[Satpal Singh]

Hi Everybody,

I have a YAMAHA RD 350 LT (1987),and have owned it for the last one year,it is still on CB points Ignition System,although it has been quite trouble free for me(except for the regular CB points checkup) its gives me around 16 kmpl here are a few questions,I would be really glad if someone could answer them for me.

1) I understand the importance of the Ignition system,however RDD CDI kit proves to be heavy for my pocket,Can i get the AutoEscorts CDI kit i spoke to their Rep and he said he would send it over to me in courier and it would be around 3.5k with postage charges.

2) I do not know what Piston's and Connecting Rods are used in the motorcycle but it runs smooth,the gear shift is very smooth compared to other RD's i have had a test ride on(they were for sale at local mech's i understand that these are just dummies of RD's and that many mechs do not have even the basic knowledge of an RD,i have seen guys using metal manifolds to use a single Bajaj Autorickshaw Carb and the other one boasts of a M800 carb.However interesting is another RD's engine being fit into a FZ16(this one boasts of the M800 carb,i will post pics of this later)

3) I have heard tales of HT's exhaust note to be the RD growl and that of an LT of being a feeble sound,I dont understand this,I have managed to ride only one HT which was quite good and the so called growl is exactly equal to the exhaust note of my present LT and my bike does not sound like those of RX mufflers in the OEM exhaust it is really smooth and my Mech says the exhaust system has not been tampered and is stock.

4) I am thinking of investing in a front fork and complete disk assembly of a P220,But for this i would have to change the stock front drum which as per the bike looks good ( but brakes are like a joke as sometimes they just dont exist).

Looking forward to inputs.
Note: Iam not technically very advanced but do understand the basics of a two stoke and which is what,have read about squish gaps,Somender's Groove several other things have many many things still pending to be tried..

[bIte tHe bulLet]

hey satpal...

this machine looks mint mano... how in the name of the good lord did you manage to get your hands on this? and where? and for how much?

i've just started a search to pick one up as well. am getting prepared to be ripped off! any leads btw?

[Satpal Singh]

@BIte tHe bulLet

Thanks buddy,Yes i got it after ridinbg about 7 RD's in hyderabad,3 HT's which had some or the other issues mostly with paper work and or Engine issues,So i finally settled down for this LT but believe me this can blow some brains off !

[Ajaybiz]

You have neat bike mate.Lift the heads and check yourself about piston size and whether its sleeved or unsleeved barrels, if you want to go further lift cylinders as well and check the make and condition of crank and its bearings, dont forget to put new packings at the bottom of cylinders and head gasket.Best for budget rebuilt is OE Yamaha Rods with ProX or Mitaka pistons(mostly TKR, ART are fake ones).Also if you open the complete engine check for standard pin crank.More details will be found on RD site.Retain your point ignition if not RDD cdi.

[Satpal Singh]

@Ajay,Thanks for the comments buddy



I did open up the head and cleaned the carbon out,but the Piston head surface had absolutely no name i also tried to find the mark which should show the dorection its installed in but to my grief there wasnt a name on it,So i believe the name should be embedded under the head i mean near the skirt ?

Is it not difficult to identify if the Bore has been sleeved ( my mech says the guys who sleeve it make it almost seem OEM ie you cant say is its sleeved just by looking at it through the head but will have to remove the complete bore and then have a look at it,Is it really wise for me to open up the bore and check this because as of now the bike only needs CB points adjustment and my mech doesnt do it with a feeler guage or anything he just does it by so called "EXPERIENCE"

I am really not sure if i should be opening all this(all the knowledge i have is theoretical and not much practical and my mech says it isnt time to change the con rods or the Pistons(i know im not supposed to trust mechs) because the engine runs smooth and the max i hit on the bike was 130 as per te speedo but i dont trust the speedo because after it crosses 100kmph mark it starts shivering a lot .

I was also thinking of getting a Autoescorts CDI kit ...... to get out of constantly getting the points checked....



help me out please...stupid

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Satpal Singh

@Ajay,Thanks for the comments buddy


I am really not sure if i should be opening all this(all the knowledge i have is theoretical and not much practical and my mech says it isnt time to change the con rods or the Pistons(i know im not supposed to trust mechs) because the engine runs smooth and the max i hit on the bike was 130 as per te speedo but i dont trust the speedo because after it crosses 100kmph mark it starts shivering a lot .

I was also thinking of getting a Autoescorts CDI kit ...... to get out of constantly getting the points checked....

help me out please...stupid

Dear SS,

Congratulations on the bike.

My advise don't do anything to the bike if you find the engine to be smooth and can hit 130 kmph with out putting too much strain on the bike.

Take this from me as a RD Owner since 1983, if you are happy with the points keep it. Tuning is required only in about every 5000 KM as long as you don't allow many people to ride it and mechanis to fiddle with the timing side of the engine cover.

Get all oils changed and grease the swinging arm bolt well.

There are some good mechanics and experienced nd they can tell you if the pistons/rods need attention

Also there are few established RD owners in HYD. Check out the Y Group site for RD350b. If you want I will PM the contacts of one good friend and RD owner to you. There is lot of discussion on the Y RD350b group which could be useful for you.

RD is raelly tempermental. Get to know it and ride without really giving it the whip. Be considerate about her production age. But look after her well and she will give you your adranalin shots regularly (like suddenly leaving everything on the road far behind)

All the best and Enjoy

Ride Carefully,

Ram

[Satpal Singh]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Dear SS,

Congratulations on the bike.

My advise don't do anything to the bike if you find the engine to be smooth and can hit 130 kmph with out putting too much strain on the bike.

