It is really refreshing to know that young kids today are finding a few of these gems left in the world. I owned a 75 just like yours in 1982, and it was a ripper. Also owned an RD-400 as well. These classic two-strokes are a blast from the past and I am glad to see them continue to attract
They're a blast! Wish 2 strokes never got kicked out of the US due to emissions. Would be so cool to have modern frames and fuel/oil injection in a 2 stroke platform. But that just gives us an excuse to build our own!
Enjoying your videos. A couple of things: 1. When you removed the heads, you can do that w/o removing the head bolts. Just get them all loose and (lift) remove as one unit (there is enough clearance) . The same w/ the installation. It makes it much easier to guide the bolts in if they are already in the heads. 2. I was going to say "if you want a few more hp" replace the clutch. I could actually hear it slipping in the previous video. You'd be amazed to realize how much power you can loose from a slipping clutch. 3. If you forget to "leave it in gear" you can just place a cotton towel between the clutch and the crank drive gear. The close tolerances and the hardiness of those two will stop the clutch from rotating. And finally, if you want to be sure you're RD350 (400) is operating at it's best possible: make sure the carbs are sync'd and the timing is "spot" on. Use only a "dial gauge" the factory markings are a little off. Those two things might seem finite but, they will keep you're motor operating more like a Banshee vs a pedestrian motorbike.
Also ...... You have the correct impact screwdriver but it's important to note that it's "JIS" not Phillips. It's "Japan Industrial Standard" By using JIS you don't damage the case bolts and can reuse them and maintain patina. I like to grease the threads before putting them back in so they remove easy next time
These are wicked machines. I had a 250 with a 350 top end. Crank gear is smaller, which gives it more bottom end. Mine would do wheelies at 40 mph. Power band would kick in an up she would go.
Lovely job bud,i had a Becket tuned RD400 in the 80's and boy did it fly.Make sure you have the right jetting, yours sounds a bit flat on the lower revs,bit like cold engine warm up noise.Dont want you to suffer a holed piston if shes lean.The sound brought back some good memories.Great vid.
Having successfully raced a RD400 back in the 80s, your 350 is interesting.I never had a problem with the clutch but did use Barnett plates and springs. My forks are TZ-350F and the engine has been converted to water cooled via a Fahron top end from the UK. Pipes are an original set from Erv Kanemoto and made the most difference. Transmission is from TZ350 using its dry clutch, CR gears and water pump. I torqued all the side cover screws to around 78 inch pounds in a pattern starting at 12 and 6 and working around the cover- keeps oil leaks at bay. Bike looks nice, good job. Mine would top out at around 140-145 at 9000rpms. Best to keep it around there. Good luck
Enjoy your videos,my buddy had a 79 Daytona Special and a Kawasaki S2A 350 Triple for sale in 87,l purchased the S2A and recently got her back on the road,fun little bike,I'm on the far Southside,wish l was closer we could blast around and fill the streets with blue smoke!! 😁
Really enjoy watching your videos mate, the bike sounds so crisp. I’m Currently working on a r5 project with an rd350 engine fitted and your vids make me eager to get my project finished!
Thanks! There's probably other forks that bolt right on and are an easier process but I wanted these specifically since I thought their size suited the bike well. If you've got the time and means its a fun time building custom parts!
Nice looking bike bro well done! I had one years ago with bassanis on it and ran really well those were more of a torque pipe Good looking bike bro be safe out there! And God bless!!
Lesson learned and no harm done luckily. I read online that these bolts fail when torquing down but was hoping that was user error by those who said so.
The clutch kit is great! I dont like the springs though as they're way overkill in stiffness I think. Will be throwing some new stock springs back in once the weather warms up! Good luck with the track build, its gonna be a blast!
@@Enginerded Alternate the springs, eg upgrade the 12 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock springs and leave the other 3 standard. I ran one like that for a couple of years and had no issues with it.
