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From my current collection of motorcycles the RD 125 and RD 200 were the first two to have a dedicated ownership thread followed by my Hayabusa and the 848 EVO. So, even though the baby RD's joined the collection after I got my first bike my RX 135 I never actually put down a detailed ownership thread for it but kept posting about it from time to time on the other ownership threads and mainly on the baby RD thread.

But I guess its finally time to change that as the collection has now become more Yamaha biased than ever and the RX especially has turned 25 years younger since it rolled off the factory floor this year and would soon complete 20 years with me.

So, lets begin a thread dedicated to pure Yamaha nostalgia...

1999 Yamaha RX 135

Yamaha has been around in India for almost four decades and till date the model that resonates most with the biking and non biking community alike is the RX 100. As kids back in the day owning an RX was the ultimate pipe dream and I too like most teens dreamed of turning 18 and getting one for myself. But, reality hit different back then as I had already started working at the age of 19 and my father expected me to buy my first bike out of my own money, which made sense as he actually never wanted me to get a bike at that early age and he very well knew that saving back then was my Achilles heel and it would never happen. I started working in Oct 2003 and for almost a year would repeatedly keep asking my father to get me a motorcycle with failed results. But, when all things fail one has to understand and maintain the belief that destiny has a much bigger and better plan for you.

So, in my close circle of building childhood friends two of my friends fathers owned an RX model one being a black RX 100 and other being a blue RXG. I learnt riding on that black RX 100 and would often visit the Jhaveri Yamaha showroom with that friend. So, after I turned 18 he would keep enquiring with the showroom guys for used RX up for sale and would keep letting me know when he gets a lead. This continued for a while but with no approval from my father and every opportunity to own a motorcycle turned into a disappointment. However, one fine day while my friend was at the showroom he was told about this RX 135 which was on sale and he test rode and was smitten by the power it produced and asked me to come and ride it as well. I went and rode it and till that day I had never ridden a RX 135 and the initial torque that thing produced is something I still remember till this date as it was an experience like nonother. The test ride happened on 7-11-2004 which was a Sunday and I spoke with my father that evening and he mentioned to me again that he expects me to buy my bike with my own salary as its now been a year since I started working. Obviously it was now a expected disappointment once again and I continued with my life as usual but my father for some reason had a change of heart and on 13-11-2004 told me that Yamaha you mentioned about how much is it for? I told him the price quoted was 15k (nostalgia, won't even get a scrap bike for that price now). So, his next words are take the money from me and buy the bike. Now, I should have just grabbed the money he was offering and should have been jumping in joy but the unnecessary ego /attitude that is within me always made me say what is the point that bike would have already been sold by now and too which he replied take the money and find out if the bike is still available. So, with money in hand I arrived at Jhaveri Yamaha on 14-11-2004 and as the stars had already aligned it was time for me to finally own my first bike...

Trusting in God's process/timeline is just clearly evident from that day as my RX 135 is 20-5-1999 and the other bike I got on the 20th is my Hayabusa (20-2-2017) and the significance of the number 20 being that is the date I was born. Further, getting the bike home on 14th November has to be one of the best gift a father can give his child on children's day.

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Well, I don't have any pictures from the delivery day as none were ever taken (pre smartphone days) but this two are one of those first pictures ever clicked of the RX and this is how the bike looked when I had received the bike then from its previous owner. The first picture has been taken on Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai, when I went for my first long ride with other bikers from Xbhp in early 2005 and the other one taken at the residence of my friends house who actually introduced me to this bike.

When I got the bike it was a single owner bike which was registered in the owners wife's name and had done around 44k kms when I got it in 2004.Today after many speedometers being changed (reason for which I will explain later) the odometer jointly is well over 175k kms in 20 years. Majority of which was done in four years from 2004 to 2008 as I used to commute to work 6 days a week on it averaging at 3k kms every month. The mileage initially used to be 44kmpl but I got that changed (25kmpl) as while I was initially smitten by the low end torque I wanted more and that is how the bike never remained stock from any angle thereafter.

