Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

Yes i did, they fit flawsly. I have to take the lower end of the T-stem for pressing the bottom end of the race bearning kit. It has to go down by an inch. i have not put the ball in the top part of the T-stem. Looks like its fine. I have also modified the headlight stays to accept the now bigger fork pipes. I am little worried about the rings and the front monogram plate. but lets hope tey fit as well.

Pramod

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

Congrats bro! Can't wait to see this legend restored in all its glory!!!
How long is it gonna take you approximately??

If you hadnt attached the pictures, i would have called you out on such a fabricated story. Truly is unbelievable how managed to get a hold of it.

Also, sincerely hope Yamaha have some plans on bringing back this legend in a modern revamped format, like how Royal Enfield did with the continental GT.

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

Some stories deserve to be told start to finish.

It will take aprox 3 weekends for it to run like it should. I don't want the RD to come back in a modern avatar, it would be worse than what the libero did to the rx series. I wish good quality spares are available at reasonable cost.


Pramod

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

Gave the engine for rebuild today, have not spoken to the mech yet, just dropped and disappeared.

The crank is stuck so needs a rebuild. I have not given him and oil seals/ packing. Heads and side covers are also with the buffing guy.

I will update the thread with some pics tonight, hoping to get zinc dipped parts today.

Pramod

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

Hi , sorry to say but you are rebuilding (restoring it too fast ) specially the engine , Have you got some good genuine oil seals specially the one which needs to be for the crank . It has to be teflon one , ( plz dont install some delhi made crap) take some time & hunt for a good oil seal kit . secondly what con rods would you be using is another big question . and what size pin is your crank on.
who would be working on the crank , how good is he in his work.
also the bearing\'s which should have the small dots on it , Have you observed on your present old bearings????
1) Genuine oil seals
2) what size pin
3) connecting rods
4) bearings to be used
5) who would be doing your crank.
Just keep these factors in mind before you finish your crank.

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

Ain\'t fast good? I dont understand the concept of waiting for months to do a restoration especially, since i am rebuilding the bike myself, and i do it after office hours. I have collected all parts before opening the engine. i would have done it faster if the plating guys gave me all the chrome bits before.

The oil seals are not delhi made, these are orignal seals from NGK, i took the old seals and got matching new ones from a digger spares shop.

The conrods are the same which the engine has, these are genuine Yamaha OE conrods and there is absolutly no play on them

I am not sure, i will check, but should be standard size.

The crank reconditioning is happening at one of the most popular lathes in Trivandrum called \"popular\" all major RD mechs trust them and they are good

I am not too keen on having dot bearings, i will get the best ones money can buy and my engine builder knows that.

Anyways for updates .

Present update on the build. Parts procured from the new local dealer is absolute crap, the swing arm bushes are 1inch longer so had to use the old ones. Fixed the stand and front end. Waiting for the weekend to start the full swing build. Some pics








pramod

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

didn\'t know that you had already got the oilseals , if you have done the keep in mind they should be soft & not harden over the time, as long as you have checked what you need & purchased for the engine then fine.
Also when you said crank rebuild thought that U would be changing the conrods. STD size pin is what tuners prefer so just asked you. Also didn\'t say dot bearings but was trying to mention to you that the bearing has a dot over it that sits in the groove of the crankcase . You could ask your mech on this . If you are confident on the lathe guy then go for it.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Regarding the swingarm bushes what material bushes are U using, I had installed copper bushings & for my friends RD ( as his budget was low ) we got a silicon tube went to the lathe shop & made a pair for his RD .

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

I appriciate your concerns, the oil seals were obviously checked. I did 3 restorations end to end not trying to brag but i am a bit hairy chested since last restoration

Well, a standard pin means no machining required for the conrods. Everytime an engine is rebuilt if conroads are replaced they go one over size on the pins. In our case since i believe the conrods are fine we dont need to worry about the pins.

For the ones who want to know what is this standard pin fuss all about, give these a read

http://www.rddreams.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26964&p=269725&hilit=standard+ pin+crank&sid=39e12fa2ce73b89b15ee8eb1e1222e0e#p26 9725

http://www.rddreams.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24816&hilit=standard+pin+crank

This weekend was extremely disappointing. The chrome plating guy played spoil sport. He had some attrition which has put the build on hold. This will be hopefully done by this weekend. Painting will take 2 weeks minimum.

Bought the rear shocks, didn\'t go for RD units and went for Libero units instead, since the look very similar to stock. Assembled the shocks.

Some pics










Pramod

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

did you compare the length of the shocks before buying , if i remember correctly liberos shocks are significantly longer than rds, not to mention they are designed for a vehicle weighing 110 kg

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

the best alternative is hero*onda hunk shocks , correct length. RD weighs 146 kg

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

RD stock Escorts shox are easily available...or HH Hunk shox are used as a good alternative

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

As a matter of fact I did, the libero shocks are longer than the rd shocks by an inch when they are in the lowest setting and when the RD ones are in the highest Setting. I too fear this setup might bottom out, but I liked the quality of these shocks over the RD ones, the RD ones are just too over rated, the workmanship is crap, they are expensive and the shocks look very flimsy. This was a calculated move, I originally planned for ZMR shocks, but at 5k a set it was too expensive.


the bike came with hunk shocks, I wanted to go for them(old ones were flat) but budget was a concern now. Moreover I was planning something better, but I felt the quality of the libero ones when compared with RD ones
They are available, but the quality is pathetic, the chrome looks funny and they are over hyped. I will upgrade them if they suck. My wife rides with me as a pillion, if she disapproves it will be changed ASAP.

Today was a great day, got out of the office early, did some pending stuff, got the front and rear hub, spokes are pending. Got the engine side covers, painted in dupont satin black, came out a bit glossy, but by the third coat looks nice and thick.
Will post some daylight pics tomorrow.

The head was fully painted, need to buff the edges, tank and other stuff is in primer. Will get it by saturday, hoping to get the stickering done by saturday and return for final 3 coats of clear.

We got the crank freed, looks fine. There is a play in the con rod bottom, looks like new con rods is the only solution.

Wife asked me today who is funding all this, should one reveal their secret stash detail to wifes? I just told her to look and admire the buffed hub. Will keep the thread updated if i am not killed

Pramod

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

its not only the bottoming out part , the clearance between the chain and the lhs swing arm pivot will be significantly reduced whereby the moving chain will come in contact with the swing arm pivot causing the metal there to wear out in no time,not to mention the reduction of wheelbase because the longer shocks will push the swing arm further down , come on man you got the bike for free , now atleast spend some money one some decent spares , that will make the difference while you are astride it ,all the painting plating and buffing wont matter once you are riding it , the only thing that matters will be the feel, and my friend you dont want to spoil that

Re: The Legendry Yamaha RD 350. Yes, I have one now

I get what you say, the bike was free But hear me out.

In the mallu land I have seen people putting huge money down the pit, new this...plate that... To start with I wanted this to ride well and look the part. I don\'t wanna go all out in the first go. Or this will suffer the same fate like other expensive restoration, Trying to sell at a premium after the restoration. I wanted to go slow, there is a huge timing issue, the build is happening at a very bad time at the moment, I am also building a house. So there goes extravagant talk and austerity. These shocks were a choice between rd shocks or libero, I took libero ones for obvious reasons. I want ZMR shocks, but at a reasonable price now, or at the same premium when I have cash. For now these have to do, I will post the reports once I ride it. and changing it is heart over the mind decision, if given som time, I am sure both heart and mind will come in sync.


Pramod