Just a tip, they're NOT philips screws. They're JIS screws. Once you hvae the right bits, you'll be amazed how much more easily Japanese "Philips" screws come out of the bike!!! You can get them online. Miss my 350. Have you done a video on the front upgrade? Very tidy! What rims did you use? What are the pipes? Jim Lomas? Looks sweet! The O rings between the plates are there to prevent the clutch dragging and make finding neutral easier when you're stationary.
Dude, this is driving me nuts too! Why call them "Phillips" when you know very well they are JIS bits, because he has the super trick Vassel JIS Impact screw driver from Japan!?!?! (timestamp 1:17). Some people may be watching this that are new to wrenching on Japanese machines who need to learn about JIS and not tear them up with Phillips bits.
Agreed, they are JIS screws and the screwdriver set I have I bought specifically to work on this bike back when I first got it. Definitely saved me from stripping all the screws on the bike. I just refer to them as phillips because thats how i see them, I know they're JIS though. Haven't dont a video on the front end yet as the bikes been away in storage for winter and I've had to torn down since I've been working on a custom seat section. Will be making one once it warms up outside! Using excel shouldered rims from bucanan's spokes. A little wider than stock but not by much. Yes they are JL pipes! Love the sound, look, and performance of them. Appreciate the comment and kind words
I need your help I’m wondering where to find parts for the CDI, a wire harness to put headlights and turn signals, and a voltage regulator that will fit this specific model. Im not trying to restore it to its original Im just trying to make it work again, there’s water damage and I know I would need to do a whole tear down of the engine, I just need help on what websites to look at because I’ve tried eBay, and Amazon so far not any luck
Subbed! I've got an RD that I got as a basket case. I'd love to hear about the fork and front brake conversion. I heard you mention Grom forks in another video and I've also read someone once used RM125 forks. Do you have the parts list or a write up about that part anywhere?
I don't have anything formal together but I do plan on making a video about the conversion! I went a little overboard and designed all the adapter parts in CAD and had them machined. These were left/right axle adapters, rotor spacer, caliper bracket, gauge bracket, and upper triple clamp. You could probably get away with making some sort of sleeve for the RD stem to fit into the grom upper triple instead though. They're 2017 grom works with racetech .75kg springs i installed. I'll be installing the racinbros adjustable damper kit for the forks once i can get my hands on them though for some actual damping control. Using an old aprilia rsv1000 brembo, mid 2000s ducati monster 300mm brake rotor, moto guzzi brake master cylinder, and a spiegler brake line that i ordered to length. I think thats the "parts list" but there was some other little odds and ends involved.
You are correct in your comment, BUT a secondary and important reason for yamaha was to quieten the clutch rattle due to thghtening noise regulations , particularly in the US . ... p.s. i believe all racers used to eliminate the rubbers.
HVC cycle high compression heads. They seem to be discontinued as I havent seen them on their website for the RD350 in over a year. I have a video on installing those. Front forks are honda grom with upgraded springs and custom machined parts to adapt them to the frame. Also have a video on that 🙂
Not sure if you have anything posted on here about it, but what did you do to convert the front end? Building one myself and would prefer the modern inverted grom forks
I haven't posted anything specific about it yet, but I plan on making one in the future. Basically had to design and machine a few parts like the top triple clamp, caliper bracket, axle adapters, etc, but you could probably do it without the custom triple. Used the RD stem with the bottom of it turned down on a lathe so I could press it into the grom lower triple and still use RD stem bearings and all that.
Yessir honda grom forks with stiffer 0.75kg racetech springs i swapped in. Had to design and machine some adapter pieces but came out really well to where im happy with it!
Didn't get to put a ton of miles on it before the winter time but it was holding great! This season (2022) i haven't rode it as i cut it up to do a cafe seat conversion and haven't gotten around to finishing it yet. Hopefully soon
No problem! I will say id probably go with new oem clutch springs. The heavier springs are too heavy in my opinon. Others have said the stock springs hold up with with the upgraded FZR clutch friction disks. Ill be switching to those once i have it back on the road
Hey mate, great build. It's running beautifully. What do you have your timing set at with what jets? Also your needle clip position and are you running stock carbs? I've had mine 2mm BTDC stock carbs 200 main jets. Need to get her running like that.
