THANK YOU Joe for never doing annoying youtube stuff. No please like and subscribe verbal diarrhea, stupid merch, giveaways, sponsors. This is by far one of my favorite youtube channels for this reason.
I didn't notice this until you said something. I think that's probably why I like this channel so much, too. Joe never cyber panhandles like 99.9% of the channels out there, which is incredibly annoying.
He did do the best type of giveaway the other day, the ole whoever gets here 1st gets it free! Love it! I can just see 4-5 cars crashing into eachother racing up his driveway lmao
Gday Joe, Ken from Australia here, I'm now 67yrs old & have had the pleasure of owning both the RD 250 & RD 400, both amazing machines for their day, super fast. Keep the videos coming as I enjoy them immensely. Kind regards, Ken Johnston.
This one takes me back to my youth , I started on an RD250 and the an RD350LC then the RD400.... The RD350 was the quickest and the most fun to ride..... I did many trips all over New Zealand on the 350 usually covering 3-4 thousand miles each trip...... never had a single issue with it except once I got a front tire blowout at about 70 mph but managed to stop without falling off haha..... those were the days...... Thanks for the memories.
I am 59 years old. I remember when the Kenny Roberts special came out. It was the RZ 350 and then the 500. Yamaha made a statement for the 2 stroke street bike. Why can't we regress to that era.
I started on a Yamaha YDS 250 in 64 for $200. 5:29 It had a stripped out spark plug on a cylinder. I took the head to a HD repair shop. Fun bike for central California as my buddy Walt had a Honda 305 Scrambler.
I was a young man in the army from 1973-76, and those Yamaha RD350/400 were real screamers and fast. I love the 2 stroke street bikes and wish they still made them. Thanks for the memories! 😊
Not Great in comparison to my 72 Kawasaki 350 Yamaha RD400 1976 Specifications parallel-twin: 398 cc 44 hp @ 7,500 rpm 6-speed 175 kg (386 lbs) Top Speed: 105 miles per hour 1972-1974 (S2 Mach II) 3-cylinder: 346cc 45 hp @ 8,000 rpm 150 kg (330 lbs) 6-speed Top Speed: 112 mph Mine pegged 115
Joe, I have a funny RD400 story for you. Back in the 1980’s I rode a Kawasaki 900. My boss owned a RD400 and we took Saturday rides into Malibu Canyon in Southern California to a gathering place hundreds of MC’s would go on the weekends called the “Rock Store” While riding there my boss talked me into switching bikes for awhile. He has just cleaned the RD and much to my despair he had Armor All on the seat. He told me to get on it but hold on when I do… He wasn’t kidding I cranked it on coming out of second to third gear and when that bike hit the power band i nearly slipped of the seat due to the Armor All and acceleration of the bike. I also encountered the front end coming off the ground when accelerating . The RD was and awesome machine, but you had to respect that two stroke power band… My boss also had a 750/4 Suzuki with nitrous…. and it was a rocket.. Enjoy that RD… great video as always. Thanks for your content.
My friend, which happened to be the brother of a cop in Beacon New York had a 750 triple Kawi. He took me for a ride in Cold Spring New York through a tunnel. I held on very tight. We started at about 60 mph through the tunnel and came out at over 140. It was a ride I will never forget. oh, the smell of a 2 stroke will be remembered in my nostrils forever.
Remember the Rock Store Sundays from all the years spent in L.A. area! I was a semi-permanent fixture each Sunday either on my CBX or my H2 750 triple, great times and memories!
@@paulhemmy8223 You would be surprised that all the way around the globe in India, I had similar experiences with my RD350 with friends on saturday rides! These bikes were absolute fun! Once in a while, they can be a bunch to handle!
Every time I see the Rock Store in old T.V. shows its immediately recognizable to me. My buddies and I used to go there on weekends but, most of our riding was on Mulholland in the Hollywood Hills area from where it starts at the 101 to Coldwater Canyon. We used to ride all night in the summer time so I'm sure we upset a lot of neighbors that could probably hear us for miles. The one thing about riding up there at night was knowing if a car was coming around a corner by the headlight. No light and we could use the whole road. Had to worry more about the dogs and the deer.
Joe don’t leave oil pump like that. It will dry out and seize. Put some oil in pump and loop and T lines under cover. If pump locks up you’ll have issues. Great bike and great video as always
Wow that didn't take much kicking to fire up after so long. You could hear it sounding better the longer it ran. What a success, that's one more saved vintage stunner.👍❤️
My roommate had a new 76 RD and I had a Honda 550-4 and he would hit that 2 stroke power band and leave me like I was sitting still. Fast bike. Video brought back some good memories. Thanks
Was friends with the sons of a local Yamaha shop owner and one of them had a café racer version of this bike. Talk about fun! I raced YZ125's at the time and was used to high revving 2-strokes. That bike FLEW considering the 2 cylinders and light weight. This bike you worked on is really cool. Would love to take it out for a flogging.
This also brings back great memories for me. I am 71 years old now and in my life I owned 28 motorcycles (both road and dirt bikes). In 1976 I bought one identical to yours. Of all my road bikes I had the most fun on the RD 400. I think about that bike often. I owned a 750 water buffalo at one time also. I loved the sound of the two strokes. Thanks for bringing back great memories for me.
