Let's see your RD's and RZ's.

[caryder]

My 1976 RD400.


Chuck

[ANOTHERUSERNAME]

[RD350B]

Love the RZs dude .. they look especially great in the hanger, next to the Lear Jet!

I have owned many great bikes over the years (30+) and several RZs.

This one .. my last one .. is the only bike I have ever regretted selling.

[Dan Alexander]

great pics ... sorry I sold mine.

subscribed

[RD350B]

One more from back in the day.



My RZ350 race bike at Loudon, NH circa 1989 sporting Dymags, Brembos, Marzocchis and Toomeys!

[klatelm]

my bro is gtting a new bike (ktm500 plated)and asked to keep it at my house i asked him he was selling his other motos and he said no way they are paid for why would i do that ? . i said no shit i sold both my rz and pissed the money away now i none..

[Low Budget]

Just a typical sunday gathering at the cottage. Sometimes up to four of the V-4's and a couple air cool twins, besides the Interceptors and Ducati's.

[Starkey]

Just wondering, how realiable would a well sorted 73 RD350 be for daily use on a mix of 35mph surface streets and 65mph open roads? By daily use I mean every day, rain or shine, cold or hot.

[Low Budget]

A well sorted and well maintained AC RD is perfectly capable of that. Many of us have logged tens of thousands of miles on them as a all purpose street bike.

Mainly, run good oil and keep the stock oil injection adjusted. For rain, if you use top quality gaskets and run stock airbox you wont have issues riding in rain.

Cant tell you how many had luggage racks and backrests fully loaded back in the day, used to see them everywhere, just a low cost all purpose bike back then. Of course they DOMINATED there class in production roadracing at the very same time granny was running to the grocery store for a loaf of bread.

This was one of a dozen street going ones I had. Odometer was around 17,000 miles......no issues what so ever.

[Starkey]

Not mine just yet but I might buy it this weekend if I can make my mind up. 73 RD350 with a rebuilt engine and sound mechanicals. Needs a new seat and a functional cluster, its loud as hell, no blinkers, slight leak in the oil tank. Also it has a super sticky throttle, current owner says all old bikes are like that

I have wanted an old 2cycle for a long time but I'd like to use whatever I get on a daily basis and after the test ride.... Maybe I am just too used to modern bikes. Could I really use a bike like this daily, do people do this? It vibrates like hell over 60, its way too loud, it only gets 30mpgs average..... But God does it have soul.

[supershaft]

Originally Posted by caryder

My 1976 RD400.


Chuck

I love those mags because you can paint them gold and they look like early eighties Yamaha GP mags. I have said this before but man I wish I had bought my friends RZ. Toomey pipes. FXR 400/600 wheels, forks and swingsrm with a custom fabbed counter sprocket spacer to get the chain around the tire. I think he had to narrow the swingarm pivot just a tad and it all bolted right together!! I saw that bike in the International Motorcycle Show just as he sold it 13 years ago this past winter. A good friend didn't even notice all the trick stuff on it at first. It looks like Yamaha made it that way which is really what is so genius about the setup!

[tripodtiger]

Originally Posted by Starkey

But God does it have soul.

Oh, to have a time machine.
Go back to the mid 70's and show them that line.


This is mine. Suspect it is 1973 but may be '74. It is at Oran Park, south of Sydney. My elder brother riding, as it was his to flog to death back then.


I bought it from him in '76. Broken. I fixed it and broke it and fixed it and broke it and then finally fixed it.

Photo from several years ago.


Since then I've done bits and pieces - now has the correct drum brake fork sliders and hence, the correct front mudguard.

About 2 weeks ago I go a replica seat foam, from the US, and a relica seat cover, from Sth Oz. So now the seat looks correct.
I broke the front brake cable during a track day (you may have seen/heard the videos?) at Easter. Front brake cables are no longer available - actually I can get a replcia from the UK, but they are stupidly expensive, so I'm having two new ones made from two old ones.

The major drama I've had in the past couple of years was electrical. Now that that is sorted, it goes and goes and, well, just goes. It's not an everyday bike.

Then there is this.


It's now in pieces. I plan to get the frame, swingarm and steering stem blasted & two packed next week.

Just bought a pair of new rear shocks, so I can actually do something with the parts when it comes back. S'pose I was sort of making a commitment to doing the work.

I'm not planning a restoration. I have always wanted a cafe racer and now want to do some historic class racing. This one may never make it to the road again.

Taking lots of photos as I go. I want a rolling chassis before I start the engine work.

In my mind's eye I see wire wheels, chambers, rear sets, ace 'bars (too old for clip-ons), white & red colours.

[tripodtiger]

I bought another RD.


And Elsie makes three.

[FloridaSteve]

My current ride with all of 3600 original miles.






And the one I built and then let get away... sigh... but it did lead to the RZ

[tripodtiger]

Both look good, understatement.

The miles on the RZ does make me ask the question, why do US bikes seem to do so few km?

One thing that has been happening here, greatly increasing in the last couple of years, is that second hand US bikes are being packed up and brought here by the container.

We always figured that our older bikes would end up in Japan, but unless it's something extra special, that doesn't seem to be happening.

The speculation here is that bikes are a summer toy over there. And, after a couple of summers they often get stuck in the back of the garage, basement, shed for some new summer toys. 10, 20, 30 years later, some enterprising person puts adverts in local papers, looking to buy bikes outright. And they buy up a heap of unrestored bikes that they can sell over here.

At the local end, because we ride all year round, our bikes tend to wear out and then end up as fair dinkum trash, suitable for parts basically.


Nostalgia is huge, and growing, these days. I'm happy that I can claim that I'm not being nostalgic, I'm just using bikes I've had for 30+ years.


Anyway, the 400 looks pretty wicked. Did they come out in a grey paint scheme? or only the white? If asked, I'd be saying there were a few grey ones.