[MonsterPatrol]

There are so many up for sale in the market and all quote a very high price for it. The problem is knowing which one to buy. Who’s restored it, what kind of mechanic maintains it and what parts were used during the restoration. Even with the assistance of your mechanic during the inspection before your purchase it’s really hard to tell if the bike is really worth that much money or what kind of skeletons are hiding in the closet. Only by living with it for atleast a year is when we’ll know how good a deal it actually was. In this price bracket there are so many better options. However almost all of them lack the character and the sheer pleasure of owning a legendary bike such as an RD. Only if the bike was easier to live with. Just slightly easier. But as the saying goes ‘buying is hobby, keeping is passion’.

[kryogesh]

Are the spares available easily? any pointers to procure in Bengaluru?

[Crankpin]

Off topic but I'd say Yamaha India could get the SR400 and sell it here.
It's a great bike and like the RD350, it can still evoke the classic Yamaha cult feeling that the RD had.
It has decent power (about 22bhp), 27.4 NM of torque and isn't all that heavy ( 174 kgs).

Rode one in Thailand and it seemed to check all boxes for what it is!

[SunnyBoi]

Is it worth buying Yamaha RD350 now?

Answer is NO.

Buying a RD350 in this day and age with the frankly ridiculous prices is not rational in any way. One can buy a really good preowned Duke 390 for 1-25-1.5L which offers a LOT more, except for the sound.

I had a RD few years ago. Bought it, opened the engine and made sure everything is okay. Given the reputation, I bought new parts from USA, even bought a whole spare engine for spares. Surprisingly nothing went wrong and I got bored of the bike, sold it off.

It was slower than my built RX and stock 150cc honda. I did not spend a lot on maintenance but I would cry every time I had to fill up the bike. half a liter of 2T oil per tankful plus 16 liters of petrol is not a joke. Just the fuel bills alone can make one cry.

[Crankpin]

Not worth buying for sure! Sold mine a couple of years ago as it had started spending more time in the workshop for this and that.
Besides, you don't get any genuine parts anymore and there isn't any point importing these parts from abroad. I wanted an LC YPVS for a long time now but can't seem to find one!

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

It was slower than my built RX and stock 150cc honda.

And what about corners and braking?

[am1m]

Even though I missed the RD350 in its prime years, I was lucky enough to go to a college where the cult of the bike remained alive for a few more years after production stopped and it started dying out. A lot of my batch mates owned RDs which though were nowhere near their prime, were good enough to bring a wide grin to my face every time I opened one of them up on the empty roads there. Even then, maintaining an RD was a royal pain in the butt and I shudder to think about owning one today!

Short answer: if you really, REALLY know the bike, know your bike mechanicals, have the patience to search for a good bike and know what to look for, have the patience and the money to source parts from various sources online and locally, ONLY then consider going for one.

And even then, reconsider, save your money and buy a new D390 instead!

The RD was a FABULOUS bike! But its time has passed.

[Crankpin]

Originally Posted by am1m

Short answer: if you really, REALLY know the bike, know your bike mechanicals, have the patience to search for a good bike and know what to look for, have the patience and the money to source parts from various sources online and locally, ONLY then consider going for one.

And even then, reconsider, save your money and buy a new D390 instead!

True in some sense. Earlier, when time was plenty, I used to fix my own RD but couldn't manage that later!
Honestly, I wouldn't buy a Duke 390 unless Bajaj seriously fixes all the issues with it and improves the quality of those bikes!
You pay 2.5 lacs for something that has erroneous fueling, leaky fork seals (even after so many years) and failing electricals and yeah terrible after-sales!

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by Sheel

And what about corners and braking?

Oh boy. Lesser said the better.

I have a funny story about the brakes on my bike. My rear drums were PERFECT. Perfect as in zero drag, brakes worked very nicely. It was so good, it was the best drum I've seen, even better than the no-holds-barred restored bikes. So what did I do? I loosened the rear brakes so much that I'd never be able to use them, for fear of using them too much then having to hunt for another good drum.

That brings me to another important point of owning RDs. You may have a good bike but you always will have a fear, what if this breaks? Or what if that wears out totally? At this point, you will either start collecting spares OR ride the bike slowly with a fear of things going bad OR stop riding at all.

Even if you have a good bike, one will never be truly able to enjoy the bike.

About restored bikes. You don't know how it was restored or what parts were used. Most restorations are purely cosmetic and have zero focus on mechanical parts. Most fellows who are selling the bikes add lots of thick Nulon or STP with petrol to reduce any piston slap/con rod noises. It sounds all well and good, 2 or 3 tankfuls later you will have loud noises, have to do an expensive engine rebuild. Especially the "worrrignality" idiots who insist on ribbed tyres, outdated and bad drum brakes, "vaarjhinal indicators", NOSSSS items and what not.

The world of RDs is full of rotten people out there to make a quick buck. Genuine guys who have restored their bikes properly know the value, time and effort that has gone into such a bike and they will never ever sell it. All others are only flipping bikes for a quick profit. If you check the registered owner on the RC book it will never be the same as the seller and you'll hear tons of excuses such as selling on behalf of a friend, relative, etc.

I can't help but laugh at people who keep harping about "feel" or "character" You guys seriously need to move on, or it might be signs you're having a midlife crisis.

