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Post by petteri on Aug 12, 2017 20:59:14 GMT 1
Hello to you all!
I have been dreaming of a mint condition RD350F1 or F2 ever since my teenage years. I have always been interested in twostrokes of any kind, specially the bigger ones. I guess the RD350 counts as a "big" twostroke since its more than double that of an 125cc, which are very common in Finland where I live.
So the story begins when I first bought a Jawa typ 640, 350cc Sport model that was the only(!!) twostroke available at the moment in Finland to be purchased new from a dealership apart from 50cc and 125cc. This surely wasn't the thing I was looking for so the dream kept on being alive. In 2009 I started looking for earnest for a RD and stumbled upon this F1 model, run for 63500km (thats 40 000 miles for you islanders), with an sound engine and all the original bits and bolts. Even though the bike was in the need of a lot of repair, I jumped on it since it had all the pieces. I looked several other bikes before this, and they all were heaps of mods and missing parts.
Since 2009 I have repaired damaged parts such as YPVS cables, cracked taillight, missing baffles etc. Since 2009 I have moved to a house instead of a flat and almost got my "man cave" up and running after all the more urgent repairs to the house like fixing the roof and building a functional kitchen....
My bikes were stored at my childhood homes open "garage" that was pretty damp for most of the year. The bikes certainly looked as such, such a pity and more work to be done!
Right now I have gathered some parts for the renovation and I'm going to get the bike running again for the summer of year 2018.
The more urgent matters to be done :
-Changing the rear wheel, the original wheel has a big bump in it and stutters at speeds of 120km/h excess
-Fuel tank is leaking (I found out I'm certainly not the only one!) and figuring out the best way to fix it. Some PO has smacked some sort of putty on the outside of the tank and painted over it, worked for several year that I owned the bike, but has started leaking in the couple years prior to now.
-Change the dead battery
-Cleaning the carburettors and ypvs-system, I reckon the YPVS should be cleaned and lubricated regularly to prevent failures?
-Cleaning all the electric connections to prevent failures of ignitionparts and such. Would hate to have a blown CDI due to corrosion!
Do you have any ideas on the urgent matters at hand? Maybe some good ideas on the fuel tank? I will post some pictures in the next update.
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Post by iwantalc on Aug 12, 2017 21:50:17 GMT 1
good luck with your rebuild sounds like you definatley have your work cut out,,you are on the right forum for any advice you need ..
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Post by Yogi on Aug 12, 2017 22:31:50 GMT 1
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Post by dusty350 on Aug 13, 2017 8:15:41 GMT 1
Hi Welcome to the forum  The rusty tank issue is a well known issue on Lc's and pv's. You can get excellent copy tanks for Lc's for very reasonable money now, solving what was probably the biggest issue with Lc rebuilds, but no sign of copy pv tanks yet  Use the search function on here regards repairs. Brazing and silver soldering are popular fixes if it isn't completely rotten, but often, sourcing a good tank is cheaper/easier in the long run if yours is really bad. Anything is possible with time and money though Good luck Dusty |
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Post by petteri on Aug 13, 2017 9:05:47 GMT 1
Thanks for the warm welcome! I have certainly read Yogis restorations with pleasure, the bikes are 100% perfect!
I will have to start the fuel tank by removing the old paint and fix, thankfully the fuel tank has been repaired from the outside so it's pretty easy to remove. I have access to soldering equipment at work so might be trying that first. What do you think, would it be plausible to solder a thin piece of sheet metal over the bottom instead of soldering the individual holes?
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Aug 13, 2017 10:50:35 GMT 1
Hi
While your tank holds liquid I'd treat it with deox c to remove all the rust then strip back the outside.
That way your not trying to repair crap
Yes the thin metal repair pieces either brazed or silver soldered will work.
That way your not filling 100 holes with paper thin metal between them
Any bike is restorable. I did a 63000 mile bike that looked like it had been pulled out a canal
Steve
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Post by petteri on Aug 15, 2017 15:02:36 GMT 1
www.scooterhelp.com/RZ_help/restorations/rebuild.power.valve.htmlI found this guide to cleaning and lubricating the power valves but still no luck with the grease type. What grease do you use to lubricate the valves? Surely the wrong grease will burn and start sticking in the valves? I was thinking something like aluminium or copper paste, what do you think?
