and white is seen when the engine is split open.

thanks

DESIDeep

Originally Posted by captrajesh

Presently avaialble RD's are too old to be lusted at for performance. It is desired purely for nostalgia and reliving the cult.

Performance wise, I doubt an average RD can beat the new gen performance bikes over a considerable distance. Trust me, with the re-sleeved under-performing engines and spurious spares, it will sputter and stop in the middle of the road if you attempt any serious racing.

Considering that, I doubt you would be happy to be driving the one shown on the pictures.

Moreover, you have to be a really serious RD fan to just restore it to an optimum mechanical state leave alone restoring it to original. From the pics, it appears, even exhaust has been modified and both the exhaust manifolds redesigned to pump into an single exhaust.

I was talking to MD. IMRAN the owner of the first NINJA 250 in india. and he is an experienced rider he recently did a trip with XBHP team where they took the BANDIT to K- TOP.

When we were opening up the engine of my RD at Speedways Noida.. he mentioned that the RD can eat his NINJA for the 0-100 any given day. but in the top end fight the RD has to be tricked .

[desideep]

Duplicate Please Delete

[DrunkenMonk]

NO! Don't buy it.

Next question?

.

[Jaggu]

Keep off! Unless you get it for some 25-30k and if it has clean papers, price for the engine and the front end that's it. Nothing even worth a penny more.

[gsferrari]

Good luck getting that bike registered. A 4-stroke frame of unknown origin (it may be a VFR400 but where did it come from and what is it's history) mated to a 2-stroke engine of unknown origin. This is every RTO official's dream come true

[desideep]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

Good luck getting that bike registered. A 4-stroke frame of unknown origin (it may be a VFR400 but where did it come from and what is it's history) mated to a 2-stroke engine of unknown origin. This is every RTO official's dream come true

if it was in delhi or in punjab, haryana, UP then if tuned correctly it would be a dream come true for the owner.

[octane1002]

@ajaybiz:Asked the owner, he says that the engine has been mounted on a vfr chassis.Original frame is not available I guess.Rebuilding another original RD is a herculean task which a novice like me will not be able to undertake.

@desideep:I agree that the bike is lot less than the its bein quoted.When I had gone to see the bike I had made up my mind that I was in effect going to pay for the sum of the parts on the bike if the mods were executed properly.That in effect with a 6speed properly reworked RD engine would be a potent combination.In any case if I want a cosmetically perfect RD its gonna cost me some real big bucks with the prevelant prices.That is, if I was lucky enough to source them in the first plce.Can you recall the forum where you saw this bike?

@aargee & 4*4addict:Its not that I am a big fan of such modifications.I completely agree that a stock RD is something else.

@novice alto:Thanx for the contact.Please provide me with the number if you can.It'll be big help.Maybe we can go together to get the bike checked.

@prashanth benz:As I said somewhere above, my thinking behind getting the bike is to get smthing on the lines of a project bike and hone it into something that'll give me the kicks everytime I ride it.Stock RD is something that only a few have the time and resources to rebuild.

@captrajesh:I have already mentioned above that the exhausts and the points ignition will go the 1st thing if I acquire this bike.The engine on this bike has recently been reworked upon by Joe's.As a matter of fact its still in the run-in phase.

@james:The first encouraging words..Thanx man.As I said earlier, something on the lines of a project bike with a reworked RD engine aint too bad if executed properly considering that such stuff isnt uncommon abroad.(I agree that technical knowhow when undertaking such projects is of utmost importance and workshops of that calibre are few and far in between in India.Still..)I'll try to post more pics if and when I visit the owner again.Lets see.How I wish I was located somewhere down south to have access to all the expertise.Builting something like this with all the mods on the bike would surely cost me north of 40k excluding the cost of the bike.I too was in the market for a stock RD but this bike somehow caught my fancy.How do I check if there's play in the swingarm??

@jaggu:25-30k would'nt be possible I guess.Cost of the monoshocks/one sided swingarm/3 nissin discs/clip ons/Alloys and tyres/panels itself put together would be around 40 k.Maybe i can offer40k but dunno how Im gonna offer that amount.The papers are in place alright.

@gsferrari:I know.But its not gonna be my daily ride anyways.Maybe sunday mornings thats it.RTO officials in kolkata would be hard pressed to find the differences.Thats the apalling situation here.

@all:When I had seen this bike, I was drawn to it cuz of the mods in place.I wasnt looking for a bike like this in the first place but this changed my parameters to an extent.I started wondering if this would be a potent combination of the gadgetry lacking on an RD and that killer engine.After all a clean 5 speed RXZ costs 25k nowadays.A completely stock RD is any day more desirable than something like this but the finances required is another matter.I know.

[aargee]

@Octane - If I were you, I would keep waiting for that "right" RD & keep hunting regardless of time.

Food for thought - Why did they change to VFR frame? Have they etched the RD's original frame number in the new VFR's frame? How about the RC? What's the frame number on it? Does it match with the existing frame?