Thank you! Timing is at 2.0mm BTDC but i plan to back it down to maybe 1.8 or 1.6 as the new heads tightened the squish a little bit much. Running the original carbs with the Dave F carb mod, started with the 220 main and worked my way all the way down to the 180 main for it to rev out perfectly without bogging. I believe im running a 37.5 pilot as 35 was too lean and 40 was too rich. Had to fiddle with pilots and the air screw quite a bit to get it to take off in first gear smoothly. I want to say the needle is in the middle or one step down (richer), but its been a while since I've set the carbs so its tough to recall at this point. Should be easy enough when you get the pilot and main dialed!
They're 1.85 front 2.15 rear Excel WM2/WM3 rims with stainless spokes and nipples from Buchanan's Spoke and the orignal hubs that I sanded and polished myself
Thanks! Yes still original points and condenser setup. Just cleaned the points and set timing to 2.0mm BTDC before putting the heads on. Will eventually convert to an electronic ignition system
i feal your pain back in75 76 77 i blew up more rd350 engines untill i got it right its none of my business and never will be but the first thing i would do is put a block off plate on your oil pump and start pre mixing i tied 1 up in a 100 mph sweping decreasing radius cornener with no leathers then i would check your piston to cylinder clerance i could be wrong but i thought i herd some piston slap it is better to replace the pistons now than to break a skirt an destroy the whole engine good luck by the way my contact WKR racing he knows more about mc engines than most people will ever know i will try to follow your build dont make my mistakes
Those are JIS (Japan Industrial Standard) not Phillips. MacMaster Carr Industrial supply company has affordable sets and singles. JIC is the camera standard. Nice bike! 2-strokes rule
Great vid. Lovely Bike. I have a pearl tangelo orange 1972 R5 350 twin. I love this bike. about to rebuild the engine. she just turned 50yo. crazy how durable these old simple bikes where. Hey brother, Two things. Kick them cigarettes! you deserve it! Second thing, Harbor freight has an actual impact screwdriver for like 10 buck. Get you one. Alright, Peace
Appreciate the kind words and advice! May be worth getting an actual impact screw driver if i can get JIS bits for it. And i don't actually smoke cigarettes but my dad does. Must've been a pack of his laying around somewhere in the video. Ride safe!
Ref. .... phillips screws, ..... they are " JIS " [japanese industrial standard] ..... NOT phillips .... use the correct bits/ screwdriver .... no problems then !
It is really refreshing to know that young kids today are finding a few of these gems left in the world. I owned a 75 just like yours in 1982, and it was a ripper. Also owned an RD-400 as well. These classic two-strokes are a blast from the past and I am glad to see them continue to attract
They're a blast! Wish 2 strokes never got kicked out of the US due to emissions. Would be so cool to have modern frames and fuel/oil injection in a 2 stroke platform. But that just gives us an excuse to build our own!
Enjoying your videos. A couple of things: 1. When you removed the heads, you can do that w/o removing the head bolts. Just get them all loose and (lift) remove as one unit (there is enough clearance) . The same w/ the installation. It makes it much easier to guide the bolts in if they are already in the heads. 2. I was going to say "if you want a few more hp" replace the clutch. I could actually hear it slipping in the previous video. You'd be amazed to realize how much power you can loose from a slipping clutch. 3. If you forget to "leave it in gear" you can just place a cotton towel between the clutch and the crank drive gear. The close tolerances and the hardiness of those two will stop the clutch from rotating. And finally, if you want to be sure you're RD350 (400) is operating at it's best possible: make sure the carbs are sync'd and the timing is "spot" on. Use only a "dial gauge" the factory markings are a little off. Those two things might seem finite but, they will keep you're motor operating more like a Banshee vs a pedestrian motorbike.
Also ...... You have the correct impact screwdriver but it's important to note that it's "JIS" not Phillips. It's "Japan Industrial Standard" By using JIS you don't damage the case bolts and can reuse them and maintain patina. I like to grease the threads before putting them back in so they remove easy next time
These are wicked machines. I had a 250 with a 350 top end. Crank gear is smaller, which gives it more bottom end. Mine would do wheelies at 40 mph. Power band would kick in an up she would go.