First modification

Beauty of two strokes is that it has much lesser moving parts and is light weight and makes it easy to squeeze out more power with simple mods like porting, expansion chamber etc. My first ever modification was a mild porting of the intake and exhaust port. This was a learning exercise for me as getting the perfect fueling is always a challenge and I learnt it the hard way when my piston seized on a ride to Vapi (Gujarat) as the fueling was lean at the top end. The bike used to make some crazy power giving Karizma's a run for their money back then, but more power means more heat and that extra fuel required to keep the piston cool was not factored in and ultimately led to this disaster. Luckily I had some friends riding behind me who noticed my rear wheel lock and i pulling to the left side of the road immediately. They eventually towed me to city center where we could rebore the cylinder and fit a bigger piston. The beauty of two strokes where the engine was up and ready in a few hours. And then I had to go undergo the painful process of running in and had to ride back to Mumbai under 70 kph and alone as all my friends pushed ahead further. What an experience that day turned out to be.

Friends towing my bike to Vapi city



All waiting and having a good laugh on how the day turned out to be outside the mechanic shop in Vapi.



Modification continued

When I got back to Mumbai the bike went to my friends workshop for a thorough check up as we wanted to ensure that no piston particles were left behind in the crankcase as the bottom part of the engine was not opened in Vapi. Also, since the engine was opened up I asked my friend to increase the port sizes further for more power and then we had to do many runs to make sure that the fueling is proper and not lean. Further, with more power we needed better braking as the drum brakes just couldn't deliver the stopping power required so a disc brake setup at the front was a must. But, my bank balance back then would continue to see a high only on 1st of every month and gradually get depleted by the end of the month and so the best I could workout was a used front pulsar end setup, which was a stop gap measure as the setup made itself evident that it is from a used bike and had issues from day one. That is the moment I realized that this way of living a life won't work and I would have to start saving/investing to keep up my bike in good shape. So, the financial struggle continued up to mid 2009 and this is how the bike turned out to be over the years of constant use.

A ride to Gorai beach



All messed up after a monsoon ride. Got the front disc setup and pulsar shocks at the rear



At Malshej ghat



Going downhill into a corner at Malshej



Riding to Panchgani.



You will notice my bike is the smallest displacement wise but would still keep up with the rest.



Never miss an opportunity to click pictures



What a sight of amazing motorcycles with a view



Taking in the view solo



Taking part on a ride which was covered and aired by CNBC of RD 350's riding to Lonavala from Mumbai and back and mine was the only RX in the group.







Group picture at Tiger point



What a soundtrack of so many twins riding together. Pure Bliss



Aging a lot faster because of daily use





This is how it looked cosmetically but mechanically in top shape and it was time for a major cosmetic makeover.

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Before I talk about the main makeover the bike saw there was one crazy engine modification which we had tried before the full restoration of the bike was carried out. Since, I was always surrounded by RD's we tried out putting a RD connecting rod on the standard crank and block. As the connecting rod is longer we made an aluminum base plate which lifted the block from the crankcase to accommodate the longer connecting rod and because of this the cubic capacity increased over 140cc without increasing the bore size. The power this setup produced was insane and the bike would do wheelies even on 2nd and 3rd gear. I did a trip to Nashik with my cousin with two backpacks and cars on the road were amazed to see an RX overtaking them at that speed with two up so comfortably. I cannot mention the speeds it would do but the speedo needle kept hitting the bottom and eventually broke . That is the reason why I mentioned in my 2nd post that many meters were changed. Sadly the power was too much for the quality of parts available and eventually after a little over 2k kms of use the top bearing in the connecting rod gave way.

So, over the years I have sized my bike twice the second time the 2t tank ran dry and I was gunning the bike back from Bandra and currently its riding on a 4th oversize piston on the original block and bore.


Major restoration

Back in 2010 I decided that the whole bike has to be stripped down and restored. Engine wise only the block and head had to be sandblasted and the engine covers had to be painted.

Below are the list of things done.

a) New Pulsar front end
b) Pulsar rear swingarm with Pulsar rear shocks
c) Pulsar alloys and painted in a golden shade
d) RD 125 tank to be painted white along with RX side panels
c) New chassis (as one was available)

This is how the bike turned out..

Bike stripped down



New Pulsar front end and rear fitted on the bike with new chassis



My 1979 RD 125 tank in its original paint been fitted on the bike.