That will be one hell of task especially with RTO!!!

[howler]

hello, was there an HT model for 85'?

[Spitfire]

@Octane: If you other hobby happens to shoot yourself in the foot repeatedly!! Then please go ahead with this deal.

A 350 engine in a VFR 400 chassis?? That too modified in a local garage. The guys saying this combi can be tweaked need to visit a shrink.

[octane1002]

@aargee/spitfire:I get your point guys.No more harsh words please..lol

[2StrokeJunkie]

hmmm LOL ok i did a bit of asking around and i know who built this bike . Bike was built in bangalore and no not by Joe. The owner spent close to 2 lacs at that point of time . I know the welder too hmm .... but i dont want to mess ur head or opinion. take it for a ride and let us know how it is . Also check rear wheel allignment and how the rear tyre is wearing out check out handling , with this bike that should be ur main cause of concern, engine and exhaust can always be rebuilt . The only thing im not to happy about by looking at the pictures is the chassis . That is not a VFR chassis . If the Veefeer chassis had been used i could have hazarded a guess that it would handle well and since the cycle parts belong to same chassis they wouldve fit like a glove and worked like a charm. The only problem then would be to get the engine mountings rite. but they didnt do that, i looks like RD chassis that has been jugaaded to take in the cycle parts and then some more jugaad has been done to make the RD chassis look like a delta box. The chassis with all that extra metal welded on to it should weigh quite a bit and handling could very possibly be down in the gutter. Please ride it and tell us what u think . I would stay way from a bike that has been buggered like this cas it could turn out to be a can of worms. normal RDs turn out to be that way anyway. This could turn out to be a barrel of the slimeys. but thats me and doesnt have to be u. If the price is cheap and u have the time funds energy and patience go for it. In the mean while try clicking pics of all mounting points or anything out of place and post the pics.

This bike has a very interesting set of cycle parts . I know alot of people who would give an arm and a leg for an RD with that front end and the honda pro arm . The execution has not been upto the mark but then what more can u expect from people who arnt very educated and job that was done around 10 yrs ago. Take it for a spin boss and see how it is. I dont think u should buy it but thanks for clicking pics and bringing bikes like this to our notice. This bike was built at a time when bangalore was flooded with imports and import parts , so alot of people who couldnt afford a complete sbk , found the next closest thing - an RD350 and tried to make it like an SBK to get some action and brownie points those were the days

ps: the fact that joe has built the bike shouldnt be its usp . ive seen alot of RDs from joes that run like junk. so ride it and come to your own conclusion . always keep an open mind and try not to clutter it with all the opinions that are being thrown around by every tom dick and harry.

[2StrokeJunkie]

^^^ edited last message seemed too cluttered and i could not edit it cas of some dumb moderation rule (???)

hmmm LOL ok i did a bit of asking around and i know who built this bike . Bike was built in bangalore and no not by Joe. The owner spent close to 2 lacs at that point of time . I know the welder too hmm .... . take it for a ride and let us know how it is . i dont want to mess ur head or opinion but since u have personally asked me this is what i have to say.

Please check rear wheel alignment and check out how the rear tyre is wearing out .

Handling , with this bike should and will be ur main cause of concern.

engine and exhaust can always be rebuilt at any point of time.

The only thing im not to happy about by looking at the pictures is the chassis and the rear wheel , seems to be wearing out only on one side which seems like a big problem.

That is not a VFR chassis . If the Veefeer chassis had been used i could have hazarded a guess that it would handle well and since the cycle parts belong to same chassis they wouldve fit like a glove and worked like a charm. The only problem then would be to get the engine mountings rite.

but they didnt do that, i looks like RD chassis that has been jugaaded to take in the cycle parts and then some more jugaad has been done to make the RD chassis look like a delta box tyre of chassis . Ur pictures quality isnt good enough .

The chassis with all that extra metal welded on to it should weigh quite a bit and handling could very possibly be down in the gutter. Please ride it and tell us what u think . I would stay way from a bike that has been buggered like this cas it could turn out to be a can of worms. normal RDs turn out to be that way anyway. This could turn out to be a barrel of the slimeys.

This bike has a very interesting set of cycle parts . I know alot of people who would give an arm and a leg for an RD with that front end and the honda pro arm . The execution has not been upto the mark but then what more can u expect from people who arnt very educated and job that was done around 10 yrs ago. Take it for a spin boss and see how it is. I dont think u should buy it but thanks for clicking pics and bringing bikes like this to our notice. This bike was built at a time when bangalore was flooded with imports and import parts , so alot of people who couldnt afford a complete sbk , found the next closest thing - an RD350 and tried to make it like an SBK to get some action and brownie points those were the days

ps: the fact that joe has built the bike shouldnt be its usp . ive seen alot of RDs from joes that run like junk. so ride it and come to your own conclusion . always keep an open mind and try not to clutter it with all the opinions that are being thrown around .