'Barn find' RD400

[jasonu]

I found this last Saturday on Craigslist. I got it for $750.
Only 3500 miles and 2 local owners.
The ad said not running but was when parked a year ago.
Upon inspection it looked to be complete and unmolested. Motor turned over and it shifted thru all the gears. Front brake seized. No visible modifications.
So I parts with my cash and trailer it home.
I have since stripped the front caliper and found a seized piston. Easy fix.
Stuffed battery, got a new one ordered $30.
Gave it a general cleaning. Stripped, checked and cleaned carbs.
Changed slippery, flammable and lubricating fluids and gave it a kick in the guts.
It sounds crisp and smooth.291754291755291756

[Mental Trousers]

I believe the correct phrase is fucken lucky prick

[sugilite]

Awesome score! You might want to replace the crank seals as a matter of course. Who knows how long it was really laid up for.

[george formby]

Better barns in the US obviously. Enjoy!

[Grizzo]

Fecking wicked, nice find there chap:niceone:

[BigAl]

Lucky bastard:crybaby:

[HenryDorsetCase]

Bastard. send it over i will give you double what you paid :-)

[jasonu]

Bastard. send it over i will give you double what you paid :-)

Double you say.
I am hoping for a 4 fold score if I sell it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331096220396?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[F5 Dave]

Yeah you were right
Awesome find
Thanks for posting pics. Might want to replace the bars for something closer to std.
How did the oil pump go?

[roogazza]

Looks like a great find. Keep it forever.

Bet if you fell down the shithouse you'd come up with gold nuggets in your teeth !!!!!!!

[robinm]

As F5dave touched on, have a good look at the oil pump, remove it and clean it, and the whole autolube system. the oil pump has a plastic gear in it and have been known to shear a tooth or two off. If this happens then you are looking at major damage to the engine.
well I assume they have a plastic gear, I know the RD250 and 350 did. I recall spending quite a large amount of money on a RD350 motor in my youth, only to have it seize soon after firing it up due to a broken gear in the oil pump.

[gammaguy]

As F5dave touched on, have a good look at the oil pump, remove it and clean it, and the whole autolube system. the oil pump has a plastic gear in it and have been known to shear a tooth or two off. If this happens then you are looking at major damage to the engine.
well I assume they have a plastic gear, I know the RD250 and 350 did. I recall spending quite a large amount of money on a RD350 motor in my youth, only to have it seize soon after firing it up due to a broken gear in the oil pump.

My TDR did that one day,no warning of course,just grind rattle pull clutch in and start walkin...

It needed new slugs and rebore and of course an overhauled oil system including oil pump drive gear set,and all good from there on

now 65k km up and runs sweet,which reminds me I feel like a ride..:sunny:

[husaberg]

Hate people who live in dry climates......just saying..........

[jasonu]

Yeah you were right
Awesome find
Thanks for posting pics. Might want to replace the bars for something closer to std.
How did the oil pump go?

Oil pump seems to work. As you suggested (I had to call NZ for technical assistance because according to my local bike shops motorcycles were not invented until 2005... and apparently there is no such thing as a 2 stroke road bike) I put 3.7 liters of premix in the tank, disconnected the oil lines from the carbs and ran the bike on idle while holding the oil pump fully open. A drop every couple of seconds appeared from each oil line. About the same amount came from each line so I am assuming it is about the right amount. I checked the settings of the pump per the manual and it is dead on.
Re the bars, yes they are not the originals but there are several original sets on ebay for under $25.
My plan is to not spend one cent more than I have to so I will most likely leave it as is unless I decide to keep it.

[jasonu]

As F5dave touched on, have a good look at the oil pump, remove it and clean it, and the whole autolube system. the oil pump has a plastic gear in it and have been known to shear a tooth or two off. If this happens then you are looking at major damage to the engine.
well I assume they have a plastic gear, I know the RD250 and 350 did. I recall spending quite a large amount of money on a RD350 motor in my youth, only to have it seize soon after firing it up due to a broken gear in the oil pump.