Finished look minus the decals and monogram











Picture clicked while on my way to Goa



With my friends RD 350 at Bandstand








After a little while I was not quite happy how it turned out and especially the RD tank was giving issues as the paint started bubbling up as the tank had rusted on the orignal bike very bad and there was no way we could save it. So in 2011 we did another cosmetic restoration..

Alloys were painted again in a brighter golden shade and the other set was for the RD 125 which I was planning to restore back then as well.





These monograms I got them imported from Malaysia to match the gold wheels along with tank monogram









These are actually front axle protector for the FZ which I had got from the factory store in Malad. They were machined out to be fitted on the handle bar instead.



Also, got a Vapor digital meter installed

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Post the 2011 restoration the usage of the bike was very limited and a few 100 kms in a year or maximum a little over 1k kms. Over the years I got the front caliper changed to black color one from Pulsar and the rear shocks were also changed to black ones and got braided brake lines from the Pulsar 220 with new master cylinder and a custom expansion chamber built. Later in 2021 almost after a decade did another cosmetic makeover after almost a decade and later on fitted a Apache front master cylinder and Karizma shocks at the rear.

Some pictures...



New meter console parts.









New aftermarket tank to match the original decal of the bike. Aftermarket tank is slightly shorter than the original.











The side panels were damaged in shipping and were replaced



Finished look with the expansion camber (a proper tuned chamber alone can give you a gain of up to 40% in power). Notice the gap in the seat and the tank because the aftermarket tank which is shorter in length. Got that fixed later on.







Getting ready for the Karizma rear shocks



Comparison with the Pulsar shocks it will replace



Parked next to my RD 200











Current look after 20 years of hard work and trial and error. Looks sharp for a 25 year old bike doesn't she



Stocking of Parts

Sadly Jhaveri Yamaha from where I had bought the bike was planning to give up the Yamaha dealership for a Honda dealership thanks to the lethargic approach towards the Indian market in launching new and well researched models. This was I guess somewhere after 2010-11 and this gave me an opportunity to stock up on parts which they had in stock and I picked up truck loads of it as you can imagine..

Some pictures...

What an investment. Original company painted tank, which is next to impossible to get now (only black ones are available for 8 to 10k) and worth more than the bike I go it for in 2004.









Clutch plates



Original block piston set.. While the market is flooded with RX king parts from Malaysia and Indonesia to have one of these at the price I bought it at over a decade ago is just surreal when you compare to prices quoted today.



Air box



Original muffler unit another great investment and just like my scale models I keep all my spare part stock across all my bikes in their original packing no compromise on that.



As I have reached the 30 pictures limit for this post I haven't posted all the parts as there is a lot more. With so many bike parts lying all around and more parts still incoming and plus I have over 100 scale models of mostly cars managing and stocking inventory (making space) is a real challenge and I am still surprised my family hasn't kicked me out of the house yet

Now, moving on to the next Legendary Yamaha joining the collection...

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While the RX is the first bike I got and one that was manufactured in India. However, the next bike which is joining the collection is a model which was part of the R&D that Escorts India did before finalizing and launching their first product for India the RD 350B version.

Presenting my 1979 Yamaha RD 250 Daytona Special

The Yamaha 250 Daytona Special is a limited edition two-stroke parallel twin paired 6 speed transmission Motorcycle that was created in 1979 made for the famous American Daytona show and unlike the Daytona 400 (only 5000 produced), the 250 was just 6 factory production bikes ever produced! (This is something I am trying to get it verified but people I have enquired with along with the ones in US have never heard of it. So, maybe Yamaha, Japan did something crazy like this back in the day.)

The body work resembles the championship bikes of Yamaha TZ250 which dominated the racing championship and went with the Yamaha iconic race color schemes.

The chassis 3M3 is one unique identifier of this unique special model. It’s has alloy wheels and a stock electronic ignition! Shares the same chassis which is on the Yamaha RD400 which is an evolution to the RD350, it was way ahead of its time with a disc break in front and as well as the rear. Crazy part being the rear disc is the same size as the front.

This very bike was part of the bike series that was sent by Yamaha Japan to Escorts India back in the early 80s as part of the market research strategy before Escorts India then chose the RD350B version and RX 100 for launch on Indian soil. (This part I have got it verified from Yamaha, India who had received 38 different motorcycles including this one for Research & Development and Escorts India was supposed to send them back to Japan and they never did and the bikes were subsequently sold to individuals over the years).

