Full Resto LC... almost finished... 250>350 with lots of NOS
Oct 8, 2023 2:16:01 GMT 1
midlifecrisisrd, jessy03, and 7 more like this
Post by JonW on Oct 8, 2023 2:16:01 GMT 1
I put up a pic of this bike in the 'what did you do today' thread with the new painted bodywork set fitted to my Resto LC...
...but, I dont think I did a thread about building that bike on this forum for some reason, I think i was more active on the US/Canadian forums back then... So I thought, maybe I should write something about it here. I guess many of us are a bit guilty of talking about projects that we never shared here. The thread is still on the other forum, www.rzrd500.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=12311 - but of course the pics are all gone cos of photobucket etc.
I have also found a copy of this bikes page from my old 2smoked website on the wayback machine which is of course incomplete but has more pics if anyone craves more info and prefers my prowse without the forum comments etc. web.archive.org/web/20170902000424/http://www.2smoked.com/Yamaha_RDLC_Restoration_-_350_conversion_from_250.html
Anyway, Ive had this one for over a decade. The build came from the frame I had originally used in my 421LC build as I had the matching numbers engine under my bench. When I built the 421 matching nos LCs were just old bikes really, this was not so many years later when i wanted a new project... and i realised that i basically had one already if I just located another frame for the 421... which then gave me 2 projects as I had to strip and rebuild the 421... er... So, I sourced another frame to modify with strengthening for the 421 and reunited this frame with its engine to create this project. Easy when you say it quickly!!
The bike didnt happen overnight. I did a whole load of pre work on all the parts, and bought loads of new/nos parts as well. Then basically left it as a huge airfix kit so that it was a project I could build up when i was recuperating from a serious hospital visit (I had months off to recover) and this was great to take my mind off all that. That was in 2017 and I never got the bodywork painted for various reasons and those same reasons (including building the 251LC and cashflow) meant it ended up pushed to the back of the garage and became a bit 'forgotten'.
So, its not a real 350. Few were sold in Aus so its not easy to find one. This is a '5E1' 250, but Ive done it to full 350 spec. Every single part for a 350 has been swapped over. including the rear wheel, brakes, headlight ears, engine parts etc etc. Its a low bore 350 and runs proper 350 carbs, pump (Arrow refurbed of course!) and pipes etc. The only concession I made is the brakes where ive fitted a (NOS) 250 master as it works better imho.
Its got a lot of NOS parts; complete headlight with all bezels, Master cyl, handle bars and seat cover (last two thanks to forumers!) plus other cool nos finds like gearchange, sprocket and grab rail amongst many other smaller bits n bobs... Plus loads of new Yam parts (some classed as nos now lol); headlight bowl, switches, footrests, full lock/key set (offset fuel cap rekeyed to match), clock covers, rad guard, all new cables etc etc. The only aftermarket things (other than the repro bodywork) are the indicator bodies (lenses are OEM tho), brake lines and the current mirrors lol
Every part was totally refurbed; forks, brakes, clocks, engine, carbs and the list goes on. All the OEM fixings were rezincd and reused as well, as befits a proper resto imho.
I pulled it out when I had finished a few small tasks on the 251LC a few months back and put it on the lift as I needed to sort out a couple of jobs that I found later or happened when I built it about 5 years back, plus adding the bodywork.
It looks great of course, its a full resto with pro paint... lol But its all those refurbed, new and nos parts under the skin that makes it really. It's basically a new bike, or as close I could do with the parts i could refurb/find when it was built after years of collecting. Im pretty happy with it, but Im sure its not 'perfectly like a new LC' to an anorak I suspect, but... well... one can always find fault if one looks close enough, use of powder coat on some parts for a start lol
Ive still a little way to go with this as Ive got more NOS parts to fit over the years, not least I recently found a NOS shock damper and will build that up with other nos parts... annoyingly Id only just had the rear wheel and swinger off to fit the missing chain run rubber which I didnt have to hand when it was built. Ahh well.
So, not yet finished... but at least some of its clothes are now attached and it does look good.
...but, I dont think I did a thread about building that bike on this forum for some reason, I think i was more active on the US/Canadian forums back then... So I thought, maybe I should write something about it here. I guess many of us are a bit guilty of talking about projects that we never shared here. The thread is still on the other forum, www.rzrd500.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=12311 - but of course the pics are all gone cos of photobucket etc.
I have also found a copy of this bikes page from my old 2smoked website on the wayback machine which is of course incomplete but has more pics if anyone craves more info and prefers my prowse without the forum comments etc. web.archive.org/web/20170902000424/http://www.2smoked.com/Yamaha_RDLC_Restoration_-_350_conversion_from_250.html
Anyway, Ive had this one for over a decade. The build came from the frame I had originally used in my 421LC build as I had the matching numbers engine under my bench. When I built the 421 matching nos LCs were just old bikes really, this was not so many years later when i wanted a new project... and i realised that i basically had one already if I just located another frame for the 421... which then gave me 2 projects as I had to strip and rebuild the 421... er... So, I sourced another frame to modify with strengthening for the 421 and reunited this frame with its engine to create this project. Easy when you say it quickly!!
The bike didnt happen overnight. I did a whole load of pre work on all the parts, and bought loads of new/nos parts as well. Then basically left it as a huge airfix kit so that it was a project I could build up when i was recuperating from a serious hospital visit (I had months off to recover) and this was great to take my mind off all that. That was in 2017 and I never got the bodywork painted for various reasons and those same reasons (including building the 251LC and cashflow) meant it ended up pushed to the back of the garage and became a bit 'forgotten'.
So, its not a real 350. Few were sold in Aus so its not easy to find one. This is a '5E1' 250, but Ive done it to full 350 spec. Every single part for a 350 has been swapped over. including the rear wheel, brakes, headlight ears, engine parts etc etc. Its a low bore 350 and runs proper 350 carbs, pump (Arrow refurbed of course!) and pipes etc. The only concession I made is the brakes where ive fitted a (NOS) 250 master as it works better imho.
Its got a lot of NOS parts; complete headlight with all bezels, Master cyl, handle bars and seat cover (last two thanks to forumers!) plus other cool nos finds like gearchange, sprocket and grab rail amongst many other smaller bits n bobs... Plus loads of new Yam parts (some classed as nos now lol); headlight bowl, switches, footrests, full lock/key set (offset fuel cap rekeyed to match), clock covers, rad guard, all new cables etc etc. The only aftermarket things (other than the repro bodywork) are the indicator bodies (lenses are OEM tho), brake lines and the current mirrors lol
Every part was totally refurbed; forks, brakes, clocks, engine, carbs and the list goes on. All the OEM fixings were rezincd and reused as well, as befits a proper resto imho.
I pulled it out when I had finished a few small tasks on the 251LC a few months back and put it on the lift as I needed to sort out a couple of jobs that I found later or happened when I built it about 5 years back, plus adding the bodywork.
It looks great of course, its a full resto with pro paint... lol But its all those refurbed, new and nos parts under the skin that makes it really. It's basically a new bike, or as close I could do with the parts i could refurb/find when it was built after years of collecting. Im pretty happy with it, but Im sure its not 'perfectly like a new LC' to an anorak I suspect, but... well... one can always find fault if one looks close enough, use of powder coat on some parts for a start lol
Ive still a little way to go with this as Ive got more NOS parts to fit over the years, not least I recently found a NOS shock damper and will build that up with other nos parts... annoyingly Id only just had the rear wheel and swinger off to fit the missing chain run rubber which I didnt have to hand when it was built. Ahh well.
So, not yet finished... but at least some of its clothes are now attached and it does look good.
