ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

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ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by weeksy »

https://www.bikebound.com/2021/03/23/ultimate-rd/

Well if this doesn't tick the boxes on this forum, i may as well give up.

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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Ditchfinder »

Ooo I like that
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by KungFooBob »

Needs one of those gold anodised alloy heads with the radial fins you see on all the other RD specials these days.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Taipan »

Very nice apart from the offensively eye stabbing steering damper.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Nice, I had an RD400 a similar colour to that in 1986, it had a very loud pair of Allspeeds
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by weeksy »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:00 am Nice, I had an RD400 a similar colour to that in 1986, it had a very loud pair of Allspeeds
*marks in calendar for yearly celebration, the day we pleased the Cheese.*
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

weeksy wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:17 am
Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:00 am Nice, I had an RD400 a similar colour to that in 1986, it had a very loud pair of Allspeeds
*marks in calendar for yearly celebration, the day we pleased the Cheese.*
It was a horrible bike to ride and I think I owned it less than a day, looked lovely though.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Skub »

I'd pull off that 'out of place' steering damper,apart from that,very nice indeed.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Yorick »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:51 pm
weeksy wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:17 am
Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:00 am Nice, I had an RD400 a similar colour to that in 1986, it had a very loud pair of Allspeeds
*marks in calendar for yearly celebration, the day we pleased the Cheese.*
It was a horrible bike to ride and I think I owned it less than a day, looked lovely though.
Mine was shite. The LC350 was a huge leap forward.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by demographic »

Quite like that, although I thought we'd established that restomod meant using period bits?
Can't remember USD forks on my brothers blue RD250/350.

I'm confused again.

Oh and it needs a gold anodised cylinderhead... ;)
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Yorick wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:18 pm
Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:51 pm
weeksy wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:17 am

*marks in calendar for yearly celebration, the day we pleased the Cheese.*
It was a horrible bike to ride and I think I owned it less than a day, looked lovely though.
Mine was shite. The LC350 was a huge leap forward.
Exactly, I traded in an LC250 for it, I kept the RD400 for an afternoon and a morning then went and asked could I have my LC back, I lost £50 doing this, but it was £50 well spent, to be fair to RD400s, they're based on the YR5, a bike that first came out in 1972, the LC is an 8 year newer design and whilst conceptually a very similar bike to the air cooled RD, it shares no parts with it.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Taipan »

demographic wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:47 pm Quite like that, although I thought we'd established that restomod meant using period bits?
Can't remember USD forks on my brothers blue RD250/350.

I'm confused again.

Oh and it needs a gold anodised cylinderhead... ;)
Restomod means restored and modernised.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by demographic »

Taipan wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:21 pm
demographic wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:47 pm Quite like that, although I thought we'd established that restomod meant using period bits?
Can't remember USD forks on my brothers blue RD250/350.

I'm confused again.

Oh and it needs a gold anodised cylinderhead... ;)
Restomod means restored and modernised.

Ahh, I thought the Mod was Modified.

Either way I quite like the look of the bike.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by G.P »

demographic wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:47 pm Quite like that, although I thought we'd established that restomod meant using period bits?
Can't remember USD forks on my brothers blue RD250/350.

I'm confused again.

Oh and it needs a gold anodised cylinderhead... ;)
It doesn't have USD forks ;)
I like it but would havwe black forks, black brake lines and dump the steering damper.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Rockburner »

IIRC the first motorbike I ever rode was an RD400. :)

That seat looks all wrong - the pillion half is too large.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by demographic »

G.P wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:05 pm It doesn't have USD forks ;)
I like it but would have black forks, black brake lines and dump the steering damper.
Shit yeah, my eyes are painted on.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by The Spin Doctor »

Are those bars bent or is it my eyes?
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by mangocrazy »

I agree with most of the previous comments. Steering damper is just ridiculous - get rid. If it were me I'd paint/powder coat the fork lowers and shock springs satin black, but otherwise, very nicely done. It's had some cash thrown at it - CF wheels on an RD400, anyone? That should reduce the overall weight by a serious amount, and make it steer less like a barge.
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by G.P »

I do like gold, these were the first thing I acquired for my 900SS trackbike build, the excuse being that they are miles lighter than the standards

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but also I got the standard wheels on the other bike done in Campag gold (this is the non track, on track before the strip down)

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:D
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Re: ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

Post by Scotsrich »

I don’t like it.

I had an RD400e back in the day and it remains a favourite.

On this one the bling bits (shocks and forks) stand out way to much.

Put them back to standardish looking and it would be much better.