For a 45 year old bike its been very well preserved and maintained in pristine condition by the previous owners with low miles with no modifications and original parts from the factory.. The motorcycle sounds phenomenal and I hope to preserve it like this for the next 45 years as this is by far one of the oldest Yamaha motorcycles in India to be sold by the company directly and one which started it all for Escorts/Yamaha, India.

Now, you guys would be wondering how on earth did I manage to get a bike like this and the story behind it that I got introduced to this bike because of a TZR 250 3MA which popped up for sale but as luck would have it the day I went to check it out someone had already deposited a token for it that very morning. I felt terrible hearing that but was told that there is a lot more on offer and was introduced to a collection of total of 9 Yamaha two strokes including the TZR. I was gobsmacked just looking at the whole collection that I didn't know what to even look at or consider because if I had the place to park them I would have bought the remaining 8 right then and there that is how special that collection was and to see in India.

But, once I got into my senses I zeroed down on one particular one from the collection as I was told even that one was for sale if I wanted and it was an RZV 500R. The TZR 250 is a fully faired in line twin liquid motor but with a reverse setup wherein the carbs are located in the front where you will normally find the exhaust connected to the cylinder and vice versa and both the exhaust exit from under the rear tail section. The RZV 500R is a V4 500 cc two stroke and unlike the RD 500 this one has a hand welded aluminum chassis which is 4kg lighter and only 1600 units were made for the Japanese markets. But, destiny had a different plan already set in motion for me.

Over the days along with the RZV I also finalized on a RZ 350 YPVS which was a hybrid setup and a bike I would have built the same way if I had it to get more performance out of it just like I have done on my other bikes. But I took time as I was not 100% sure on the RZV because of the price being quoted and the bike required some work to be bought back in the condition I would be happy with and that would have required a few more lacs.

Eventually, I worked out a price over the weekend for both bikes and made an offer only to hear that the RZV was sold and the buyer got a higher price than his quoted price.

My immediate response was then what about the RZ and was told that was gone too and was bought by none other than MS Dhoni. How things changed over a weekend and I was just cursing my bad luck initially because even with money in hand I couldn't buy the bikes I wanted. Eventually, I just took it as a sign that the bikes were never meant for me and something better awaited and I had to be patient.

The Daytona maybe never caught the eye of other enthusiast including Dhoni because it was a 250cc aircooled RD and a reason why I never showed interest in it earlier was that I already had a RD 200 but when I saw the details on the bike I knew I had to move fast to get this one as it may have been one of two aircooled RD's in the collection and with the smallest cc but had a very interesting and important history associated with it.

In the end just believe in the process and follow your destiny

Now, since the Daytona is such a rare motorcycle getting any information for this particular bike is next to impossible so the next best thing to do was find out a model which would resemble closest to this and that is how I found out the RD 250F and RD 250G are the models that share parts with it.

Some specs and pictures from the internet…



For a 250 that produces the same power as the RD 350 HT did which was sold in India









My Daytona Special a very special motorcycle indeed



The white and red Team Yamaha racing colors inspired from their TZ racing models and also notice off center fuel filler cap



Stunning for a almost 45 year old motorcycle.







The Ram-air system on the cylinder head which helps in cooling and lowering engine noise and it is also a single piece and not a split head one sees on regular RD’s



Brake discs of same size front and back







Speedo is in MPH and that is genuine run number as the engine is dead drop silent at ideal

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In 1978 Yamaha was faced with a double dilemma: first, its RD250/400 was due for replacement; second, ever-tightening emissions regulations spelled the end for performance two-strokes in the USA. These factors, combined with Yamaha’s ambition to usurp Honda as World No. 1, continuing dominance of its racing TZs and dwindling RD sales in the US, led Yamaha to one crucial conclusion: the successors to the aircooled RDs would be aimed at Europe, designed with assistance from Yamaha Europe and, free of US restrictions, be as sporty and innovative as possible. In simple terms, Yamaha wanted to ‘build a TZ for the street’.