Lovely job bud,i had a Becket tuned RD400 in the 80's and boy did it fly.Make sure you have the right jetting, yours sounds a bit flat on the lower revs,bit like cold engine warm up noise.Dont want you to suffer a holed piston if shes lean.The sound brought back some good memories.Great vid.
Having successfully raced a RD400 back in the 80s, your 350 is interesting.I never had a problem with the clutch but did use Barnett plates and springs. My forks are TZ-350F and the engine has been converted to water cooled via a Fahron top end from the UK. Pipes are an original set from Erv Kanemoto and made the most difference. Transmission is from TZ350 using its dry clutch, CR gears and water pump. I torqued all the side cover screws to around 78 inch pounds in a pattern starting at 12 and 6 and working around the cover- keeps oil leaks at bay. Bike looks nice, good job. Mine would top out at around 140-145 at 9000rpms. Best to keep it around there. Good luck
Very very good, rd 350 mythic name, by far the greatest 2 stroke engine of all time, and with all that's transformations... My sweet lord
Enjoy your videos,my buddy had a 79 Daytona Special and a Kawasaki S2A 350 Triple for sale in 87,l purchased the S2A and recently got her back on the road,fun little bike,I'm on the far Southside,wish l was closer we could blast around and fill the streets with blue smoke!! 😁
good job dude...all the old motos are very simple and thats why i love them... it is easy to' take care 'of them...
Getting ready to replace the clutch on my '72 R5 this week, very nice presentation!!
Thank you, and good luck!
Really enjoy watching your videos mate, the bike sounds so crisp. I’m Currently working on a r5 project with an rd350 engine fitted and your vids make me eager to get my project finished!
Appreciate the kind words, that r5 will be a blast to ride! Cheers
This is a very special and cool bike you have here. I'm looking forward to your next videos
Bro I love your channel and your RD all the way love from India Mumbai ✌️
Hats off to you on that front end swap. I wanted to do that but didnt think I had the knowledge to pull it off. It looks really cool.
Thanks! There's probably other forks that bolt right on and are an easier process but I wanted these specifically since I thought their size suited the bike well. If you've got the time and means its a fun time building custom parts!
@@Enginerded So, its a honda grom fork??
@@FH.Adventures yep, grom forks with stiffer springs!
Nice looking bike bro well done! I had one years ago with bassanis on it and ran really well those were more of a torque pipe Good looking bike bro be safe out there! And God bless!!
we need a video on your fork set up!
Sounds sweet...nice ride
Knew you were going to do that; early on when you said torqueing. Those little phillips heads are for a reason.
Lesson learned and no harm done luckily. I read online that these bolts fail when torquing down but was hoping that was user error by those who said so.
nice dude. i put the same clutch in my RD, hopefully the conversion to a track bike will go smoothly for me
The clutch kit is great! I dont like the springs though as they're way overkill in stiffness I think. Will be throwing some new stock springs back in once the weather warms up! Good luck with the track build, its gonna be a blast!
@@Enginerded yea I stuck with stock springs and they seem to have plenty of bite. Hopefully they hold up to the extra power of a set of chambers.
@@Enginerded Alternate the springs, eg upgrade the 12 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock springs and leave the other 3 standard. I ran one like that for a couple of years and had no issues with it.
thanks, doesn´t seem to be so complicates as I expected. Your video gives me trust to try it.
Good luck and have fun! Very straight forward job, worst part was removing all the old gasket material since it was original on my bike.
Just a tip, they're NOT philips screws. They're JIS screws. Once you hvae the right bits, you'll be amazed how much more easily Japanese "Philips" screws come out of the bike!!! You can get them online. Miss my 350. Have you done a video on the front upgrade? Very tidy! What rims did you use? What are the pipes? Jim Lomas? Looks sweet! The O rings between the plates are there to prevent the clutch dragging and make finding neutral easier when you're stationary.
