This story goes back a long ways so bear with me for now!
Chapter 1
My brother bought this particular RD400 back in 1978 from a Bud VanSice in Wilmington Delaware. It was a 76 model year, stock with some minor porting. At the time there was a lot of stuff available for the RDs and we ordered a complete "cafe" kit from Dick's Cycle West. It came with some fiberglass body work which didn't fit well and a set of expansion chambers. They were about the only items we used. I remember they allowed you to see about 10,500 rpm's! She was a real screamer!
Sometime in 1979 a friend racing in WERA NE region won a RD350 for being the top novice in his class. He suggested I use it to get my feet wet in the sport. I had some luck with the bike but in my second time out at Roebling Road in Savanah GA I managed to knock the class point leader off the track with a bonsai move. It was than I decided to make the 400 a "superbike" and go after the prize! My inspiration for this folly came from article in Motorcyclist titled "The RD PAPERS" I think. They took a RD400 with engine mods from Gary Shumake of Spec2 and ran it at Riverside against the big boys. I was hooked!
Erv Kanemoto had just started to sell his pipes through Stewart Toomey and I ordered a set. With nothing more than bolting the pipes up, it transformed the 400 into a real performer. In my first race in 410Superbike at Summitt Point
In WV, I took my first win. That's when the build started. Some one on the west coast was offering a Brembo brake kit with rotors and that was next. Then came the Campagnolo Elecktron (magnesium) wheels. Tommaselli clipons fit perfectly and the Dick's Cycle West half fairing was finally installed. My friend Bud VanSice, a Yamaha dealer with connections with the Varnes boys at Yamaha, got me a TZ350 front fork assy. In the rear I installed a DG swingarm. My friend Al Bold installed ball bearings on the swingarm and helped with the mount for a new 4piston Brembo caliper as seen on Kenny Roberts Daytona 200 winning Yamaha.
While ordering bearings I came across a Fahron watercooled top end with everything needed for the conversion.
By now my aircooled 400 was winning most races I entered and sported DGs radial heads. I'd upped the gearing because it would pull 9,000 rpm's and I was passing TZ250s on the long back straight at Pocono.
The final part to the build was a complete TZ350 dry clutch and cr transmission. A friend had bought it out of the parts book and was going to convert his 350 but ran out of time and interest. During the off-season of 84-85 I put all the parts together on the 400 cases- cylinders, radiator, transmission, dry clutch etc.
By now a friend and I were also racing RD350lc from Canada in D production and doing well. Craig Alper, my good friend, had bought a Rd500, also from Canada, which we ran in 1985 WERA 6hr race at Pocono. John Kosinski was there running a prototype GSXR. The new RZ350s had just come out in Canada so Craig and I each bought one. Interestingly, I, at 5'11" 200lbs. Was always faster on my LC than Craig- 135lbs and 5'7". But on the RZ, now he was faster!
It was now time to test out everything I'd done to the 400- and unfortunately it didn't all come together. The bike started and ran fine but the new gearing and primary ratios didn't work out like the stock setup did.
By now I was just turning 40, yes I'm 78 today, and finally decided to give up road racing. The 400 sits covered up in the garage and spare parts sit in the basement.
Great story :clap: thanks for sharing! Hope to see more from you :thumbs:
Welcome! :cheers: Very interesting read and cool story! It's great to hear details from the old days. :whoop:
The RD 350 I'm restoring came with Racer One expansion chambers and a front fender from Dick's Cycle West! Nice to see someone remembers them. :clap:
Great story. I love it
Regards Uwe
Would definitely love to see pics of what it looks like now, the barn find patina look is so much cooler than restored in many cases. And dry clutches are just plain cool.
This is better than Dixie Cryptid" thank you for sharing this great piece of 2 stroke history.