That TZ influence meant water-cooling and cantilever-type monoshock rear suspension were vital. Yamaha’s first production liquid-cooled TZ was the 1973 TZ350A, while the monoshock debuted on the TZ250C in 1976. Water jacket aside, however, in reality the LC’s new engine had more in common with the old RD than the TZ racers, with crankcases that were horizontally not vertically split and dimensions and packaging that meant RD barrels would have slotted straight on. Even so, water-cooling enabled a significant step up in performance. Better temperature control allowed more consistent combustion, finer tolerances and thus optimum performance which, in raw bhp, meant a rise from the RD400’s 44 to 47bhp – not bad as it was giving away 51cc.

The LC in the 80’s was the bike of a speed-crazed teenager’s dreams and while I came to this world just after the YPVS version of the LC was launched owning an LC was always a pipe dream but not anymore as just like I bought my RD 200 and RD 125 in quick succession’s I grabbed the opportunity after loosing out on the other bikes from the collection and after the Daytona I bought one of the LC’s from the collection as well.

Presenting my 1980 Yamaha RZ 350

This one is another special Yamaha as its one of the first production LC’s as this was manufactured in December 1980 and was meant for the Japanese market as the 250’s are more famous and common because of the power regulations and norms so a 350 LC is a really rare find. Also, in the Japanese market these were called the RZ 350 a.k.a RD 350LC.

My RZ 350 has a 4UO chassis which was only made for the Japanese market. The 4LO also know as the Yamaha RD350LC in foreign markets has legendary status across the world and this is something ever rarer than that. The color scheme too is different and very specific to the Japanese market.

Specs and pictures of the RZ 350…







How to identify an LC and country of origin





My fourth parallel twin in the collection and my first Liquid Cooled two stroke



While the Daytona has similar size single discs at both ends this one has a twin disc setup at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The 250LC had a single disc at the front.



The unique black, red and gold combination paint scheme was limited only to the Japanese market. And if your search for this paint scheme mostly you will find only 250’s and rarely a 350.









Old Bombay number and now the third bike in the collection with an old Bombay number. Super glad I could buy it and retain it in its original city when it first landed in India.



The speedometer is from YPVS version for some reason and I am on the lookout for a non YPVS one and just missed on one today on ebay as they are very rare to come by in good working state.



The 4LO blocks



Mikuni carbs

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Now, coming to the most difficult part in the ownership of old and especially rare motorcycles locating and sourcing parts. Luckily the previous owner still has a incredible collection outside India and is very knowledgeable about these bikes and also a bhpian TwinHead has similar motorcycles in his collection so their combined knowledge and my experience over the years made the process easy and the biggest benefit being that I travel for work quite often so major savings on shipping and customs wherever possible.

Following are the websites I have been exploring for various parts that I was on the lookout for my RD 125 (hopefully that will see road time soon), RD 250 Daytona Special and the RZ 350.

a) Ebay (US and UK)
b) Webike, Japan
c) Impex, Japan
d) Wemoto, UK
e) Yambits, UK

For the Daytona Special I am only going to do general routine maintenance to preserve its originality and was on the lookout for parts that were required immediately and that needed to be stocked up. For the RZ the plan is to strip it down completely minus the engine (might open the head and clutch cover to see the wear and tear situation to see if a rebuild would be required in the immediate future) and paint the tank and all panels including the front forks with the original decal scheme. Both tanks have rust on the inside which will be cleaned and epoxy coating will be applied on the inside. The immediate concern for me on both bikes was that fork seals had gone hard as the bikes were standing for sometime and I was initially told that the RD one will be a direct fit but that was not the case as both were odd sizes which are not available on any Indian bike. Also, the front master cylinder needed a rebuild so a kit had to be ordered for that and two (front and back) for the Daytona as a backup.

Luckily, I did two work trips since June which were decided at the last minute but Yambits delivers like in one day flat from placing the order within UK and I had also ordered a set of side panels as a backup for the RZ from Ebay, UK. Totally four boxes of parts were carried back in two trips totaling over 15kgs in weight.

List of parts with pictures…























Lot of money saved on shipping and customs. Hence, it’s always better to order parts from single point than many different sites after doing proper research.





Side panels for the RZ in their original paint as a backup

















Very difficult to get and expensive to buy switch set which will fit both the Daytona and RZ. Luckily I found them in India at a very good price. Surfing on Instagram is not always bad



The previous owner informed me about original pistons for the Daytona being available which are next to impossible to get so ordered a set in 0.50 and 0.75 sizes as a backup. They are from Singapore and the guy won’t ship to India so sent them to US to a friend who will carry it whenever he travels next. Even Yambits don’t ship to India for some reason and hence early planning for parts is a must.

