LIQUID-COOLED YAMAHA RD400 CAFÉ RACER

[Skub]

Lotsa work on this one.

https://www.bikebound.com/2024/05/07/aspec/?omhide=true

[KungFooBob]

FAHRON used to make water cooling kits for the 400.

[Yorick]

FAHRON used to make water cooling kits for the 400.

Never knew that. Seems a bit daft after the LCs came out

[Bustaspoke]

FAHRON used to make water cooling kits for the 400.

Never knew that. Seems a bit daft after the LCs came out

I think they made them before the LC's came out,likewise Barton with the liquid cooled Suzuki GT380 based triples.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Never been a huge fan of the air-cooled RDs, there are some that look nice and on it's own, in standard form, it's not a bad looking bike, but it still carries too much of that 1970s park bench style for me, I like bikes that you sit in, not on.

It's a tidy job though, the work looks well done and the whole bike has an air of decent quality about it.

I had 2 RD400s, they weren't great, LCs are a lot nicer to ride

[The Spin Doctor]

Never been a huge fan of the air-cooled RDs, there are some that look nice and on it's own, in standard form, it's not a bad looking bike, but it still carries too much of that 1970s park bench style for me, I like bikes that you sit in, not on.

There was a reason for that... so you didn't smash your pelvis on the tank when you hit something. Shame they often had an old style fuel cap which removed your knackers instead.

The current design fad for big humpy tanks has apparently caused a lot of pelvic injuries.

[Yorick]

FAHRON used to make water cooling kits for the 400.

Never knew that. Seems a bit daft after the LCs came out

I think they made them before the LC's came out,likewise Barton with the liquid cooled Suzuki GT380 based triples.

Why spend lots of dosh doing that?
Cheaper to buy the 750 engine?

And double the gee gees. Win win

[The Spin Doctor]

Never knew that. Seems a bit daft after the LCs came out

I think they made them before the LC's came out,likewise Barton with the liquid cooled Suzuki GT380 based triples.

Why spend lots of dosh doing that?
Cheaper to buy the 750 engine?

And double the gee gees. Win win

I think even you might have been disqualified for running a 750 in a 400 class.

[Bustaspoke]

If you were running in the 500 class & couldn't afford to run a RG500 but wanted more than a TZ352?

[ChrisW]

Not really a fan of bikes from back then, just not something I experienced, but that looks quite cool and, I imagine, a decent improvement on the standard bike!

Also has one of my old race numbers, so there's that too.

[Yorick]

I think they made them before the LC's came out,likewise Barton with the liquid cooled Suzuki GT380 based triples.

Why spend lots of dosh doing that?
Cheaper to buy the 750 engine?

And double the gee gees. Win win

I think even you might have been disqualified for running a 750 in a 400 class.

Ooh. Tough crowd tonight

[Ian]

If anyone was serious asking why GT380, there is some Barton / Sparton history here. I didn't know the first one was a 350 built for Barry Sheene.
https://yorkshireferret.blogspot.com/20 ... -more.html

[Yorick]

If anyone was serious asking why GT380, there is some Barton / Sparton history here. I didn't know the first one was a 350 built for Barry Sheene.
https://yorkshireferret.blogspot.com/20 ... -more.html

I enjoyed reading that

[Ian]

They were bloody fast, when I did forgotten era in the early 90s Phil Allen had a 525 Sparton and regularly won on it.

[Bustaspoke]

If you're interested in unusual bikes like the Bartons you might find this interesting.It's an article on the 3 cylinder TZ350 that Takazuki Katayama raced back in the 70's,a proper rare bird. https://motovue.net/2017/11/09/the-yamaha-ysk3-sankito/

[Ian]

From the sublime to the ridiculous, this is what Eric Buell did with the the 750 Barton engine
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/1 ... motorcycle

[ZRX61]

Machinist friend of mine made a water cooled cylinder block for a Z1.

[TG4623]

I built an RD400 in the mid 80s with a Fahron conversion.
Father Ron and son advised me the best way forward. The engine was put into a Spondon TZ 350 chassis with TZ500 forks, modified swingarm, because we needed to use a shorter rear shock.
Now to the engine, the Fahron used TZ750 pistons and reed blocks. I was also advised to run TZ350E exhausts. But these had to be modified, by cutting the exhaust near the flange and inserting a parallel piece 67mm long. Apparently the conversion had the ability to generate too much heat and melt the front of the pistons. The modification stopped that and we had no problems.
This bike was very successful in its class and was ridden by Guss Scott, Ian Waine and Rodger Bingham.

[Nobby]

I built an RD400 in the mid 80s with a Fahron conversion.
Father Ron and son advised me the best way forward. The engine was put into a Spondon TZ 350 chassis with TZ500 forks, modified swingarm, because we needed to use a shorter rear shock.
Now to the engine, the Fahron used TZ750 pistons and reed blocks. I was also advised to run TZ350E exhausts. But these had to be modified, by cutting the exhaust near the flange and inserting a parallel piece 67mm long. Apparently the conversion had the ability to generate too much heat and melt the front of the pistons. The modification stopped that and we had no problems.
This bike was very successful in its class and was ridden by Guss Scott, Ian Waine and Rodger Bingham.

Did they have the extra transfers ?