[MonsterPatrol]

This seller is quoting 3.5 lakhs absolutely non negotiable. Bike is in Kerala. Says it’s sleeved 0.25. Checked the engine no. and it seems to be a HT 1984. Other questions have simply been answered by saying “pakka original bike”, “it roar” “original headlight” “you come and see” . And of course as rightly mentioned above by Sunnyboi the owner’s name doesn’t match the seller’s. Reason for sale has been answered by saying “you buy some other bike”

[wheelz]

Hi,

Kerala bikes are really expensive, the RD’s have always been in demand here. Most of the bikes are well maintained, and there are quite a few mechanics who know what they are doing. Having said that I would suggest to get a bike which is in running condition, and then slowly restore it according to your needs. If you scout elsewhere you might get a running condition bike for around 2.25 -2.5 lakhs, and then slowly fix things if needed as you use it.
Buy an RD only if you have time and patience for it. It’s an old runner and surely needs your care and attention.

As far as economics is concerned, there is nothing that can explain the rational behind buying an RD, it’s pure Passion, there’s just one that , the value of these bikes never depreciates, unlike the new age bikes.

One last thing, these bikes are here to stay, the spares though not easily available are not hard to find, there is a separate industry that survives on building parts for vintage bikes and you’ll get to know them once you own one.

The decision has to be made between what your brain says and what your heart feels for!!!!

[silvr]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Ohhh boi. Lesser said the better.

I have a funny story about the brakes on my bike. My rear drums were PERFECT. Perfect as in zero drag, brakes worked very nicely. It was so good, it was the best drum I've seen, even better than the no-holds-barred restored bikes. So what did I do? I loosened the rear brakes so much that I'd never be able to use them, for fear of using them too much then having to hunt for another good drum.

That brings me to another important point of owning RDs. You may have a good bike but you always will have a fear, what if this breaks? or what if that wears out totally? At this point, you will either start collecting spares OR ride the bike slowly with a fear of things going bad OR stop riding at all.

Even if you have a good bike, one will never be truly able to enjoy the bike.

About restored bikes. You don't know how it was restored or what parts were used. Most restorations are purely cosmetic and have zero focus on mechanical parts. Most fellows who are selling the bikes add lots of thick Nulon or STP with petrol to reduce any piston slap/con rod noises. It sounds all well and good, 2 or 3 tankfuls later you will have loud noises, have to do an expensive engine rebuild. Especially the "worrrignality" idiots who insist on ribbed tyres, outdated and bad drum brakes, "vaarjhinal indicators", NOSSSS items and what not.

The world of RDs is full of rotten people out there to make a quick buck. Genuine guys who have restored their bikes properly know the value, time and effort that has gone into such a bike and they will never ever sell it. All others are only flipping bikes for a quick profit. If you check the Registered owner on the RC book it will never be the same as the seller and you'll hear tons of excuses such as selling on behalf of a friend, relative, etc etc.

I can't help but laugh at people who keep harping about "feel" or "character" You guys seriously need to move on, or it might be signs you're having a midlife crisis.

There's little to differ from your viewpoint, besides it's a 30+ year old bike and can't really hold a candle in front of D390/RC390, and the kind of people you deal with is really awful lot, some of the hoarders don't even know the difference between a HT and a LT, and would quote astronomical prices for the machine, recently I met an owner(hoarder) in my home town and the pricing of the bikes were outright hilarious, so finally I made up my mind and decided to look other way finding better machines from current generation.
Remember: RD is popular only due to its competitive performance in bygone era of lethargic machines, and comparing that to present day machines would be a little injustice, but when you have to spend such a copious amount of money on a bike which probably have passed through more than two hands , make sure your intentions are not to have a road going machine but a museum piece. Good for the show case only.
PS: A large number of folks harping about "character"and "feel" are the same lot, who have inflated the price and now want to get quick buck out of your pocket.lf you look closely, chances are a good number of them would have put up their rides for sale or are planning to sell it off.
It's more like they bought that bike believing some one else's harping about the bike and now that they know it's a lemon, are trying hard to adopt the same tactics, to get rid of it.

[2StrokeJunkie]

Nostalgia is still highly valued and that reflects in the current street value of a vintage japanese 2 stroke motorcycle like the RD350. The design, the sound, the motor are all pure nostalgia. I have had an RD for about decade now with a short unfortunate gap in between and I can tell you that maintenance is minimal. Spares are not a problem. There are enough spares to keep the bike running. The only downside is that fuel bills are bad, bad enough that you will think twice before going on a really long ride because she is a guzzler. A good RD350 will haul and its a practical bike, you can ride two up, take it grocery shopping and not look like a hipster and still look cool. The RD is old school is every sense. Analogue and simple. Plus it sounds amazing and will go like stink. If you are looking to buy an RD350 today, consider yourself lucky if you find a good clean bike inside 1.5 - 2 lakhs. Also make sure you hook up with a good mechanic who will help you with maintenance if you don't work on the bike yourself.

Yes it isn't as efficient as the Duke. The Duke being a KTM is a completely different machine. Its a modern, radical, agile, sharp, single lump, 4 stroke 390 that hauls. Downsides for me are you cant ride two up, the style is too radical, sharp and signature orange like any KTM. The new ones I love, it even comes with a tablet for meters. How cool is that?

[wheelz]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

Nostalgia is still highly valued and that reflects in the current street value of a vintage japanese 2 stroke motorcycle like the RD350. The design, the sound, the motor are all pure nostalgia.

Very true, the reason RD's are still in demand is for their classic looks and the "Exhaust note". Most of us have all fallen for the exhaust notes.

[Khodays]

I ride one every day, ride a tiger too, guess which one brings a smile on my face, no doubt, its the RD, fixes whatever crap that I have going on, goes like stink, does a ton (MPH) comfortably, been with me for two decades and will not trade it for anything in the world....