Got me another rd

[rd400greenhorn]

Hi guys
Yeah, so iam not done with My custom / long due rd400 build yet but in Denmark the yamaha rd400 are far in Between so when one came up on a Facebook group and at a Very decent price, i had to pick it up


It goes but not so well. Believe the choke has Come loose in the carbs and it tends to be a bit rough to drive, allthough it does pull pretty good, sometimes.

What do you think, should i keep it original, or?

I thought about maybe getting the carbs cleaned Very nice, new fuel lines, new intake manifolds, ( these look like they have been patched up)
And maybe getting the brakes services, braided lines and a flat handlebar

And oh yeah, upgrade the ignition.

Oh well, what do you Guys think, how would you go about this one?

Cheers

[m in sc]

thats very nice. 78? i like it basically as it is (could do w out the fork gaitors but..)

id clean it up a bit and def sort out the running issues & do basic service maintenance, make it a rider. id bet the brass ball is still in the bellmouth  in the carbs and the air jet is clogged, or they are just gummy inside. maybe the choke. 

[RDFL]

What year is that there, here we only had that seat one year 1978.

[rd400greenhorn]

Yes a 1978 👍

Iam with you i think, general service plus maybe the upgraded i mentioned, just to make it maybe more reliable?

Is this handlebar stock, do you know?
Its crazy to ride i think, not much leverage. Properly also because it rides, oh well Not so clean.

[m in sc]

def not stock handlebars.
id ditch those pretty quick. 

[paul1478]

when I had my first and second RD, way back when, I would never think of leaving it stock.
Now I really like the idea of having a completely stock one, a 78 or 75 350.

[85RZwade]

I also vote to leave it as it is, except the 'bars. That's a good looking bike!

[SoCal250]

Nice, congrats on the new addition. I vote for keeping it stock (at least close to it) and just cleaning it up. Change the bars, ditch the gaitors, add an electronic ignition, etc.  That way you have a custom one and a stock one.

[rd400greenhorn]

Socal 250
Thank you
I agree with you. I Will do the mods that does not look out of touch with original  yet makes it a better and more reliable ride. Plus a bit pretty as well

[SUPERTUNE]

The bars look like clubmans and mounted upside down...
Chuck

[Organicjedi]

I agree with the rest. Keep it stockish. In addition to the bars and the gators, that front mudguard isn't stock. Or at least not what we got in the US. It doesn't look right to me as it doesn't match the back. That's really nit picky though. The mirrors look out of place to me too.

If you want to make it a better rider but not too far from stock you could mod the following:
-520 chain and sprockets
-Dave F mod the carbs as you go through them
-Better fork springs (Sonics or Race Tech)
-Hagon shocks
-Dyna S ignition
-Consider Chuck's coil relay mod to ensure 12v to the coils
-TDR YZ125 replica reed petals, the ones with the split down the middle.

Have fun!

[rd400greenhorn]

Dave f mod the carbs??

Thought i would go with

Stock reedvalve, boyeseen reeds, maybe a y tube filter with a kn filter?
Or stock box with a uni foam in it remove the snorkel
Ordered some 210 main jets, read some had succes with that on this setup

Also
Dynamo ignition and some sort of pipes, maybe DG'S or similar.

Not sure if i Will change chain and sprockets for a 520 yet, maybe if. I can find a decent prized plug and play Kit.

[Organicjedi]

The Dave F mod coverts RDs to a primary type needle jet, instead of the bleed type. It's easier to tune out the midrange flat spot. Second thought is that it's not really necessary if you are not messing with anything else. It is a good mod with chambers for sure.

As far as reed petals, I'm a believer in the TDR YZ125 replicas. They have a few options and there is an option for mostly stock engines with a dual petal split.

For the air box, you might be happier with the stock box if you are not modifying much. The y boot is noisy and unless you are making other changes, you probably won't see a big gain. I'm not too versed on what's a good filter or not. I ditched my air box pretty quickly for pods. It matched my build.

For pipes, you may be happier with stock pipes over DGs for performance and ease of tuning. DGs look racier and are louder, but don't perform much better. Stock pipes will actually help you retain your low end without having to mess with other stuff.

There's also some good advice out there to retard the timing a bit for the lower octane fuel we have today. Chuck also had some jetting recommendations for stock machines to make them run better on today's fuels.

The biggest weakness in stock RDs, or really any old Yamaha is the squishy suspention. I think a modest upgrade here will give you good results.

Anyway, the world is your oyster with this as you have a lot of options. I'd say keep this one mostly stock as you'll have your highly modified 400 anyway. I look forward to seeing what you decide on. 

[rd400greenhorn]

I saw this setup as a stage 1 on economy cycle, i think it Will be the Ca guide line..

As the pipes go, i just like the look of a set of pipes instead of the stock..

Thought about maybe dgs or allspeed/ gibson from uk with a internal stinger..
Somewhat stock looking...

It wont be stock! But going for a stock overall look but with some mods / upgrades..

The brakes are gonna be refurb and some parts iam changing..
Both front and rear.

The front end is getting progressiv springs and a rebuild
Rear section is also getting new shocks.. Basically addressing Most but not as the modified rd i already have.
Also gonna be with the oil pump in this one :)

Stay tuned 😉