Thanks for the tip. I might open pump and see what's what. Eventhough it looks to be working I don't see any harm in being careful. Others may say 'if it aint fucked don't fix it'.

The only other issue I have found is that the oil light won't go out. There is plenty of 2 smoke oil in the tank. I have removed the sensor and my multi meter says it opens and closes correctly when manually operated. With the sensor disconnected the oil light goes out. The wiring harness is untouched and totally standard. Any ideas?

[F5 Dave]

Awesome so there is no fault in the dash or main loom. So you say 3 wires in? My RZ had 2 pretty sure. Maybe take sensor out and clean in gas and check wires aren't touching or connector pins damaged so they do. Odd though.


The the plastic gear referred to is the drive from gears to pump. I'd not expect much trouble from such a low mileage bike that you've tested the pump. I wouldn't take the pump itself apart without new seals.

Dont forget to throw or heavily dilute that premix with straight gas before using in earnest.

[avgas]

score! I shall investigate this craigslist more often now :headbang:

[F5 Dave]

hmm, where's that Haynes RD manual? I saw it just the other decade, cover is clear as day. . . Oh well. Wiring diagram is easy to google. Why is the connector wired to the neutral switch? Ahh, try putting it in gear, it will go out, it's a bulb check I guess.

[jasonu]

hmm, where's that Haynes RD manual? I saw it just the other decade, cover is clear as day. . . Oh well. Wiring diagram is easy to google. Why is the connector wired to the neutral switch? Ahh, try putting it in gear, it will go out, it's a bulb check I guess.

Problem (or lack there of) averted. When it is put into gear the oil light goes out. I am thinking it is a safety feature that the light shows it works when in neutral. I will do some tests tomorrow to confirm my theory.
I rode it today. It runs very nicely. So nice that I got stopped by the cops for expired tags (rego in NZ speak) He let me off, new years eve and all that.

[F5 Dave]

I remember my first ride on the back of my sisters boyfriends RD400. Scared me silly but way cool. One of the formative points of deciding bikes were for me. At least he didn't fire it down the road like he did off the back of my sisters xl185 after my first riding lesson.

[nudemetalz]

Reminds me, I must start restoring my YG-1.

Great find, BTW.

[Yamahardman]

I think it's a rd400 thing that nuetral oil light. Mine does it. I've got wiring diagrams somewhere too. Mines a '76, but the dash console on mine is quite different to yours, it has the gauges with the nuetral and high beam lindicator in them, and its got a little round oil light and indicators outside...

[iranana]

I think it's a rd400 thing that nuetral oil light. Mine does it. I've got wiring diagrams somewhere too. Mines a '76, but the dash console on mine is quite different to yours, it has the gauges with the nuetral and high beam lindicator in them, and its got a little round oil light and indicators outside...

As above, it's normal for the oil light to be on when you're in neutral. All RDs do it, and it's so you know that your oil light is still working (could be catastrophic otherwise). The oil light is only meant to go off once you're in gear... But damn what a find, such low mileage, very nice! Next thing to do is track down a nice pair of street chambers - I have a pair of Denco's coming in the mail for my 250. I love the look of Bassani pipes the most. Denco's are a close second.

[jasonu]

As above, it's normal for the oil light to be on when you're in neutral. All RDs do it, and it's so you know that your oil light is still working (could be catastrophic otherwise). The oil light is only meant to go off once you're in gear... But damn what a find, such low mileage, very nice! Next thing to do is track down a nice pair of street chambers - I have a pair of Denco's coming in the mail for my 250. I love the look of Bassani pipes the most. Denco's are a close second.

