Restoring my Yamaha RD350 to stock, with a few improvements

I was able to experience the power band more evidently and the bike pulled nicely from 4k rpm towards the redline.

BHPian justin.das recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My RD journey began in 2003 when I was just 15 years old. At that time, my friends and I, all passionate about bikes and cars, had limited knowledge due to the scarce availability of information on the internet. Two Strokes was considered a thing of the past, and the newly launched Pulsar 180/Karizma set the performance benchmark. One day, after Sunday church mass, an elder from the same church joined our discussion, mentioning a motorcycle launched in India decades ago that could outrun modern 4 strokes. Intrigued, he promised to bring the bike next Sunday, and when he did, I saw an RD for the first time—love at first sight.

Fast forward to 2004, my brother got a job, and on the day he received his first salary, he asked to search for an RD 350. After a prolonged search, we found one, but the asking price was too high. Almost two decades later, I finally bought one for a significant sum. However, the much-anticipated RD experience turned sour as problems surfaced after the purchase. The 1986 LETI model with HT-sleeved cylinders, Budget CDI, and non-genuine parts presented issues despite its freshly rebuilt engine.

Undeterred, I embarked on the journey to restore the RD to its stock glory. Initially, I made improvements for better performance, such as replacing the CDI with Points Ignition, swapping the Clutch Basket with a Wiseco Forged bell, and replacing the Mickarb with the original Mikuni Carbs. Cosmetic enhancements included new seats with US RD seat trim on the original metal base and original meters. Though there was an immediate improvement in performance and aesthetics, the bike's overall performance remained average. Sharing some photos below from the initial day.

As discussed certain changes were made to make the bike a better one both mechanically and cosmetically. Cosmetically, it looked way better but performance was still around 50 - 60% of the actual. Still, the stock ignition system turned out to be magic! it completely transformed the way the bike ran. I was able to experience the power band more evidently and the bike pulled nicely from 4k rpm towards the redline. RD ownership helped to make a good circle of RD owner friends who all own different permutations and combinations of RD specifications. After going through all of them I decided to keep the original ignition system running accepting the letdowns that come with it for the sheer pleasure of the way bike rides. Clutch Sound was reduced say around 70 percent with the forged clutch basket.

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