I bought one of these new in the crate when I was 15 and got my Learner's Permit! $1200, OTD. Popping wheelies in the High School Parking lot was a blast!
I have watched your progression over the years and you have done a great job. No huge merch pushes just humble content, very refreshing in this day and age. I think your skills have improved vastly however ( you knew that was coming, ha ha) on the old 2 strokes I beg you to do a leak down test...Crank seals dry out, most of the time on the stator side do to heat, transmission gaskets get leaks...The leak down test is a must on old 2 strokes.
I'm 63 now and had forgotten my past with the bikes I had. Gave up bikes when my son was born in 1990 only ridden once since then. I had 2 RD250s and 1 RD400. Never owned tany LCs, although I rode my friends 350. I loved the 400. More. Thanks for bringing back some great memories. Certainly needed these days. Fantastic video
Owned lots of RDs, 3 RD 400s, JPS special In black and gold, a Daytona, and a heavily tuned red and black one with microns, ported and bigger carbs. One of the best 2 strokes ever made. Well done 😀
20 year old oil is dead, even in the original sealed container. Brake fluid exactly the same. Air filter full of oil, pretty good 😀. You could have seen from that that the thing was running on a 2T mixture. Continuity tester on the fuse without knowing whether there is a consumer in the circuit. filed breaker contacts, pretty good 😆. Air screw was 1 1/4 out! Why not take a look at the pistons through an intake port? The piston rings rattle. Gasket maker 😄. Don't you clean the tank? Without an air filter, the carburettor setting on a two-stroke engine is wasteful. Everything pretty good 😉.
Great job Joe. My weakness has always been trying to solve the electrical stuff even though I'm better now than the old days I would have passed out after taking out that headlight😮.
I bought a brand new RD400E in 1978, really loved that bike, it was lots of fun to take out of the long winding mountain roads. It and the older RD350 were the original pocket rockets.
22 years ago,I owned a 76 Yamaha RD400. Took 6 years to re-build,0.40 over bore"wisco pistons" Nutronic CDI ing, Carbs jetted 2 sizes up,had 185 psi compression, DG expansion chambers,(a lot of parts are available in England) would bury the speedo at 200kph! fast bike , lost bike in shed fire, Had $9000.00 CAN, invested in bike, miss that motorcycle!! 😀😭👌👍✌
Back in the early 90s I had a 350 ypvs it was a awesome bike with amazing acceleration .I fitted a chrome kick stand and full chrome micron exhausts on it, sounded ace. Got some great memories of that bike. 😊
I'm just 66 but I had a 1971 Suzuki 250 Hustler twin cylinder two stroke. I bought it off a guy in 1981. I imagine it wasn't all that different from the Yamaha 250. Those were great bikes. I really loved mine and would like to still have it. I had a lot of bikes after that but those little twin two strokes were a blast!
That little rocket would greatly benefit from a good set of expansion chambers & K&N filters(stock airbox will work too)with a good rejet. I don't know why people stop using the oil injection system and mix it. Get that working! Good start at getting this rig running! Thanks Joe!
And a front tire lol, Great score AGAIN!!! You never cease to amaze me with your diagnosis skills, and always seem to find the problems others look right over, GREAT JOB AND SCORE JOE. Another win under the belt, these are the type of bikes I learned to ride back in the 70's and were so fun to ride and always worked great!
Super jealous. At 14 I got a 74 RD350 from a gal up the street, got it home, rebuilt the carbs. I was the first kid to go 100mph through the subdivision. Careful.....the powerband comes on fast and furious in these. The oil injection system is kinda unreliable, many guys bypass it and run premix.
The RD400 was tuned down from the RD350 model. I bought a new RD400 in 1977 and the power band was not fast and furious, much smoother ride than the RD350 model.
I heard the RD350 had a tendency to wheelie, this is not something Yamaha wanted. In the RD400 I heard a hole had been put in the exhaust port to try and tame the engine and smooth out the power delivery. My RD400 didn't seem fast to me. I think it needed expansion chambers and jetting changes. Those Honda CB550 4 cylinder bikes would blow by me on the freeway. I always wished my bike was faster the entire time I had it.
Wow, great looking classic cycle. Now let's tear it apart! I am always wary of older bikes/cars. Time (mice, dry rot), mileage (oil changed, maintained), misguided repairs (don't need these bolts). Great story about 2-stroke development, read Stealing Speed ~ Mat Oxley
I was thinking the same. Surely you’re not leaving it in that scabby state? Worth stripping down and at least get the frame powder coated, check things over.