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Since these bikes were parked for a while the arrangement I had with the owner was that the bikes be serviced with new fluids and the front fork oil seals be changed on both the bikes as part of the final deal. As the earlier understanding on the oil seal was that the Indian RD 350 ones should be a direct fit so both the bike forks were dismantled only to find out that the sizes are totally non standard. While the RZ has a 32mm size the Daytona has a 35mm and the Indian RD’s have a 34mm. As a stop gap measure we tried looking at alternatives from other Indian bikes but none had the same size. I knew the RZ would be a different size and had ordered a set of seals in my first consignment and luckily a trip to UK was coming up again when we were in the oil seal dilemma and I decided to order extra sets for the RZ and 2 pairs for the Daytona. Also, there were some pitting marks noted on the RZ fork inner tubes and while my friend had sorted the same issue on my 848 just to be on the safer side I got a set of replacement tubes as well as getting individual parts is a challenge with no shipping to India. Hence, I ordered a lot of parts that are not immediately required now but maybe required when we strip the bike down.

Both the bikes I plan to load on a truck and move it to my friends place where all the necessary maintenance work will be done for the Daytona before I take it home (Parents have no idea of the double trouble coming their way) and the full grounds up restoration work can be done on the RZ.

Some pictures….

Fork tubes on the RZ are already out and now the Daytona is worked upon





Front view of the RZ



Front view of the Daytona



The Daytona special paint scheme



The difference in the alloy wheel design one year apart. A rare sight and a rare pair to have as one is the last air cooled RD and the other one is the first liquid cooled RD



Massive single piston caliper and heavy as well. They feel ancient when compared to even the setup you have on a Apache and to have the same size disc and caliper at the back just feels insane on a different level today.





The ram air design from the front which keeps the head run cooler and quieter as well. The 400 Daytona Special had a butterfly valve in the exhaust port which would shut when you cut the throttle as the most emission in a two stroke happens at that moment as the unburnt fuel is sucked out and exits from the exhaust. Quite unique for its time and that is how Yamaha passed the EPA emission norms. Not sure if that same system exists on this one as this was never sold in the states but limited to Asian markets only. But then the speedometer is in MPH which makes no sense. So, some more digging is required. I guess I need to make a visit to the Yamaha museum in Japan as the previous owner believes one is displayed over there.



Single piece head which might have been a design inspiration for the LC versions



Racing paint scheme inspired from the TZ’s and while the offset tank filler cap looks cool not sure if it restricts fuel capacity as it’s not at the highest position. Not that it matters to me but a design quirk.



Hopefully the Indian RX cap is a direct fit as the OE ones are very expensive that are available on Ebay.



Side by side and a Indian RD to give them company





Coolant filler cap and the radiator has no fan just some old school stuff. The samco hoses that I have got as a replacement will add some Red bling just like on my 848 EVO



When you have so many bikes in the collection a sticker helps in identifying which bikes run on premix and which have the 2T pump still functional. A new 2T pump is on my watchlist on Ebay.



A rear article on the 250 Daytona Special shared by the previous owner





Another 250 Daytona Special that calls Malaysia its home. This was shared by the previous owner as well. Would be cool if all the actually manufactured 250 Daytona Special could be located and identified.





Reached out to Abhi at Iconic Motorbikes initially to get some more on the Daytona as they deal in a lot of Two Strokes but as expected they never heard of it. Reached out to Yamaha Japan as well but no response and only could get confirmation from Yamaha India about the bike being sent to them for R&D.

Guess when this thread goes live this would be one of the only ownership thread and information available on the internet on RD 250 Daytona Special. Now that would be indeed Special



While doing my resarch I found one which was sold I guess in Malaysia sometime back and sadly one which was being scrapped.

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At long last the bikes finally move out from their long hibernation hideout. The plan was to move out the bikes in the 2nd week of September as I was not in the city but just today I got to know that I wouldn’t be able to collect them between the 6th and 17th and hence I had to make a few frantic calls to arrange a flat bed truck to transport them on and also to arrange for them to be received at my friends workshop. In ideal situation I would have accompanied the truck to monitor both loading and unloading but this being a spur of the moment decision I could best make myself available to witness and ensure the safe loading of the bikes.