Take this from me as a RD Owner since 1983, if you are happy with the points keep it. Tuning is required only in about every 5000 KM as long as you don't allow many people to ride it and mechanis to fiddle with the timing side of the engine cover.

Get all oils changed and grease the swinging arm bolt well.

There are some good mechanics and experienced nd they can tell you if the pistons/rods need attention

Also there are few established RD owners in HYD. Check out the Y Group site for RD350b. If you want I will PM the contacts of one good friend and RD owner to you. There is lot of discussion on the Y RD350b group which could be useful for you.

RD is raelly tempermental. Get to know it and ride without really giving it the whip. Be considerate about her production age. But look after her well and she will give you your adranalin shots regularly (like suddenly leaving everything on the road far behind)

All the best and Enjoy

Ride Carefully,

Ram

Hi Ram,

Thanks a lot for the advise buddy,I do not normally Rip it apart but i take it out on weekends(check the Oil,Battery,Lubricate the chain,tyre pressure,Timing) and then some weekends i go above 120 and it behaves cool the engine doesnt growl too much or looks like its not under stress/strain,But what happens is eventually i have to get the CB points adjusted like in sat every 3-4 weeks,i have tried reading numerous articles which teach you how to adjust CB points in the compression stroke and adjusting the gap with a feeler guage and all that,But to be honest i dont want to mess it up with experiments or to be honest iam scared i might ruin something so i take it to a mechanic (JankiRam) he is a oldy and has 2-3 RD's in his garage anytime but he doesnt teach you much and neither does he do what you want him to,anyways end of the day he gets the CB points set and my RD starts to ROAR again .....Iam seriously interested in knowing what the PISTON size make and the Con rods make is but really afraid to open up the bore(as you said ) and iam not touching it !

Cheers,
Satpal

[kolimuttai]

If I were you I would just listen to what RAM said.. Just start learning on what an RD is and some technical bits here and there, never take it to a local mechanic and get it spoiled. If you face issues with your bike from apart the basic issues... please find a reliable guy who knows what he is doing and it is right.

Nice find.. Such a nice piece atleast from the outlook stand point. Enjoy..

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Satpal Singh

@Ajay,Thanks for the comments buddy

I did open up the head and cleaned the carbon out,but the Piston head surface had absolutely no name i also tried to find the mark which should show the dorection its installed in but to my grief there wasnt a name on it,So i believe the name should be embedded under the head i mean near the skirt ?

Dear SS,

Did you mean the small -> sign on the piston. I thought that -> is to indicate that its a "Standard size" piston. I don't think it means direction.

Also why are you really bothered as to what piston & con rods are in there. If it has been working well for you for the past year (as you have posted on the RD 350b Y group) the try and maintain the condition. If its working well then that is the best for you.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Best Regards

Ram

[Ajaybiz]

That -> sign on top of piston shows the direction of ex port, and if it dosent have any other thning like 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 or 1 mark on that means its standard size piston.

[Satpal Singh]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

That -> sign on top of piston shows the direction of ex port, and if it dosent have any other thning like 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 or 1 mark on that means its standard size piston.

@Ajay
I am 100% sure it had absolutely no numbers and the sign too was visible after cleaning the heaps of carbon deposit(may be its running rich) any idea if i could tell whether the barrels are sleeved just by looking at the bore from the top(after opening the head) ?? HELP

[Ajaybiz]

If its half sleeved you can make it out from the top it self, 2 layers of matel sleeve will be visible, if its full sleeve job you need to lift the barrels and carefully inspect the metal joints and signs of putting new sleeve specially the ex port side small piece of metal which joings the sleeve and main cylinder matel.
Most probably you have the sleeved bike as its close to impossible to get standard unsleeved RD now.
Having carbon deposit on top of piston and head is ok with RD's as anyways they burn oil along with fuel.

[Satpal Singh]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

If its half sleeved you can make it out from the top it self, 2 layers of matel sleeve will be visible, if its full sleeve job you need to lift the barrels and carefully inspect the metal joints and signs of putting new sleeve specially the ex port side small piece of metal which joings the sleeve and main cylinder matel.
Most probably you have the sleeved bike as its close to impossible to get standard unsleeved RD now.
Having carbon deposit on top of piston and head is ok with RD's as anyways they burn oil along with fuel.

@Ajay i will try and get a picture of the piston and the cylinder head.... after its cleaned and then we can may be decide if its sleeved ot not ?? what say ?

[2StrokeJunkie]

Satpal Singh . Honestly why does it matter what pistons ur running as long as ur bike is running well and you havnt been conned .

The biggest and most important rule when owning an RD350 or any bike for that matter :

DONT FIX IT , IF IT AINT BROKE !

If u do , u just might wind up with a can of worms and unending problems setting up a new setup .

[Satpal Singh]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

Satpal Singh . Honestly why does it matter what pistons ur running as long as ur bike is running well and you havnt been conned .

The biggest and most important rule when owning an RD350 or any bike for that matter :

DONT FIX IT , IF IT AINT BROKE !

If u do , u just might wind up with a can of worms and unending problems setting up a new setup .

Hi 2StrokeJunkie, Thanks for the reply buddy
I am only trying to know if it is sleeved or not,The Pistons or the Conrods do not seems to be a problem,so as per everybodies advise iam not touching them,Just looking forward to finding out if the Cylinders have been sleeved and then get a AutoEscorts CDI kit thats the max i am gonna go apart from other simple things like changing the Manifolds(Hose) which connect the carb to the cylinders because it seems that one of them has developed a slight crack in it and the rubber's gone hard so i will get a set of new Manifolds this week and get the CB points tuned and thats when i want to check if the barrels are sleeved !

Cheers,
Satpal