Joe, you can pump the rear brake lever a few times and hold the lever down, Then open the bleeder to release any air, You may have to do it a few times, Same as the front, if you have issues, You can TRY putting a Wire Tie around the master cylinder lever while you're holding it down tighten the wire tie, and leave it overnight, letting air escape through the master cylinder
@@Jeffhoneck No problem, Jeff I noticed he had fluid at the rear brake, and that is the reason for my comment, Over 40 years as a mechanic I worked on a few brakes, Have a great day
Wow I was the youthful age of 24 years old when these great bikes were around here in the the uk it still gets me buzzing to think of those days those stokers were great bike then and still are now that classic would be a great example to restore and ridden every day thanks for bringing back my youth for a short time🤪😂😂
Had the pleasure of riding my ex-bosses RD350 from Atlanta to Athens once, Fell in love with the bike, really fun bike to ride, I’ve wanted one ever since, maybe someday
Great find. Been hoping you get one of these. Growing up my first street bike was a Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special with a Shoei fairing. It was an awesome bike, had so much fun and went everywhere with it.
man oh man...does that take me back to the day..i remember that rd 400..but as a young teen and a sophomore in high school...we all rode some type of motorcycle..had our drivers licenses and thought we were the kings....didnt have an RD....first one i remeber was the RD350...what a creamer and as kids we wanted speed and the 350 had it...then the 400 came....we were in heaven...thx for the recap..those are great memories
Had this exact bike when I was a teenager, flipped it over backwards on a 2-3 shift still have a bum knee because of that one. It was a blast to ride and they were everywhere on Vancouver Island the early RD350s then onto the 400s then back to the Liquid cooled 350s again.
This brings up so many memories of my youth in the early 80's lol I had a 77rd 400 that we converted into a cafe racer with a full fairing, dropped bars, cut single solo seat with rear clips for the gearing and pipes similar to the rd350! painted red white and blue. that bike could fly at least it did in my brain lolol thanks for the memories
I remember these bikes back in the 70s. I had the Honda 400 four stroke and my friends had the Yamaha RDs. Lots of racing going on between the two bikes lol. Good times.
Great video, having flashbacks. Back in the day we all had these RD400's, they must have had at least 6 or 7 kids with them in the neighborhood back in high school 79-82. they was fun and fast and most was modified with chambers, drag bar clip-ons and fairings.
My brother had the 250 in white n red n his best mate had the rd 400 in yellow an black the coffin tank and micron exhaust s in uk brings back memories
Joe that's an awesome bike I love it!! For $1400 and a few parts to get it back to being street worthy what a steal you have there. Very rare now and fetch a hefty price. Sweet!
Beautiful bike. A long time ago a friend took me for a short ride on his RD350. He was quite happy to apply the throttle and to me it felt incredibly fast.
Just from listening to it it sounds like you need to balance the carbs. I had a Kawasaki 350 three cylinder and it was important that the carbs be synched and balanced. I had three drill bits that I would put under the slides and adjust them like valves so they all moved at the same time and had the same air flow. Then I would adjust the idle down to where it would almost die then adjust the air screw to get the highest idle at no throttle then go to the next carb and do it again. If you have two vacuum gages you can do it with them after adjusting the slides. The tone and the off throttle sounds are what makes me think you need to do this. When you let off the throttle it is a wavy sound. If it is tuned correctly it will be a smoother sound. Most people tune for full throttle and miss some of the low and mid range performance. You are very good just hoping to help you like I was helped.
WOW what a buy! Ive had a 76 & a 79 loved them they were mental wheelie machines! I used them as my only transport & sometimes if I rode them in the wet they would shut down & take ages to re-start & sometimes when they re-started they ran backwards! 😂😂😂
Hi mate, Paul from Australia. Love all your videos. I'm a 50 year old auto electrician and work on car's and trucks manly but your videos have taught me so much about bikes. I rarely comment on anyone's videos but you help out so many people I thought I could help you out with those glass fuses. Unless they have a wire inside and soldered at each end they are press fit and can give you nothing but trouble. If you come across these press fit type throw them out and only fit soldered one's. Keep up with your awesome content. Paul 👍
Thats such a great bike that you have there Joe. It looks like its stock and every thing is there. My housemate and I bought one each back in 1978. Mine was the 76 like you have and his was a 77. Fullerton Yamaha in Ca. was blowing them out for $800 each. They were the most fun you could have for $800 bucks. We put expansion chambers, rear sets and some good tires on them and rode the crap out of em. At 10,000 miles we had to do a top end job on them and and then they were good to go. Im 71 now and am still addicted to fast bikes. I ride a 06 GSXR1000 and a 2015 Ducati 1299S. Have fun with that RD and thanks for a great video. Oh the memories. Oh, and they are really so easy to work on compared to modern bikes.
What a great bike! I really love the retro restorations. I remember my uncles having bikes similar to this when I was a little kid in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Insane that you just released this. Been working on getting my dads '76 RD400 started for the past few weeks and I am at a roadblock. I can get the bike to light up but no spark with new plugs and cleaning wires of corrosion as well as the points and condensers. Guess I will troubleshoot a few more things!
When I saw the thumbnail I clicked immediately. I bought my 76 exactly the same color with this in summer of 88 for 350$ and the bike was mint. Sold it in 89 for 500. Back then we didn't know what they be worth today.
I LOVE THAT BIKE! What a find, so sweet, I laughed when I saw the cloud of two stroke smoke by your driveway where you gassed it. A mate of mine has two of these, one in pieces in his garage, Im gonna try to score it, you inspired me. Nice work Joe.
Great find! What a beauty. When they say "They don't build them like that anymore" they are mostly correct. The closest thing I could find is a Triumph Bonneville.
What a gem! These bikes are so great! Known to get squirrely under throttle so be careful 😂 EDIT: a couple suggestions on your techniques... -Anything that seals should be tightened evenly. You installed the petcock fully tight on one side while the opposite screw was completely loose. -You regularly install fuel filters backwards. Not a big deal if they are temporary, but could restrict fuel flow in the long term. Keep up the great work 👍
Love those wins! Did you ever figure out what connector you were missing behind the headlight to power the coils, and are you going back to oil injection or sticking with premixed?