Being the week just before Ganpati arrives on the weekend the traffic situation in Mumbai had gone from bad to worse and it took two hours for the flat bed truck to arrive. The truck owner asked me to send me pictures of the bike to ensure he sends a truck where two bikes would fit and he was at a loss of words looking at the pictures as he had never seen such bikes from Yamaha before. Finally, after a long two hour wait the truck arrived and the RZ was taken out first. Even the two guys who came in the truck were like are these race bikes and they look like very old model. When we moved to get the Daytona it had an issue as the front caliper for some reason was grabbing the disc which was temporarily sorted. Heavy bikes with less air pressure and on top of that this issue didn’t add up for a pleasant experience but, nevertheless both the bikes were loaded and safely delivered to my friends workshop..

Now, the long wait for next week to arrive when I can drop off the parts and we can finally get to business

Some pictures…

What an apt key tag



No prizes for guessing which key belongs to which bike



Yodha finally arrives to pick up the special delivery



Flat bed trucks are such a blessing for bikers





Time to roll. The front brake master cylinder is dismantled and kept tied in the white plastic bag





Soon everyone is gonna go BLA BLA about this bike





Fully tied down and secured for a safe transport



Time for the Daytona to join its old garage mate in a new garage











They finally rise up together. Took a while to get them loaded but ensured it was done the right way.



With the side panels covered on both bikes it would have surely turned some heads on the way and lot of them would have been curious to know what models are these with twin exhaust pipes..





Final set of pictures before they leave and I tipped the guys off as I wouldn’t see them at the delivery spot





Will now see them early next week. Can’t wait to ride them as believe it or not even after so many months since I saw them first forget about riding I haven’t even sat on them yet. Yes, both of them…..At times I don’t understand myself

[SnS_12]

As the plan for the RZ is to do a grounds up cosmetic restoration and mechanical restoration minus the engine I have been ordering parts just from visual and deciding on what all would need a replacement . While I believe I have ordered most of the necessary parts and they are now with me in India there were a few parts that I wanted to stock for future as getting parts for old bikes when you really need them is always a challenge. Further, there were two things that really never added up when I was doing my research, one was the meter console from the YPVS model and second is the petrol filler cap which unlike most RZ which is offset and on the right hand side this one has it in the center and the cap is like what you fund in modern bikes. Maybe we can investigate on that when he remove the tank out to clean the internal rust and find out if that is how it came from the factory.

So, here are a few parts that I have sourced in the past few days and have been delivered to my friends place in UK. Bhpian TwinHead had shared a link of a pair of side panels available for the RZ which i had picked up and have posted pictures of the same above. The same seller happens to specialize in 4LO parts and I built up a good rapport with him and he asked me to list down all the parts I need and he would source it for me. I had a speedometer on my ebay watchlist from the same seller but by the time I decided to pull the trigger it was sold. One would think that he/she would be only one in search for such parts but the reality is that there are many like minded people like us around the world who are doing everything to save these beauties and if you want something and happy with what you find then you just have to go for it or wait for ever in the hope to get something better and cheaper.

Below are pictures of the parts I have managed to source for the RZ..

Complete original working taillight unit. I bought just the lens earlier from Yambits.









The original RZ 350 non YPVS meter unit. This one is in better condition than the one I missed out on as per the seller.



Things to lookout for are the bottom and top covers which are generally damaged/broken and the needles shouldn’t be faded and working properly.







Used for a little over 50k kms





All sides are intact



Fork bottoms and I also have a new set of the inner tube ordered from Yambits



Set of carbs which the seller refurbished with new jets, float valves seals etc









The seller also stocks OE indicators for the RZ



Front and back set are identical accept the wires on the rear are longer





Lock set with one side with a key and the other one is without



With a genuine Yamaha key.







Parts sourced locally. The RZ is missing the OE rear seat grab rail/seat ring and for the sake of trying it I bought this OE RXZ six speed seat ring which is made in Indonesia.