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Post by markhoopy on Aug 15, 2017 15:21:13 GMT 1
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Post by arrow on Aug 15, 2017 16:26:02 GMT 1
Welcome in.
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Post by petteri on Aug 15, 2017 18:57:29 GMT 1
Thanks markhoopy! I will definitely track down some lithium/moly grease for my precious RD!
Thanks for the welcome arrow!
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Post by JonW on Aug 18, 2017 6:46:20 GMT 1
Welcome, Ive mostly restored an old F1 that was in awful condition, have a look at my website link in my sign off if you want to see what Ive done.
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Post by dusty350 on Aug 18, 2017 7:11:00 GMT 1
Hi I did an F1 some years back. A lucky local find that have been stood in a garage for 10 years !! I rebuilt it all and then sold it !! rl=https://flic.kr/p/XJfSMs]  [/url] Various 062 by David Miller, on Flickr Enjoy the rebuild Dusty |
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Post by petteri on Aug 18, 2017 19:09:42 GMT 1
Jonw, I will definitely take a look at your site! Dusty, what I nice bike! Too bad I didn't buy it I have been busy cutting up trees that fell during a recent storm and building my man cave, just got a window installed and the insulating of walls is coming up the list. Guess I should start a home renovation topic first... |
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Post by petteri on Aug 27, 2017 7:45:58 GMT 1
Ok, I got a front fairing kit from Yambits, great value for sure. That being said, there is a reason for being so cheap. yambits.co.uk/rd350-ypvs-complete-fairing-p-23177.htmlFew problems popped up when I received the set, obivously the pictures at the yambits site have been taken with these problems in mind. 1. the front side panels are missing the cooling holes and one set of holes by the cooling holes/ventilation holes. The ventilationholes are missing the overlapping bit, ie the innerside of the ventilation holes is too short. 2. the upper panel has "fugly" steel brackets instead of original styled glassfiber tabs and bobs. All in all still good value and I'm currently deciding on what level of OEM I'm after. |
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Post by Yogi on Aug 27, 2017 8:36:58 GMT 1
Hi Mate Typically I sold one of them last week with original screen for £50 Advertised it on here a couple of times with no luck Also this sold on eBay last week,so they do come up www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263149931664 I'd use it but still look for original one for later Matt |
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Post by petteri on Jul 2, 2020 16:37:51 GMT 1
Well this hasn't gone anywhere. I still have my garage in the works and maybe get around to it this or the next year. Crazy job take the life out of me and maybe this will come together when I finally decide to change jobs!
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Post by donkeychomp on Jul 2, 2020 22:35:23 GMT 1
Welcome to the nut house and good luck with the build. I've been to Helsinki a few times. Loved the place.
Alex
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Post by petteri on Jul 4, 2023 19:07:06 GMT 1
Incredible how time flies past! My wife spotted a grey hair on my head and I'm not even forty. I guess that talks volumes of my wife and job. I finally got some inspiration to work on my dream bike ie this RD350. To get the project going I changed the gear oil, coolant and brake fluids. Bought a Epoxykit from the locat parts store, acid and paint thinner. Cleaned the rust out of the tank, rinsed and dried it. Then in went the epoxy that is told stay a bit elastic and not harden up to brittle. The fuel leak is sorted for now, what an motivation booster. I rebuilt the fuel tap with new gaskets and handle after cleaning thoroughly with gasoline and ultrasound cleaner. The carburettors I stripped, blew out with air, carb cleaner and ultrasound cleaner. Overall cleaning to the bike. The grime was in 6mm layers in some places. Couldn't even clean all crevices without dismantling further. I changed a bunch of small bits like footrest rubbers, fuel tank vibration rubbers, toolkit, tool strap, battery, battery band and strap, radiator cap, expansion vessel gasket etc etc. There are some problems though. The downstairs of the engine is rattling when idling. Could it be the clutch basket? I remember reading about the basket bearing loosening from wear. The engine is quite jumpy when using part throttle that is just barely "engaging", could be synchronating though. The front forks leak like crazy and the rear wheel is still just as bent as last time. I found a repair shop with a good reputation that does wheel repairs, I'm thinking of sending it there. I got a straight wheel from a friend that bought it from Norbo years ago. The problem is it is a horrible red colour and would need a good cleaning, painting and polishing and then would be a replacement and not original. The front headlamp trim rubber had perished during the storage and I can't find a replacement. Does anyone have experience repairing rubber, making a new rubber piece or finding a ok shape replacement? Here are some pictures of the process and before. imgur.com/a/ePtcXavEdit: I did a bunch of other stuff also but can't bother to remember now         |
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Post by petteri on Jul 7, 2023 19:23:26 GMT 1
Bloody hell. An annoying whining appeared when driving 60km/h or above. Then it started appearing on lower speeds like 40km/h.