A friend of mine put a "slightly" modified version of this engine in his "Banshee". A rather "noticeable" difference in power! He also has a MINT "Robert's" version of this bike in yellow and black! He just told me he turned down $40,000 for it. Great vid!
I've had a couple of these bikes . You may think it's running perfect but it's not. The idle should be 1100 rpm and you can hear it bogging on small throttle openings. It will do this without the rubber connectors to the airbox and will be running lean throughout the range with open carbs. As for the carbs, they are the wrong ones for this bike. The ones fitted are 'high top' type from an earlier round tank 350 as is the twist grip assembly. The wire you bridged in the headlight to get spark should go to the kill switch. The fact you have the wrong switch might be the reason for this.
Joe, great find and recovery! Looks and sounds good! I've had a Yamaha 500 4 stroke single and two Yamaha XJ 650 twins. The were all good handling and running bikes with decent resale! Congrats on your 400 2 stroke!
I have a 73 RD 350 that i ride regularly and a 75 RD 350 that's a touch temperamental...i think i will pull the carbs off tomorrow then make some smoke!
back in 1986 my brother bought a 1976 rd400 all done up like a cafe racer and i had a 1977 rd400 all original! his had pipes on it so it had a bit more jam than mine as mine was a little "tired" needed new rings but it ran fine. he blew his up after having it for a week , he s so bummed but i told him not to worry and $300 bucks later we got the jugs bored 30 over with new pistons and rings slapped her back together and she was a little rocket! those bikes now, can fetch upwards of $6000 here in Canada if they are in good shape! you should fix that one up proper and hang on to it as they are getting harder and harder to find, and going up in value as well! nice work joe! 👍 did i mention the best part about those bikes? is their ability to do AWESOME power wheelies when that two stroke powerband hit!!! 😁😎
Leave it on the pre-mix and do not trust these oil injection pumps. Otherwise practice being quick on the clutch. I know this because the pump on my '73 RD350 had failed on the highway 45 years ago and it's unforgettable.
THANK YOU Joe for never doing annoying youtube stuff. No please like and subscribe verbal diarrhea, stupid merch, giveaways, sponsors. This is by far one of my favorite youtube channels for this reason.
I didn't notice this until you said something. I think that's probably why I like this channel so much, too. Joe never cyber panhandles like 99.9% of the channels out there, which is incredibly annoying.
He did do the best type of giveaway the other day, the ole whoever gets here 1st gets it free! Love it! I can just see 4-5 cars crashing into eachother racing up his driveway lmao
Ahhh you let UA-cam stuff annoy you. Grow a pair and take control of your childish emotions.
Exactly. And thank you for not constantly trying to sell us something like most other channels that “partner up” with some annoying corporate stuff
@jarkoff9335 I wonder if anyone has claimed that bike yet. If he had already announced it, then I must've missed it.
Gday Joe,
Ken from Australia here, I'm now 67yrs old & have had the pleasure of owning both the RD 250 & RD 400, both amazing machines for their day, super fast.
Keep the videos coming as I enjoy them immensely.
Kind regards,
Ken Johnston.
@kenjohnston2176 remember Rd 250 wrangler or 500 with 4 exhaust
I think even today an well tuned RD400 could give a modern 400-500 4-stroke a run for its money.
This one takes me back to my youth , I started on an RD250 and the an RD350LC then the RD400.... The RD350 was the quickest and the most fun to ride..... I did many trips all over New Zealand on the 350 usually covering 3-4 thousand miles each trip...... never had a single issue with it except once I got a front tire blowout at about 70 mph but managed to stop without falling off haha..... those were the days...... Thanks for the memories.
Had a 400 also. Wheel king. Sucked gas
Howz it goin fellow Kiwi?
@@rossdean1061 sweet az bro
I am 59 years old. I remember when the Kenny Roberts special came out. It was the RZ 350 and then the 500. Yamaha made a statement for the 2 stroke street bike. Why can't we regress to that era.
I started on a Yamaha YDS 250 in 64 for $200. 5:29 It had a stripped out spark plug on a cylinder. I took the head to a HD repair shop. Fun bike for central California as my buddy Walt had a Honda 305 Scrambler.
I was a young man in the army from 1973-76, and those Yamaha RD350/400 were real screamers and fast. I love the 2 stroke street bikes and wish they still made them. Thanks for the memories! 😊
Not Great in comparison to my 72 Kawasaki 350
Yamaha RD400 1976
Specifications
parallel-twin: 398 cc
44 hp @ 7,500 rpm
6-speed
175 kg (386 lbs)
Top Speed: 105 miles per hour
1972-1974 (S2 Mach II)
3-cylinder: 346cc
45 hp @ 8,000 rpm
150 kg (330 lbs)
6-speed
Top Speed: 112 mph Mine pegged 115
Great job Joe I'm 72 , what a vintage sound memory you brought back to these old ears
Dudes a beast at fixing electrical faults.
everything usually runs thru the headlights on bikes. kind of stupid if u ask me but...oh well
Joe, I have a funny RD400 story for you. Back in the 1980’s I rode a Kawasaki 900. My boss owned a RD400 and we took Saturday rides into Malibu Canyon in Southern California to a gathering place hundreds of MC’s would go on the weekends called the “Rock Store” While riding there my boss talked me into switching bikes for awhile. He has just cleaned the RD and much to my despair he had Armor All on the seat. He told me to get on it but hold on when I do… He wasn’t kidding I cranked it on coming out of second to third gear and when that bike hit the power band i nearly slipped of the seat due to the Armor All and acceleration of the bike. I also encountered the front end coming off the ground when accelerating . The RD was and awesome machine, but you had to respect that two stroke power band… My boss also had a 750/4 Suzuki with nitrous…. and it was a rocket.. Enjoy that RD… great video as always. Thanks for your content.