RX fuel cap to see if it matches the Daytona as the one on it has pitting marks due to its age. Hate Yamaha for not launching new products that the Indian market now deserves but when it comes to spare parts for bikes discontinued models decades ago they are still manufacturing them this one is from 7/2024



Tapered bearing coneset for the RX. Was on the lookout for these for a while now and Instagram surfing comes in handy again. These were sourced via Two_stroke_legends sparehop along with the RX fuel cap and RZ rear seat grab rail/seat ring.

[SnS_12]

Finally after 10 days I saw the bikes today and carried the bag full of parts to discuss what all needs to be done and list down all the parts that would need to be ordered which were not accounted for earlier.

Both bikes are at the spot where a better life awaits them



Look’s similar but ain't the case. Much smaller in length and width. Will be used as a backup for my RX and RD 125.



Capturing and inspecting every detail and part



A very SPECIAL motorcycle indeed



The 3M3 series 247cc block



1.5 litres of engine oil. Old school no oil filter so no confusion of how much extra oil to be added when oil filter is replaced as well.



Mikuni carbs look healthy as well. Don’t miss the 3M3 engraving on the crank case as well



A special rear end



With a special taillight



Made in Japan stamped everywhere.





Six speed gearbox





The master cylinder plastic top cover has a crack due to over tightening of the screw. Need to fix it.



Stanley made headlight unit Made in Japan



Original right side exhaust with part number



Original left side exhaust with part number. A matching set. These are details which are hard to find on Indian RD 350’s as parts have been mismatched over the years by previous owners and mechanics who worked on the bike.



Right panel on the RZ will be replaced with the replacement one I have got which is in much better condition



So will be the left one



The huge tank



Filler cap is original and unique as most RZ’s have it offset on the right and is a screw on type cap like my RD 200.



Should have known that the RXZ which is a much smaller bike compared to the RZ and its parts won’t fit. Have asked my UK contact to source one for me now.



The helmet lock is broken. Seat lock works though. Anyway will be replacing it with the used one I have got which is not broken



This one will be replaced too mostly with the replacement one I have got now



Six speed again



4LO 347cc



Samco hoses will make it a pretty sight



Will look better with a cleanup and new parts



With a two stroke as special as this still around there is always a ray of hope for the motorcycling community

[SnS_12]

Pictures continued…

Front end of the RZ



Koito make made in Japan



Bought this bag specially to carry the parts from UK. The three packages were almost over 15 kgs and yet I have to buy more parts.



Packages containing majority parts for the RZ 350 then the RD 250 and for my RD 125. So, have three project bikes on hand out of which two are going to be full grounds up restoration



Throttle cable for the Daytona which will be kept as a spare as the previous owner changed it before the bike was handed over



Clutch plates, pressure plates and springs set. Don’t think this will go on the bike yet as the engine seem to be in good shape.



The sprocket set with chain. Stock size is front being 16 and rear is 39. Will take a call when the bike is being put back up whether to change to this or continue using the current one



All the parts were segregated model wise and transferred in their individual boxes



And now for the most interesting part of the thread where you can hear these beauties. While the Daytona Special is so quiet you might think it is almost at electric motorcycle rl and the RZ on the other hand makes it presence felt the moment you start it. Best of both worlds.


Idling of the RD 250 Daytona Special

https://youtu.be/ryVn8TXVLIo?feature=shared

Start up of the RZ 350

https://youtu.be/ZsEMUYNaX7M?feature=shared

Idling of the RZ 350

https://youtu.be/HjGQ1jC5J5o?feature=shared

Phew, this thread had already hit 12 posts long thanks to the tons of photos I have uploaded and I hope you guys enjoy reading the journey till now as much its a treat to view this beauties. My biking journey actually started 20 years back in 2004 when I go my first bike and today after so many years it still feels like the journey has only begun as I have been blessed to own and ride bikes I would have never even dreamt off. I turn 40th next week and both these bikes are a gift to myself and a moment of nostalgia to when I look back at my life and remind myself to be grateful that though I didn’t get to live these moments earlier in life but thanks to the sacrifices and hard choices I made then I am able to live my best life now.

And you know what is better than a 2 Stroke? Two 2 Strokes

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Chisels121]

AMAZING thread Sir!!
The restoration is great and I hope we see both the bikes in their full glory in the near future. Also, please share the video of their exhaust note even if they are gonna blow smoke all over.