I tried lubricating the speedocable with no luck, then greasing the actuator on the front wheel, no luck either. Then I replaced the cable and it helped to raise the whine back to 60km/h. Only way to get rid of the whine is to disconnect the cable from the speedometer.
Do you have any ideas what could be wrong with the speedometer and what to do to it?
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Post by JonW on Jul 9, 2023 7:27:54 GMT 1
speedo needs a refurb.
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Post by petteri on Jul 9, 2023 14:53:37 GMT 1
I got a tip to try some oil in the speedometer. So I squirted some oil from the cable inlet and voila, it worked. I was adviced also to get some vaseline in the same place but I'm not so sure about that, what if the vaseline ends up in the finer mechanism of the meter?
Well as soon as I got that sorted (for now) I started checking out the intermittent power. I have a hunch that the YPVS is the culprit judging from the connectionproblems that I had when took out the bike this summer for the first time. The YPVS did the self checks for a couple times and went dead. I cleaned all the connections and the control box from inside with electronics cleaning spray. After that the self check has worked 100%. During driving the poweroutput is oscillating, sometimes the engine is quite powerless at certain RPM etc. Could be from the YPVS.
So I measured all the wires with an ohm meter, the 12V + coming from fusebox had some bad continuity and I took out the fuse and gave a clean with spray and brass brush. All good and dandy but when I tried to squeeze the fuse contacts a tad tighter the snapped broken from just a little pinch!
I got the fusebox together with a zip tie but have to order new connectors/a fusebox kit from Yambits...
Two steps forward and one step back!
The power problem could also be from the carbs since the left one flooded once already, there was a little piece of epoxy lining stopping the float valve from closing. I installed new hoses and a filter to the line, hopefully no more crap gets in the carbs.
I also changed the choke plunger since the old one didn't stay on if it got even a small nudge and the gasket was perished also. Ordered it from Webike from Japan and the part came in less time than from CMSNL... Very happy with the shop and results.
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Post by JonW on Jul 11, 2023 2:26:24 GMT 1
Get one of Rob's fuseboxes, its nicer than the cheapo chinese Yambits one - just look for the thread on here.
Beware of squirting oil into the speedo drive, if you get it on the dial it will look awful.
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Post by petteri on Jul 11, 2023 15:15:57 GMT 1
Get one of Rob's fuseboxes, its nicer than the cheapo chinese Yambits one - just look for the thread on here. Beware of squirting oil into the speedo drive, if you get it on the dial it will look awful. I will have a look into it, lets see if I can source a better one from Rob. For now there is luckily no oil on the dial so fingers crossed there won't be in the future either. |
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Post by petteri on Jul 13, 2023 16:01:24 GMT 1
Well the speedometer buzzing came back and went away only after giving a good amount of gun oil to the cable input.
Guess I will be servicing the speedo then.
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Post by petteri on Jul 16, 2023 7:35:23 GMT 1
While summer is still here in Finland I have made "running repairs" to the bike and plan to dismantle it further when the autumn comes. At that point I will switch my insurance to my trusty (but not as old) Jawa 350 Sport.