My friend, which happened to be the brother of a cop in Beacon New York had a 750 triple Kawi. He took me for a ride in Cold Spring New York through a tunnel. I held on very tight. We started at about 60 mph through the tunnel and came out at over 140. It was a ride I will never forget. oh, the smell of a 2 stroke will be remembered in my nostrils forever.
I spent many of Sundays at the Rock Store.
Remember the Rock Store Sundays from all the years spent in L.A. area! I was a semi-permanent fixture each Sunday either on my CBX or my H2 750 triple, great times and memories!
@@paulhemmy8223 You would be surprised that all the way around the globe in India, I had similar experiences with my RD350 with friends on saturday rides! These bikes were absolute fun! Once in a while, they can be a bunch to handle!
Every time I see the Rock Store in old T.V. shows its immediately recognizable to me. My buddies and I used to go there on weekends but, most of our riding was on Mulholland in the Hollywood Hills area from where it starts at the 101 to Coldwater Canyon. We used to ride all night in the summer time so I'm sure we upset a lot of neighbors that could probably hear us for miles. The one thing about riding up there at night was knowing if a car was coming around a corner by the headlight. No light and we could use the whole road. Had to worry more about the dogs and the deer.
Joe don’t leave oil pump like that. It will dry out and seize. Put some oil in pump and loop and T lines under cover. If pump locks up you’ll have issues.
Great bike and great video as always
Looks like he's mixed 2 stroke oil with the petrol.
I worked at a Yamaha dealer back when these were new I so want one like this now.
Wow that didn't take much kicking to fire up after so long. You could hear it sounding better the longer it ran. What a success, that's one more saved vintage stunner.👍❤️
Yeah you could tell it was stored inside really well
Museum quality except for pisspoor seat recovering.
My roommate had a new 76 RD and I had a Honda 550-4 and he would hit that 2 stroke power band and leave me like I was sitting still.
Fast bike. Video brought back some good memories. Thanks
Worthy of a full restoration. Those RD's are only going to increase in value in the future.
400 in blue just made £5500 at auction here a couple of weeks ago, would have loved that, just like the one I had in the 80's, minus the allspeeds.
Was friends with the sons of a local Yamaha shop owner and one of them had a café racer version of this bike. Talk about fun! I raced YZ125's at the time and was used to high revving 2-strokes. That bike FLEW considering the 2 cylinders and light weight. This bike you worked on is really cool. Would love to take it out for a flogging.
You are truly one talented man. The way you figured out that wiring is impressive Joe. Keep up the great work. 😊
That is when bikes were affordable and great value. And just about everyone could afford. They were just fun!
Great job on getting it running 👍
This also brings back great memories for me. I am 71 years old now and in my life I owned 28 motorcycles (both road and dirt bikes). In 1976 I bought one identical to yours. Of all my road bikes I had the most fun on the RD 400. I think about that bike often. I owned a 750 water buffalo at one time also. I loved the sound of the two strokes.
Thanks for bringing back great memories for me.
Here the same 😂
Great time.
Greetings from the Netherlands
Who else here knows how to better tinker on old bikes because they watch 2vintage!? I've learned so much from watching you. Thank you my friend!
I bought one of these new in the crate when I was 15 and got my Learner's Permit! $1200, OTD. Popping wheelies in the High School Parking lot was a blast!
That's why I sold my 77 RD400. In California wheelies are display of speed, big fine and more. Got a 77 BMW R100s.
I have watched your progression over the years and you have done a great job. No huge merch pushes just humble content, very refreshing in this day and age. I think your skills have improved vastly however ( you knew that was coming, ha ha) on the old 2 strokes I beg you to do a leak down test...Crank seals dry out, most of the time on the stator side do to heat, transmission gaskets get leaks...The leak down test is a must on old 2 strokes.
I'm 63 now and had forgotten my past with the bikes I had. Gave up bikes when my son was born in 1990 only ridden once since then. I had 2 RD250s and 1 RD400. Never owned tany LCs, although I rode my friends 350. I loved the 400. More. Thanks for bringing back some great memories. Certainly needed these days. Fantastic video
Owned lots of RDs, 3 RD 400s, JPS special In black and gold, a Daytona, and a heavily tuned red and black one with microns, ported and bigger carbs. One of the best 2 strokes ever made. Well done 😀
That sound brought the hairs up on my arms and took me back 40 plus years, thank you Joe
20 year old oil is dead, even in the original sealed container. Brake fluid exactly the same. Air filter full of oil, pretty good 😀. You could have seen from that that the thing was running on a 2T mixture. Continuity tester on the fuse without knowing whether there is a consumer in the circuit. filed breaker contacts, pretty good 😆. Air screw was 1 1/4 out! Why not take a look at the pistons through an intake port? The piston rings rattle. Gasket maker 😄. Don't you clean the tank? Without an air filter, the carburettor setting on a two-stroke engine is wasteful. Everything pretty good 😉.