Dude, this is driving me nuts too! Why call them "Phillips" when you know very well they are JIS bits, because he has the super trick Vassel JIS Impact screw driver from Japan!?!?! (timestamp 1:17). Some people may be watching this that are new to wrenching on Japanese machines who need to learn about JIS and not tear them up with Phillips bits.
Having said that, I'm enjoying the series and the guy's building a great bike!
Agreed, they are JIS screws and the screwdriver set I have I bought specifically to work on this bike back when I first got it. Definitely saved me from stripping all the screws on the bike. I just refer to them as phillips because thats how i see them, I know they're JIS though.
Haven't dont a video on the front end yet as the bikes been away in storage for winter and I've had to torn down since I've been working on a custom seat section. Will be making one once it warms up outside!
Using excel shouldered rims from bucanan's spokes. A little wider than stock but not by much. Yes they are JL pipes! Love the sound, look, and performance of them. Appreciate the comment and kind words
Hi there: would it be possible to share the part # of the clutch friction plates? Thank you.
I need your help I’m wondering where to find parts for the CDI, a wire harness to put headlights and turn signals, and a voltage regulator that will fit this specific model. Im not trying to restore it to its original Im just trying to make it work again, there’s water damage and I know I would need to do a whole tear down of the engine, I just need help on what websites to look at because I’ve tried eBay, and Amazon so far not any luck
HVC Cycle and Economy Cycle are both great places to find RD parts and are often where I bought 90% of my RD parts.
Bro my Rx135 is not get proper grunt at idel what can i do
Subbed! I've got an RD that I got as a basket case. I'd love to hear about the fork and front brake conversion. I heard you mention Grom forks in another video and I've also read someone once used RM125 forks. Do you have the parts list or a write up about that part anywhere?
I don't have anything formal together but I do plan on making a video about the conversion! I went a little overboard and designed all the adapter parts in CAD and had them machined. These were left/right axle adapters, rotor spacer, caliper bracket, gauge bracket, and upper triple clamp. You could probably get away with making some sort of sleeve for the RD stem to fit into the grom upper triple instead though.
They're 2017 grom works with racetech .75kg springs i installed. I'll be installing the racinbros adjustable damper kit for the forks once i can get my hands on them though for some actual damping control.
Using an old aprilia rsv1000 brembo, mid 2000s ducati monster 300mm brake rotor, moto guzzi brake master cylinder, and a spiegler brake line that i ordered to length. I think thats the "parts list" but there was some other little odds and ends involved.
Those rubber rings keep the plates from rubbing against each other and squared up when clutch is released
You are correct in your comment, BUT a secondary and important reason for yamaha was to quieten the clutch rattle due to thghtening noise regulations , particularly in the US . ... p.s. i believe all racers used to eliminate the rubbers.
Great editing keep it up
What‘s that for a kind of fork and cylinder head?
HVC cycle high compression heads. They seem to be discontinued as I havent seen them on their website for the RD350 in over a year. I have a video on installing those.
Front forks are honda grom with upgraded springs and custom machined parts to adapt them to the frame. Also have a video on that 🙂
In 40 years of bike riding and building I have built close to 2,500 engines and never in that time have I ever torqued a clutch screw.
I try to follow torque specs on more critical components, but this time was one of those times that going by feel would have worked better!
Not sure if you have anything posted on here about it, but what did you do to convert the front end? Building one myself and would prefer the modern inverted grom forks
I haven't posted anything specific about it yet, but I plan on making one in the future. Basically had to design and machine a few parts like the top triple clamp, caliper bracket, axle adapters, etc, but you could probably do it without the custom triple. Used the RD stem with the bottom of it turned down on a lathe so I could press it into the grom lower triple and still use RD stem bearings and all that.
Did you swap the front end if so with what
Yessir honda grom forks with stiffer 0.75kg racetech springs i swapped in. Had to design and machine some adapter pieces but came out really well to where im happy with it!
Is she still holding up with no slipping??
