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wait.. your reserve should be more than 8 miles worth of fuel. is the crossover on the tank connected? and does it run under the frame rails?

That was my point. I figured I had a gallon or so left so I figured 20 more to be safe.  If I ran out and only put 2.43 in that means there was definitely more in there. I'll have to check tomorrow About the "crossover pipe" as I didn't know there was one. I'm assuming its a tube that goes from the right side of the tank to the carb? Got a pic?

Thanks Mark.  I'll just be sure to not get too deep in without some sort of back up plan.

I ran out of gas on the way home from work yesterday. Fortunately I costed straight up to a pump. I had to put 93 ethanol in it but it won't be in there long as much as I've been riding her. I put in 2.43 gal with 88 on the odo so that's about 35 mpg. Not bad. I am however concerned about the very short distance (8 miles) from reserve until empty. That will not be good if I'm up in the mountains. I suppose I could try to lean the bike over and get some more fuel over the spine to the left side of the tank? Where i ride in the mountains 8 miles means pushing.

 So, how big is the tank on a '74. Quick search says 4.23 gal. I've also seen there were a couple sizes of tanks. A bulbous one and a thin one. Mine seems to be thin. I ask because I hit reserve on the way to work this morn (with 80 on the tripometer) and was wondering how many miles I had in reserve. I imagine it depends on the size of the tank.

Is there a link to this "Garrett" fellas website?

I want to thank everyone for the replies. Seems to be a good group. I'll be back with more questions I'm sure.

Pipes have always made the biggest difference for me but i've been messing with LC stuff that likely has better ignition in place than the RD.  Get Garrett's pipes.  They're going to be better.  Not sue why you would spend on the swingarm when you can get pipes + ignition for that much?  Many pipes are going to get you better power across the band despite max power being higher (obv exceptions).

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to do the ignition and then make the call on the pipes. As for the swingarm, I've had a couple RD's in boxes I've been trying to get put back together and have always fancied an Al piece.

Another consideration is what type of riding you do.  I live in the city I do mostly 20-30 mph riding, and to be honest, the chambers make it kind of a pain. I have to get up to 7k RPM to hit the powerband, so I'm constantly revving high to get it moving, then stop 10 seconds later at the next light/stop sign, meanwhile pissing off everyone on the street, scaring dogs, making babies cry, etc. I've never had stock pipes on my bike, but from what I've heard, they would've let me have just as much fun but at lower RPMs better suited for the city riding that I do.  But, if you're going to be riding at higher speeds for extended stretches, the relative lack of low end power might not be a big factor for you.

FYI if you go with the Vape, Chuck (SUPERTUNE) did a great write up that walks through the process in excellent detail. Even with my limited mechanical knowledge and skills,  I was able to use that to install it with no hiccups. http://www.2strokeworld.net/forum/index.php?topic=855.0

That's my fear. I couldn't care less about crying babies but I don't want to have to live at he upper end of the tach to get power. Now, that being said, I think the peak power and torque stock is up @ 7k anyway but there is still usable power below that. I don't want to lose that. I'll grab a vape to start and make my decision on pipes after that.


Now, aluminum swingarm..... 

not quite that simple. take everything you know about 4 stroke tuning and throw it away. almost none of it applies here.

id strongly recommend a CDI before pipes in what you are looking for. 

possible? yes. but it takes a bit of work top get  a 'linear' power band on a 2 stroke, particularly an RD. but to that point, my T500, 70 R5, and Grom with LT250 r motor achieve this but both are piston ports that don't rev over 8500.   and they also all have stock pipes.

What ignition do you reccomend?

sooooo....it's sounding like I need to get some pipes. I put some on my Bonneville and nailed the jetting straight away. I hope I can duplicate that again!

I know it probably depends on the pipe, but, I would like a linear torque curve (at least as much as possible). I don't want to have to be WOT to experience gains. Possible?

I mean, IMHO i think chambers will always help with overall power.. but there's costs/tradeoffs. for example, say goodbye to the centerstand and you need to modify the side stand position, or at least how it sits on the bike.

I know of 1 currently made pipe that retains both, thats the j&l retro pipes. 

Is it worth it? for dgs not IMHO. for maybe garrets pipes, or specII's or j&l yes but then you def need to retune.  If you are liking it the way it is, leave it alone. does it have elec ignition? if not, id look at that next.

I do like the centerstand on a bike that requires as much maintenance as a 47 year old one will, but, it's not a deal breaker. Not real keen to mess around with moving the side stand unless there is some sort of plug and play piece for it. What does the side stand modification entail?

As for ignition it is still running points.

I recently picked up a "74 RD350. It has new top end with the work done by Chuck Quenzler in Fla. The bike runs very well in it's current form and I'm quite enjoying it. Me being me, I'm always looking for a touch more. All of my (forgive me for I have sinned) 4T's have been tweaked. Usually airbox removal, pipes, and jetting. New pipes on the injected bikes as well. So the question is, do I leave well enough alone or buy the DG pipes for sale in the classified ads currently on this site. What does that entail? Just a rejet? The bike is currently sans airbox with the 2 into 1 filter. What can be expected with the pipe addition? Let it be known this is not going to be a racer so rideability is my main concern. If it could still be smooth with the power staying around where it is now with it's decent torque curve but a little more umph and sound I'm in. Are these things possible?