Great job Joe. My weakness has always been trying to solve the electrical stuff even though I'm better now than the old days I would have passed out after taking out that headlight😮.
I bought a brand new RD400E in 1978, really loved that bike, it was lots of fun to take out of the long winding mountain roads. It and the older RD350 were the original pocket rockets.
22 years ago,I owned a 76 Yamaha RD400. Took 6 years to re-build,0.40 over bore"wisco pistons" Nutronic CDI ing, Carbs jetted 2 sizes up,had 185 psi compression, DG expansion chambers,(a lot of parts are available in England) would bury the speedo at 200kph! fast bike , lost bike in shed fire, Had $9000.00 CAN, invested in bike, miss that motorcycle!! 😀😭👌👍✌
Back in the early 90s I had a 350 ypvs it was a awesome bike with amazing acceleration .I fitted a chrome kick stand and full chrome micron exhausts on it, sounded ace.
Got some great memories of that bike. 😊
I am 75 now. Had a 250 back in 1969. Fantastic machine and also the sound. Thank you for showing the 400.
I'm just 66 but I had a 1971 Suzuki 250 Hustler twin cylinder two stroke. I bought it off a guy in 1981. I imagine it wasn't all that different from the Yamaha 250. Those were great bikes. I really loved mine and would like to still have it. I had a lot of bikes after that but those little twin two strokes were a blast!
I can’t believe you rode that Yamaha while wearing a Honda hoodie! I’m surprised the Yamaha ran at all with that incompatible equipment!
This brings back crazy memories. Joe you have a vintage heart and soul and would have done well living in the 70s.
2 stroke heaven. Just bought a 1983 Suzuki X4 125cc. Love it. Thanks for great content.
Your passion for these bikes is so compelling 👍
That little rocket would greatly benefit from a good set of expansion chambers & K&N filters(stock airbox will work too)with a good rejet. I don't know why people stop using the oil injection system and mix it. Get that working!
Good start at getting this rig running! Thanks Joe!
And a front tire lol, Great score AGAIN!!! You never cease to amaze me with your diagnosis skills, and always seem to find the problems others look right over, GREAT JOB AND SCORE JOE. Another win under the belt, these are the type of bikes I learned to ride back in the 70's and were so fun to ride and always worked great!
Tyres aside. You are the Master Joe. You deserve everything you get thanks
Super jealous. At 14 I got a 74 RD350 from a gal up the street, got it home, rebuilt the carbs. I was the first kid to go 100mph through the subdivision. Careful.....the powerband comes on fast and furious in these. The oil injection system is kinda unreliable, many guys bypass it and run premix.
The RD400 was tuned down from the RD350 model. I bought a new RD400 in 1977 and the power band was not fast and furious, much smoother ride than the RD350 model.
Hes had one for years and well aware
@@staygold902 Who the fuck are you? His official cock holder?
I heard the RD350 had a tendency to wheelie, this is not something Yamaha wanted. In the RD400 I heard a hole had been put in the exhaust port to try and tame the engine and smooth out the power delivery. My RD400 didn't seem fast to me. I think it needed expansion chambers and jetting changes. Those Honda CB550 4 cylinder bikes would blow by me on the freeway. I always wished my bike was faster the entire time I had it.
Never actually heard of one that actually failed. Heard of lots of people disabling it because they thought they must be unreliable...
Mega score. One of the best vintage Japanese bikes.
Wow, great looking classic cycle. Now let's tear it apart! I am always wary of older bikes/cars. Time (mice, dry rot), mileage (oil changed, maintained), misguided repairs (don't need these bolts). Great story about 2-stroke development, read Stealing Speed ~ Mat Oxley
I was thinking the same. Surely you’re not leaving it in that scabby state? Worth stripping down and at least get the frame powder coated, check things over.
Joe, you can pump the rear brake lever a few times and hold the lever down, Then open the bleeder to release any air, You may have to do it a few times, Same as the front, if you have issues, You can TRY putting a Wire Tie around the master cylinder lever while you're holding it down tighten the wire tie, and leave it overnight, letting air escape through the master cylinder
Those calipers are notorious for seizing the pistons. You are correct with your trick though. Not trying to take anything away from your comment 👍🏻
@@Jeffhoneck No problem, Jeff I noticed he had fluid at the rear brake, and that is the reason for my comment, Over 40 years as a mechanic I worked on a few brakes, Have a great day
@@davidfarley1175 I've worked on a few brakes as well, and none were as hard to deal with as the Yamaha RD brakes. You have a good day as well 👍🏻
@@Jeffhoneck Thank you
Wow I was the youthful age of 24 years old when these great bikes were around here in the the uk it still gets me buzzing to think of those days those stokers were great bike then and still are now that classic would be a great example to restore and ridden every day thanks for bringing back my youth for a short time🤪😂😂
For 1400, you got a steal. Had one when I was 18, 65 now, still miss it. Pound for pound, one of the best bikes ever made.