Didn't get to put a ton of miles on it before the winter time but it was holding great! This season (2022) i haven't rode it as i cut it up to do a cafe seat conversion and haven't gotten around to finishing it yet. Hopefully soon
@@Enginerded Cool.. thanks for fast reply.. Ill have my RD350 on the road next week.. if she slips.. ill do the same upgrade from ur feedback.
No problem! I will say id probably go with new oem clutch springs. The heavier springs are too heavy in my opinon. Others have said the stock springs hold up with with the upgraded FZR clutch friction disks. Ill be switching to those once i have it back on the road
Hey mate, great build. It's running beautifully.
What do you have your timing set at with what jets?
Also your needle clip position and are you running stock carbs? I've had mine 2mm BTDC stock carbs 200 main jets.
Need to get her running like that.
Thank you! Timing is at 2.0mm BTDC but i plan to back it down to maybe 1.8 or 1.6 as the new heads tightened the squish a little bit much.
Running the original carbs with the Dave F carb mod, started with the 220 main and worked my way all the way down to the 180 main for it to rev out perfectly without bogging.
I believe im running a 37.5 pilot as 35 was too lean and 40 was too rich. Had to fiddle with pilots and the air screw quite a bit to get it to take off in first gear smoothly.
I want to say the needle is in the middle or one step down (richer), but its been a while since I've set the carbs so its tough to recall at this point. Should be easy enough when you get the pilot and main dialed!
Awesome response, thanks for that.
Although The Dave F Carb Kit only comes with 27.5 and 30 pilot jets
Yes thats right, i had to buy richer pilot jets a few times before i got to the right size
Hi , just wondering. From where you are buying the parts ?
Mostly HVC Cycle and Economy cycle
What handlebars are those?
Clubman style handlebars. Forget what brand but they should generally be similar, purchased from mikesxs.net i believe
Rims what’s the width front and rear
They're 1.85 front 2.15 rear Excel WM2/WM3 rims with stainless spokes and nipples from Buchanan's Spoke and the orignal hubs that I sanded and polished myself
Sir, any plans on upgrading the CDI ?
Will be doing that eventually down the road. For now the points are sorted and been focusing on other aspects of the bike! More videos to come.
hey bro can you share some images of your rd350
Nice upgrade and video.
Are you still running the stock points/condenser ignition?
Thanks! Yes still original points and condenser setup. Just cleaned the points and set timing to 2.0mm BTDC before putting the heads on. Will eventually convert to an electronic ignition system
i feal your pain back in75 76 77 i blew up more rd350 engines untill i got it right its none of my business and never will be but the first thing i would do is put a block off plate on your oil pump and start pre mixing i tied 1 up in a 100 mph sweping decreasing radius cornener with no leathers then i would check your piston to cylinder clerance i could be wrong but i thought i herd some piston slap it is better to replace the pistons now than to break a skirt an destroy the whole engine good luck by the way my contact WKR racing he knows more about mc engines than most people will ever know i will try to follow your build dont make my mistakes
Those are JIS (Japan Industrial Standard) not Phillips. MacMaster Carr Industrial supply company has affordable sets and singles. JIC is the camera standard. Nice bike! 2-strokes rule
Yes they are! The screw driver set I was using in the video is a Vessel set of JIS screwdrivers.
I'm still interested in buying this bike. If you decide to sell, hit me up
Minhas paixões de 50 a RD 125 a 350 2T
Great vid. Lovely Bike. I have a pearl tangelo orange 1972 R5 350 twin. I love this bike. about to rebuild the engine. she just turned 50yo. crazy how durable these old simple bikes where. Hey brother, Two things. Kick them cigarettes! you deserve it! Second thing, Harbor freight has an actual impact screwdriver for like 10 buck. Get you one. Alright, Peace
Appreciate the kind words and advice! May be worth getting an actual impact screw driver if i can get JIS bits for it. And i don't actually smoke cigarettes but my dad does. Must've been a pack of his laying around somewhere in the video. Ride safe!
Ref. .... phillips screws, ..... they are " JIS " [japanese industrial standard] ..... NOT phillips .... use the correct bits/ screwdriver .... no problems then !