Cheers for the info. I was hoping that was what was going on.
As for modifying it I don't think so. It is too complete and virgin to be fucked with. I think it is worth more as is. I need to find a set of reasonable condition OEM bars and a right hand mirror to make it more or less complete. Having said that it could do with a NOS seat cover and seat foam if I could find them, a foot peg bracket dampener, a.......

[gammaguy]

complete seats still available ex japan

RD of any size now a hot ticket there,guys modifying em restoring em riding em

as it should be

[F5 Dave]

I think getting the bars right gives a good impression of being a virgin bike people will identify with.

[gwynfryn]

You sure its not a demon bike.
The number of the beast and all that.

[jasonu]

complete seats still available ex japan

RD of any size now a hot ticket there,guys modifying em restoring em riding em

as it should be

Got any contacts or info about that???

[eelracing]

Give the thing a clean and post up some more pics mate.
Awesome score.

[iranana]

Cheers for the info. I was hoping that was what was going on.
As for modifying it I don't think so. It is too complete and virgin to be fucked with. I think it is worth more as is. I need to find a set of reasonable condition OEM bars and a right hand mirror to make it more or less complete. Having said that it could do with a NOS seat cover and seat foam if I could find them, a foot peg bracket dampener, a.......

Yeah fair enough, they are worth more in their original form, and the stock pipes are actually pretty decent performers. They make good power down low, but they do leave room for improvement. I see nothing wrong with reversible mods though, and a pair of old school chambers (Denco, Bassani, J&R, Torque Engineering... Allspeeds as well, maybe?) would let you keep the stock foot pegs and stands. Newer pipes or race oriented pipes are a pain in the arse and aren't worth it, though, since you have to move a lot of stuff around... not to mention they move the power band way up in the rev range. I guess there's two schools of thought towards classic machines, and I like something in the middle ground - keep it classic, but upgrade what can be, while keeping the integrity and form of the original machine.

On the topic of seats, I need a new seat pan. Mine is rusted through in parts. If you come across a source for NOS seat pans, let me know as I've been looking for quite some time now. As far as seat covers go, I got a reproduction piece from an eBay seller called Tight Fit Seats. It is remarkably close to the original and made to a very high standard - as far as repro seat covers go, I'd really recommend em.

[jasonu]

Yeah fair enough, they are worth more in their original form, and the stock pipes are actually pretty decent performers. They make good power down low, but they do leave room for improvement. I see nothing wrong with reversible mods though, and a pair of old school chambers (Denco, Bassani, J&R, Torque Engineering... Allspeeds as well, maybe?) would let you keep the stock foot pegs and stands. Newer pipes or race oriented pipes are a pain in the arse and aren't worth it, though, since you have to move a lot of stuff around... not to mention they move the power band way up in the rev range. I guess there's two schools of thought towards classic machines, and I like something in the middle ground - keep it classic, but upgrade what can be, while keeping the integrity and form of the original machine.

On the topic of seats, I need a new seat pan. Mine is rusted through in parts. If you come across a source for NOS seat pans, let me know as I've been looking for quite some time now. As far as seat covers go, I got a reproduction piece from an eBay seller called Tight Fit Seats. It is remarkably close to the original and made to a very high standard - as far as repro seat covers go, I'd really recommend em.

I saw a set of brand new DG chambers on ebay for $200 shipped. Pretty good value.
I have it on ebay right now so I am not considering doing anything to it for a bit.
As for seat stuff take a look at these.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/201012068820?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-RD230-Seat-/181281365104?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a35361c70&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seat-pillion-1972-Yamaha-RD350-RD-350-/390737923094?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5af9cb8c16&vxp=mtr
If you see one you want and they won't ship too NZ you could ship it to me and I would forward it to you.
This is my auction http://www.ebay.com/itm/121247505368?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

[jasonu]

Sold it.
$3750.
If I could do one of these every week I may give up my day job...<_<

[jasonu]

Sold it.
$3750.
If I could do one of these every week I may give up my day job...<_<

But wait there's more!!! The buyer is paying me $300 to store it in my garage for 2 months.
YAY ME!!!!!