Great bike, my guess is that someone stripped it to do a bit of a resto and didn't get it all connected up again afterwards. 👍
Yeah looks like it
Had the pleasure of riding my ex-bosses RD350 from Atlanta to Athens once,
Fell in love with the bike, really fun bike to ride,
I’ve wanted one ever since, maybe someday
Great find. Been hoping you get one of these. Growing up my first street bike was a Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special with a Shoei fairing. It was an awesome bike, had so much fun and went everywhere with it.
man oh man...does that take me back to the day..i remember that rd 400..but as a young teen and a sophomore in high school...we all rode some type of motorcycle..had our drivers licenses and thought we were the kings....didnt have an RD....first one i remeber was the RD350...what a creamer and as kids we wanted speed and the 350 had it...then the 400 came....we were in heaven...thx for the recap..those are great memories
that was relatively easy to fix compared with some of the 2 strokes you have done in the past - makes a change for you, well done
That’s a handful of work. Love it
Fantastic another two stroke, I love rice burners 👍, 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Had this exact bike when I was a teenager, flipped it over backwards on a 2-3 shift still have a bum knee because of that one. It was a blast to ride and they were everywhere on Vancouver Island the early RD350s then onto the 400s then back to the Liquid cooled 350s again.
Great save. I remember seeing these on the road in the 70's and 80's
This brings up so many memories of my youth in the early 80's lol I had a 77rd 400 that we converted into a cafe racer with a full fairing, dropped bars, cut single solo seat with rear clips for the gearing and pipes similar to the rd350! painted red white and blue. that bike could fly at least it did in my brain lolol thanks for the memories
That's more like it. Was getting a bit samey with just dirt bikes.
Nice find with the RD!
there are other channels,with the samey shhhh it
Agree
I remember these bikes back in the 70s. I had the Honda 400 four stroke and my friends had the Yamaha RDs. Lots of racing going on between the two bikes lol. Good times.
Super Sport!
Great video, having flashbacks. Back in the day we all had these RD400's, they must have had at least 6 or 7 kids with them in the neighborhood back in high school 79-82. they was fun and fast and most was modified with chambers, drag bar clip-ons and fairings.
My brother had the 250 in white n red n his best mate had the rd 400 in yellow an black the coffin tank and micron exhaust s in uk brings back memories
Fascinating, and faultless presentation as always sir.👍
Great Job Joe ,Neil from Wales
😮😂
Sikkkk
Ya he's the coolest
Learn alot from his videos🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉dirt bikes rule🎉🎉🎉
What a thing to say to a guy.... 🤔...🤣🤣🤣
1400 bucks,you have stolen it!
@MrSkid1970
Ride it like you stole it! Those Fers SCREAM!
Joe that's an awesome bike I love it!! For $1400 and a few parts to get it back to being street worthy what a steal you have there. Very rare now and fetch a hefty price. Sweet!
Beautiful bike. A long time ago a friend took me for a short ride on his RD350. He was quite happy to apply the throttle and to me it felt incredibly fast.
Just from listening to it it sounds like you need to balance the carbs. I had a Kawasaki 350 three cylinder and it was important that the carbs be synched and balanced. I had three drill bits that I would put under the slides and adjust them like valves so they all moved at the same time and had the same air flow. Then I would adjust the idle down to where it would almost die then adjust the air screw to get the highest idle at no throttle then go to the next carb and do it again. If you have two vacuum gages you can do it with them after adjusting the slides.
The tone and the off throttle sounds are what makes me think you need to do this. When you let off the throttle it is a wavy sound. If it is tuned correctly it will be a smoother sound. Most people tune for full throttle and miss some of the low and mid range performance. You are very good just hoping to help you like I was helped.
Way to go Joe! Knowledge is power!
My younger brother had a RD-250. Long time since I heard one of those RD series bikes run. Sounds great.
missing the kill switch connector good job diagnostics old school
WOW what a buy! Ive had a 76 & a 79 loved them they were mental wheelie machines! I used them as my only transport & sometimes if I rode them in the wet they would shut down & take ages to re-start & sometimes when they re-started they ran backwards! 😂😂😂
I would roll my RD350 backwards and let the clutch out. Freaked people out when I made it go backwards 🤣
adding a survivor RD 400 to the fleet is great day!
Hi mate, Paul from Australia. Love all your videos. I'm a 50 year old auto electrician and work on car's and trucks manly but your videos have taught me so much about bikes. I rarely comment on anyone's videos but you help out so many people I thought I could help you out with those glass fuses. Unless they have a wire inside and soldered at each end they are press fit and can give you nothing but trouble. If you come across these press fit type throw them out and only fit soldered one's. Keep up with your awesome content. Paul 👍
Thats such a great bike that you have there Joe. It looks like its stock and every thing is there. My housemate and I bought one each back in 1978. Mine was the 76 like you have and his was a 77. Fullerton Yamaha in Ca. was blowing them out for $800 each. They were the most fun you could have for $800 bucks. We put expansion chambers, rear sets and some good tires on them and rode the crap out of em. At 10,000 miles we had to do a top end job on them and and then they were good to go. Im 71 now and am still addicted to fast bikes. I ride a 06 GSXR1000 and a 2015 Ducati 1299S. Have fun with that RD and thanks for a great video. Oh the memories. Oh, and they are really so easy to work on compared to modern bikes.