Some of the repairs I did were changing a NOS shift linkage front part, new knuckle rubbers and a used F2 shift lever. Some dolt had welded the original shift lever to the lever axle and as such couldn't get it off without a grinder. I just removed the whole axle and installed a new one with the correct washers and locking circlip. It is quite nice to have a sturdy shift linkage and not have it pop off every time I go riding with the bike...
Conserning the chopping efect on small throttle openings I changed new B8EG spark plugs (with 0,8mm adjusted gap) and adjusted the air screws from haynes 1 1/4 open to 1 full turn open. The chopping didn't go away at all but running of the engine improved otherwise on the lower end. I could drive in the 60km/h zone with no problems on 6th gear and so avoidind the chopping zone. The engine pulls very nicely from 2500rpm onwards, below that it is a bit jumpy.
I rummaged my parts stash and had forgot I got a second upper fairing a decade ago that is in a lot better condition than the one I have now. I think I will be fixing that one and getting it repainted. It is a F2 variant as the shift lever also (same donor).
I'm thinking the other original fairing parts are also fixable and my friend has a 3D printer, planning on making some attachment pieces.
Are there any interested parties to buy said attachment pieces? They would be made of weldable ABS so could be welded on as needed to the existing fairings.
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Post by JonW on Jul 17, 2023 1:55:44 GMT 1
I'm thinking the other original fairing parts are also fixable and my friend has a 3D printer, planning on making some attachment pieces. Are there any interested parties to buy said attachment pieces? They would be made of weldable ABS so could be welded on as needed to the existing fairings. There will always be buyers for those pieces if they are made of a type of plastic that will be strong enough and also wont have a problem with UV in sunlight etc. Please add me to the list |
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Post by petteri on Jul 17, 2023 19:29:29 GMT 1
The YPVS started acting up again. The fuse connection was good so the problem has to be somewhere else. I twisted all the cables and only way to reproduce the problem (intermittent 12V supply) was to knock on the lid of the YPVS controller box. So I dug up the controller board with continuity checks in mind. What I discovered was a fingerprint size part of silicone insulation layer missing from the other side of the board! There was some slick fluid on the board shorting out the solder joints... I cleaned it up with some electronics cleaning spray and blowed the extra away. The problem seemed to away so I put some Epoxy resin to replace the missing silicone. Seemed to work fine but then I tilted the board a bit and it again had intermittent power, tilted it back and now it works again.
I'm a bit baffled. Is there something under the epoxy shorting the solder joints? I couldn't reproduce the problem by twisting the wires so I'm pretty sure there is no problem with the wires.
If after the epoxy has cured the problem persists, I think I will have to remove the silicone and do a thorough continuity test to the board and all the wires.
When the power cuts and comes back again the YPVS servo does its startup sequence of three moves so it indicates to the 12V supply side or complete loss of voltage on the board due to shorting etc.
I also replaced the F2 mirrors with F1 mirrors. As expected they are a bit more prone to vibrations but what would you expect from Yambits cheap mirrors. If someone knows where to get good quality F1 mirrors I'm all ears.
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Post by petteri on Jul 19, 2023 16:58:59 GMT 1
The YPVS continued to act up, sometimes worked sometimes not.
I excavated all of the silicone and measured voltages etc, all seemed fine as far as I can tel. There was some oxidation or the like between some solder joints and some of the "tails" of the component were uncomfortably close to the trace next to it. I cleaned the board with deoxidizer and gentle brushing with a brass brush. After that I dunked the lot in epoxy again. Today the YPVS worked normally so we will see if the problem continues.
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Post by petteri on Jul 21, 2023 18:54:33 GMT 1
The 3D printing has made it to the 3D modeling stage.   |
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Post by petteri on Jul 22, 2023 9:42:46 GMT 1
I... well... discovered a webshop called Dis Covers and ordered a seat cover. Finally a quality cover, it isn't even that expensive if a seat upholsterer would charge about 200-300 euros for a cover.
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Use the search function on here regards repairs. Brazing and silver soldering are popular fixes if it isn't completely rotten, but often, sourcing a good tank is cheaper/easier in the long run if yours is really bad.
