RD350 returning to the road!

Hello guys!

This friday I bought myself an RD350 and now I'm working on getting it back and ready for the road. I've been putting some serious hours to it these last few days too.

Engine is running and sounds healthy. Compression is VERY good and it starts piss easy. Smokes too much, might have to adjust oilpump.

Wiringharness was/is a mess, but I'm doing my best to fix it. Took off the winkers, less wires is my mantra!

The petrolcarrier has a tiger painted on it, quite ugly, but very well made. This bike has been loved by someone!





All the wires you see here were not connected at one or both ends.



Here I have removed the non used wires.



Caliper was binding, so I took it apart, wiped stuff clean, blew it out and yada yada. Works fine now and is oil tight.





Wiring improvement!



Birds nest reduced by 100%!

You might just have some residual oil in the bottom end , get a proper Manual, enjoy the ride

TIMING and CRANK SEALS!
Have Fun!

Yes, for about 14 USD you can get new crank seals VS the 300+ for the roasting pistons :eek1, I have heard they make great ashtrays

Ordered an MZb ignition, which should come in tomorrow or friday :)

Tank looks like it was Napolian Dynamite who owned it before!

A dead thread! YUK!



After this photo was taken I had filed it down square and level. I am going to make the inside thread M10x1.5 10mm. deep and put in a bolt, fully threaded, so I can refit a washer and nut!

It also saw daylight for the first time since I dragged it down in the bunker (Literally is a bunker!)

Good find, fingers crossed.

Too much smoke? Is it HVCycle that has the tag line 'If it ain't smokin, it's broken"

Modern two stroke oils are much better than my memory tells me period oils were - for smoke if nothing else.
Let it run and get the exhaust hot, that should burn out the oil in the exhaust / mufflers, at least until the next time you turn the engine off.

Have fun with it.

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself!



Painting it red again!

Oh, you've done it now! Good man!

Tomorrow I should get it sandblasted! I need to get the frame up in a hydraulic press to get the swingarm off. Will also happen tomorrow :)

Inspiration!

You didn't say what you paid for it but I can almost guarantee that a real nice one could be purchased for less then you'll have in it when its done, if done correctly. Its a slippery slope you approach anytime you start a project with an old bike like this. Get online and look at the finished bikes available before you start throwing money at it. If you're doing it for the joy of the project and satisfaction and gratification youget from it then money is no object and have at it.

It's really not that bad :)

Why do you need a hydraulic press to get the swing arm off?

Swingarm bolt was totally seized, got it pressed out this morning and the frame is now at the blasters!

Never had work like this done at this speed! Jesus its moving on!

What are you trying to off load?

Dispite that fact that you're not wrong...

I suspect that many of the readers, riders etc around here are interested in the restoration, history, self satisfaction, nostalgia of old bikes than the $ involved. Projects progress according to budgets & budgets are set according to personal priorities.

I also suspect that that is why people write stories about their projects & progress, rather than "look at this restoration I just bought."

IMHO I'd much rather improve a bike over a period of time than shell money out for someone else that has already done it. But that's me.

Each to his own.

And all that to tell you something you already knew.

Fork servicing! Went to the painters this morning, they hadn't done it yet, but I was promised that tomorrow morning it should be ready.

This is a good way to show how easy this bike is to clean up, I might have struck oldbike-gold here!



5 minutes later...



But but! I have felt play in the crankshaft mainbearings. Up/down play felt from the rotor.