Thought it was dead. Good fix diving into the electrics. A friend had a 200 version back in the early 80s , even two up was a bullet...Good to see👍
What a great bike! I really love the retro restorations. I remember my uncles having bikes similar to this when I was a little kid in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Joe, you just gave me a ton of motivation to get my RD350 engine back together. I tore it down about 10 years ago, and moved to the next project lol
Finally a bike you don't have to tear the entire engine down 😂❤🎉
Insane that you just released this. Been working on getting my dads '76 RD400 started for the past few weeks and I am at a roadblock.
I can get the bike to light up but no spark with new plugs and cleaning wires of corrosion as well as the points and condensers. Guess I will troubleshoot a few more things!
When I saw the thumbnail I clicked immediately.
I bought my 76 exactly the same color with this in summer of 88 for 350$ and the bike was mint.
Sold it in 89 for 500.
Back then we didn't know what they be worth today.
I'm amazed by the variety of these vintage motorcycles you can find in this country,great job as always sir.Greetings from Greece
Thanks for bringing a old bike back to life.
Really enjoyed this one - envious of the comprehensive knowledge of all systems - no challenge dismissed - all challenges accepted - great stuff.
I LOVE THAT BIKE! What a find, so sweet, I laughed when I saw the cloud of two stroke smoke by your driveway where you gassed it. A mate of mine has two of these, one in pieces in his garage, Im gonna try to score it, you inspired me. Nice work Joe.
Great find! What a beauty. When they say "They don't build them like that anymore" they are mostly correct. The closest thing I could find is a Triumph Bonneville.
Love these older bike rebuilds, absolutely amazing well done 👍
What a gem! These bikes are so great! Known to get squirrely under throttle so be careful 😂
EDIT: a couple suggestions on your techniques...
-Anything that seals should be tightened evenly. You installed the petcock fully tight on one side while the opposite screw was completely loose.
-You regularly install fuel filters backwards. Not a big deal if they are temporary, but could restrict fuel flow in the long term.
Keep up the great work 👍
Too cool! I'm looking forward to seeing how you do on this one.
I had the '75 RD250 in 1982 or so. VERY quick bike. Experienced my first and last high speed wobble on that sucker 😂
It would be really cool to see you tear this down, clean it all up, and make it really nice.
Very excited to see one of these in your garage!
Love those wins! Did you ever figure out what connector you were missing behind the headlight to power the coils, and are you going back to oil injection or sticking with premixed?
A friend of mine put a "slightly" modified version of this engine in his "Banshee". A rather "noticeable" difference in power! He also has a MINT "Robert's" version of this bike in yellow and black! He just told me he turned down $40,000 for it. Great vid!
I've had a couple of these bikes . You may think it's running perfect but it's not. The idle should be 1100 rpm and you can hear it bogging on small throttle openings. It will do this without the rubber connectors to the airbox and will be running lean throughout the range with open carbs. As for the carbs, they are the wrong ones for this bike. The ones fitted are 'high top' type from an earlier round tank 350 as is the twist grip assembly. The wire you bridged in the headlight to get spark should go to the kill switch. The fact you have the wrong switch might be the reason for this.
Awesome bike.my uncle had one over 30 years ago
Joe, great find and recovery! Looks and sounds good! I've had a Yamaha 500 4 stroke single and two Yamaha XJ 650 twins. The were all good handling and running bikes with decent resale! Congrats on your 400 2 stroke!
I had the RD350B, bought new after several other Yamaha 250's and a 305 (i think). GREAT BIKES!!
Man that thing sounds great I've owned four of those in my life great bikes very dependable and a ton of fun to ride
I have a 73 RD 350 that i ride regularly and a 75 RD 350 that's a touch temperamental...i think i will pull the carbs off tomorrow then make some smoke!
back in 1986 my brother bought a 1976 rd400 all done up like a cafe racer and i had a 1977 rd400 all original! his had pipes on it so it had a bit more jam than mine as mine was a little "tired" needed new rings but it ran fine. he blew his up after having it for a week , he s so bummed but i told him not to worry and $300 bucks later we got the jugs bored 30 over with new pistons and rings slapped her back together and she was a little rocket! those bikes now, can fetch upwards of $6000 here in Canada if they are in good shape! you should fix that one up proper and hang on to it as they are getting harder and harder to find, and going up in value as well! nice work joe! 👍 did i mention the best part about those bikes? is their ability to do AWESOME power wheelies when that two stroke powerband hit!!! 😁😎
Would love to see a full restoration on this bike worth good money... Great job Joe..😊
Another great job bring an old girl back to life!!! Enjoy every video !! I have learned alot for sure !!!
GOOD MORNING JOE!
I am a auto painter Joe and I will tell you the orange peel on the tank is a sign of very good paint!
I sure learn a lot about troubleshooting through your channel. Good stuff
Leave it on the pre-mix and do not trust these oil injection pumps. Otherwise practice being quick on the clutch. I know this because the pump on my '73 RD350 had failed on the highway 45 years ago and it's unforgettable.
Wow! I had an RD200. The RD400 was a great bike
I would love to see this bike on a scrambler type of conversion ,i bet it would look even better!!! Like it a lot