RD350R Knocking

[rd350r]

Now I have heard people say don't buy the Brazilian built RD350R as they are rubbish, I know about the restricted pipes & carbs, and the twin headlight fairing is a matter of taste, but as I have a 1993 version with 16000 genuine miles, in near new condition, and a joy to ride, I always return with a grin on my face.
Can anyone tell me why they are so misaligned, please no hearsay like the low compression, just facts.

I suppose I could just be easily pleased.

[stuboy]

The build quality is not as good on the components giving rise to reliabilty and durability issues.

[chippy28]

Some folks probably think I am mad to restore this 250


To this


Yeah so what its a 250 and not a 350 they dont have to ride it,buy it or even look at it.

So IMHO your bike is fine,just ride it and enjoy it I say oh and BO**OCKS to the ones that dont like em ;D

[charlie]

they arent resticted,the very early ones where, yamaha told the brazilian factory not to do this on brit exports.see bke mag road test 1992 with better octain fuel used in britain topspeed 117mph ,standing quater 98mph terminal speed .

[JonW]

I read all the coverage in the mags when Yamaha were selling them off in 1995 and still bought one new... and im glad i did! All that crap that was written was pretty much untrue really. What I think happened is that the quality of bikes had moved on my the mid 90s and yet the 350R was built like a late 80s or early 90s bike, and as such it wasnt up with the likes of things like the newer 4T 600s for build quality, the silly fairing lower clip is a prime example, its riveted on and that sort of thing just looked cheap compared to the ZX6R I tested in 95. Anyway, all that talk of Brazillian poor quality wasnt true in my experience. My 350R never fell apart nor did the paint fall off or look shabby (like the contemporary journos would have you believe) in the 6years i owned it and I was sad to see it go when i bought once of those new fangled R1s in 2001 LOL

So, maybe they had a few corners cut with things like the lower fairing, but i truly believe my bike was no worse than the quality of say an 89 F2, its just the world had moved on.

[cb250g5]

I had an "R" for some years, great bike, no quality issues at all.

The compression ratio was set a bit lower, as the Brazilians use crappy vegetable based fuels, but mine went fine with swarbrick pipes on it.

I'd take the R fairing over an F2 any day, looks better, & the headlights fit the hole properly.

Sadly I got rid of it for a Ducati...... what a mistake.

[rd350r]

Thanks Guy's.

I thought maybe I'd missed something.

I really admire the time and effort you guys put into your resterations, never mind the cost, I wish I was so talented,

[davey]

which safeways did u buy the bike from ,,, he he

[JonW]

What i said on the other forum's thread:

What saddens me is that the journos that killed the 350R not only stopped any chance the bike would continue to be imported past 1995, but also have left a legacy that continues to this day. Mags like Practical Sportsbike still knock the 350R for its 'poor quality' in their section at the back where they list each bike they feel is a classic. Its a shame really that modern journos just crib from the old mags where the writers rode new bikes, instead of actually asking owners what it was like to own those bike for a number of years.

...in fact id love to do that with a mag and if PS want to pay me to do it id love to ask owners what bikes were really like instead of the sexy test rides the new bike journos got for launches (and posh lunches!) which they then wrote those articles that made us salivate for the products... ie, Im sure that deep down whilst we all wanted a 916, the ownership experience might not have been all it was cracked up to be... and also were some of those terrible things all that bad... ie, the big Suzi TL1000 with the 'interesting' suspension, was it really a killer? etc etc.

Ok its not going to happen... but lets cut out the 'the 350R was badly built' line at least on the forums... its no worse a proposition than any other RD these days. I bet you wont find a restricted one as all the dealers would have done the work for the previous owners, and whilst its not the fastest RD, its not the slowest or least powerful either...

Here is my old 350R... in 2001... no paint fallen off, no rusting, no broken bits... already been thrashed round the 'ring by then and was defo not restricted...

[mboddy]

Here is my RD350R on the way back from Phillip Island for the GP a few years ago.
It is a comfortable tourer that I am happy to ride all day.
At night you really appreciate the twin headlights.
It has Progressive Suspension fork springs because the originals are a bit soft.
The ignition switch wore out and so it got a Solex.
Waiting in traffic for long periods in 40 degree Australian summer it will get a bit hot and so a large capacity radiator from the Two Stroke Shop is on the wish list.

[JonW]

WOW! A 350R in Aus... did you import it yourself? I was sure they werent sold here....

[mboddy]

I bought it new in Postmouth Hampshire in 1992 and shipped it over.
When I last checked in 2006 it was the only one registered in Australia.

[JonW]

Ahh cool!

[midlifecrisisrd]

Bought one which was a little tired, had not worn well.



Now sold but did turn it into this


Slightly more than some filler and a paint over

Steve

[barbarossa]

I notice some RD barrels are painted black and some are bare metal.
Is this simply due to wear and tear or is it something to do with different models ?

[mellow]

normally means the years have taken their toll on the paint m8

[JonW]

Ive just noticed even Norbo's historical page on the site says the 350R has poor build quality. Is that your experience Norbo or just what the press said?

[mboddy]

Which parts had the poor build quality?
The worst thing about my bike is that they painted the wheels white.
I'll powdercoat them red one day.

[JonW]

The wheels werent that well coated perhaps? mine were fine tho, it was more the brake dust getting caught in the nooks and crannies that always made them look bad LOL

I always thought the lower fairing clips were a bad design, just riveted into the plastic, but again not terrible. as i said earlier i had no issues in 6 years with mine, it was no worse than an F2 would have been.

[Norbo]

Steve i cant beleave that was the same bike . what a diferance/