[F5 Dave]

I think he got a good deal. Well apart from the rent.

[jasonu]

I think he got a good deal. Well apart from the rent.

Yes mate it is a fair price.

[gammaguy]

Tell him to add two hundred to the fee and you will ride it for him

I hear the riding is great there this time of year

[jasonu]

Tell him to add two hundred to the fee and you will ride it for him

I hear the riding is great there this time of year

I'd have to put studded tires on it...

[F5 Dave]

Still have the Maico? Ideal.

[jasonu]

Still have the Maico? Ideal.

Na mate loooooooong gone.
Wouldn't mind another though.

[jasonu]

But wait there's more!!! The buyer is paying me $300 to store it in my garage for 2 months.
YAY ME!!!!!

It has been fully paid for along with the storage fee. I still have it in my garage. It is still in my name. I haven't heard from the buyer for nearly 3 months. Hopefully he has forgotten about it or been struck by lightening or dropped dead...

[Mike.Gayner]

How odd, are you going to chase him up or let sleeping dogs lie and see what happens?

[F5 Dave]

send him a bill for $150 for month of April.

I had a 350 in my lockup for 7 years. Only shifted it last month and all I had to do was help clean it up & find the buyer, arrange the meeting, show the bike with the owner absent and help push it in the van.

Well he did offer to buy us dinner or something. meh, I've got the room now. Hmm, I know where there is a 'barn' RD400, actually two. . . and an F2 YVPS which I have the parts required for.


Alas the time & more importantly the money, and even more importantly the time are not saying its time to make an offer. I'll wait a year. or two.

[Jjgres]

Nice deal! I'm always on the look out for a '74 RD350. One day I will find one.

The oil pumps are pretty reliable on Yammies. I'm running the original 1971 pump on my RT360, lots of miles on that bike. The Yamaha Enduro gang I mingle with has had only one pump failure reported.

On the low oil light- maybe the float has become saturated and no longer floats?

[jasonu]

Bummer drag. The new owner just left with the RD. Nearly a year from selling it to him picking it up. The most unusual vehicle deal I have been involved in.

[F5 Dave]

Nought as queer as folk as they say in the UK

[Arronduke]

Great score and nice profit.
Me I hate selling shit that there bike would have sat in my shed until I die.!

Obviously it would not have been standard... now you have me thinking...RD400 with upside down forks. .hmmm

[RDjase]

Great score and nice profit.
Me I hate selling shit that there bike would have sat in my shed until I die.!

Obviously it would not have been standard... now you have me thinking...RD400 with upside down forks. .hmmm

Have just bought a FZR250 3LN front and rear end for my LC/RZ project, the swing arm is a few mm wider than the LC and will need to do some mods and bracing for the rising rate shock, the front end needs a few spacers and machining.
Will be nice having 17's and 4 pot brakes. 4mm stroker crank, 66mm pistons, RGV carbs and a Ignitech to come later

[F5 Dave]

Nice project. Those yam 4potters seize and bit average but the forks should hold blue spot R1 etc. Use a 14mm mc. Zxr250 a good donor mcylndr.

[jasonu]

Great score and nice profit.
Me I hate selling shit that there bike would have sat in my shed until I die.!

Obviously it would not have been standard... now you have me thinking...RD400 with upside down forks. .hmmm

That was my original idea, a restomod. But as original as that bike is no way would I change it. I have my eyes open for a more suitable donor bike. Thinking Mach111 500 triple...

[Arronduke]

There is a rather nice GT750 on trade me but due to the fact that the wife is still walking and her death does not seem likely soon... add to the fact Mr AC/DC guitar man is going to court for trying to higher killers I think the GT will not be in my shed any time soon. Hell its only 21k. Not a huge chunk of life insurance. The possibilities are endless.

Mean while back to reality.... why are my shirts not ironed.