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My personal take on ideal footpeg location is to have them below the rider's CofG. If you sit in riding position on a bike while it is on a center stand or a paddock stand, and can lift your butt off the seat without having to neither "push" nor "pull" on the handlebar, then you have a good,  balanced riding position. This will be pretty similar to most dirt or adv bikes footpeg position.

In stock form, the older RDs, as well as my XS650 have the pegs way too far forward. Kawasaki triples are much better in this respekt.

Wouldn't a 100/90 be just too wide for a stock RD350 rim?
Can't say I am 100% sure, but aren't the stock rims something like 1.60" and 1.85" wide?
Using wider tyres on narrow rims won't give the correct tyre shape.

Get a vape ignition and you wont be fouling plugs again

Exactly. And no more alternator brushes, breaker points, condensers to replace and adjust constantly. Consistent timing, stronger spark, easy starting and 150 watts for lights. So a 55/60 W H4 or even a 80/100 W H4 is no longer too much.
And a significant weight saving as well. I don't remember exactly, but I believe 1.5 kg/ 3 lbs lighter when stock stator/rotor/coils/ regulator/rectifier are replaced with the Vape setup. If you then replace the stock 5.5 Ah lead-acid battery with a lighter alarm battery, or a LiPoFe battery (The one I use weighs only 450 g/ 1 lb), you get rid of another 1.5 kg/ 3 lbs at least. This kind of weight saving actually makes a little difference on a small and light bike. Especially if you already have replaced other heavy-ish parts with lighter alternatives (Fenders, footpegs/ foot controls, handlebar, instruments, mirrors, exhaust system, headlight, etc)

id get it on an FI vehicle more so, or a car, but, i doubt it cuts down on wiring vs a custom harness on a vintage bike. (having made quite a few).  But, it's neat. The engineer in me sees it as a centralized failure point TBH. this has ups and downs.  As long as you like it, thats all that matters.

They are nothing more than a multi-channel relay control module. If you've ever been around automation, you've most likely seen a million variations. In the case of an RD wired with Vape, for example, they actually complicate the system and really act like nothing more than an expensive fuse box.  They have nice features like bluetooth security and remote start, but I don't see myself using that on vintage bikes.  I installed one on a BMW R100/7 and I am seriously considering pulling it after 5 years.

To a certain point I agree. On any older japanese bike with battery ignition, I would at least recommend using relays for power to coils, headlight and maybe horn. Starters come with their own heavy duty relay. Reducing voltage drop over various 40-50 year old connectors and switches is always a good thing.

Yeah, it was already the Ducati Cup but now it's going to be worse. Even with only 6 on the grid instead of 8.
I'm guessing that KTM pulls out before '26 not after (foregoing their final contract year). It really sucks.

Well, if Ducati have better engineers, designers and race teams than the rest, they dominante. What is wrong with that?

The image in my next post is the basic circuit for one coil/ set of points. I have tried to indicate where to measure voltage, with points closed and ignition+ kill switch on. This relates to my earlier post on checking for good continuity and minimal voltage drop.

And one more thing. With a healthy and fully charger battery, the bike shold run fine for at least half an hour even without an alternator.  So forget about the charging system until it runs like it should. Many roadrace bikes ran "total loss ignition" back in the day, without problems. They just fitted a fully charged battery before practice, then swapped it for another before the race.

I replaced the left coil. It had 4.4 ohms before I installed it. After installation, I rechecked it. The coil showed showed only 2.8 ohms. I checked the other side, 4.4 Ohms on the right side. Then I unhooked the orange wire on the left side coil, it showed 4.4 ohms. I then turned the ignition on, and checked the left side coil again. This time it showed -1. The coil was getting voltage from the battery on the left side. The right side was fine, it showed 4.4 ohms. I was checking the connections by the battery, and happened to put my hand on the left coil. It was noticeably warm! The left coil is getting voltage from the battery, and going through the system and heating up the coil. I'm surprised it occasionally fired at all on the left side. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? The problem must lie with the rectifier, the voltage regulator, or somehow the generator.

The change in measured resistance is because when connected, more circuitry is involved. So that 2.8 ohm value is irrelevant or misleading. What IS relevant, however, is the condition of wiring, connectors and switches between battery and coil +. AND the condition of wiring, connectors and breaker points on the coil negative side. Basically, with the condenser/capacitor disconnected, everything else connected, ignition and kill switch on and the points closed, there should be minimal voltage drop from battery to coil +, and minimal voltage drop from coil negative to ground. Or put differently, very close to 12.6V between coil + and coil negative. This is a very basic but important check for all battery powered points ignition systems.

Chainsaw dealers/ repair shops often have handy ignition testers. Basically a large spark gap inside a transparent housing, with a Crocodile clip for ground connection and a spark plug like thingy that the spark plug cap fits on. These will easily detect a weak spark caused by bad coils, bad points, bad capacitor. Or my absolute favorite. Low voltage on the coil +terminal, caused by voltage drop through the rather convoluted path from battery + to coil +. An easy check would be a direct "jumper" from battery to coil ,with a 10 A fuse just in case.

With the stock points ignition, a worn LH main bearing will make the timing erratic. Have you checked the timing on a running engine, using a strobe lamp? This was the main issue on my 350A, while my cousin owned it and I was doing the wrenching.New main bearings fixed that problem.
(Still, the first thing I did after buying it from him, was replacing the stock ignition and alternator with a Power dynamo/ Vape. Best mod for old RDs)

With stock RD350 mufflers, longer shocks will cause conflict between rear wheel axle/ axle nuts and mufflers. If using expansion chambers, this is rarely a problem.

Very nice! Was the cap included? And have you weighed it? Also curious how much lighter than a stock steel RD400 tank it might be.

My calipers and internals are like in horrible shape. Really rusty and corroded compared to the ones in the video, which by the way look new compared to mine. I will try several things, but I doubt the video method will work. Thanks for the suggestions.   

The alloy reproduction calipers Economy Cycle sold me work great! They look just like the stock RD350/400 calipers (not Daytona!), and are significantly lighter than the original iron/ steel calipers.
Combined with a smaller bore master cylinder (12-13 mm) and a modern teflon lined hose will give you all the brake you need.

A couple of quick questions about Gary/ Spec2 pipes:
Are the head pipes tapered or straight?
Are there any major differences between "F1" and "Classics" other than the outside of the silencer? (Separate can vs welded on sleeve)