ULTIMATE RD: YAMAHA RD400 RESTOMOD

[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.

[Ditchfinder]

Ooo I like that

[KungFooBob]

Needs one of those gold anodised alloy heads with the radial fins you see on all the other RD specials these days.

[Taipan]

Very nice apart from the offensively eye stabbing steering damper.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Nice, I had an RD400 a similar colour to that in 1986, it had a very loud pair of Allspeeds

[weeksy]

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.*

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

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.

[Skub]

I'd pull off that 'out of place' steering damper,apart from that,very nice indeed.

[Yorick]

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.

[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...

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

*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.

[Taipan]

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.

[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...

Restomod means restored and modernised.

Ahh, I thought the Mod was Modified.

Either way I quite like the look of the bike.

[G.P]

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.

[Rockburner]

IIRC the first motorbike I ever rode was an RD400.

That seat looks all wrong - the pillion half is too large.

[demographic]

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.

[The Spin Doctor]

Are those bars bent or is it my eyes?

[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.

[Potter]

I like it but would havwe black forks, black brake lines and dump the steering damper.

Same, probably black DLC stantions as well.

I do like it though, and in some ways I really do like the bling gold Ohlins, it's something I'd probably do and then after a while change them for black.
Those gold Ohlins are what happens when someone has an old bike, an active imagination and too much money.

I'd secretly love a blue Imprezza with bling gold wheels, but I'd only drive it where no one could see me.

[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



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)