Diamond in the rough

[Longbow62]

I've found a diamond in the rough I think. I've always wanted a RD 400. A buddy of mine had one when I was a teenager and we used to ride all over the place on it. Of course back then they were out of my reach. My parents weren't keen on motorcycles either. In the last few years I've had the bug and watched lots of videos and searched for bikes for sale. Even now while not exactly out of reach I did not want to drop big bucks on a restored bike. I thought maybe I can find one to fix up, but then again finding one is near impossible. I hired a kid not long ago who is into motocross and I mentioned RD 400's and always wanting one. He said "I know who has one". Oddly enough the guy who had it even used to work at the same place we currently do. I knew the guy was into bikes, but I had know idea he had many classic bikes in various states of disrepair in storage. I reached out and he said he would sell it to me. I was sworn to secrecy about who he is and what he has stored. About the bike. It didn't run when he got 30+ years ago. It has a shifter issue. It's not locked up. It has 13,284 on the odometer. Inside the tank looks pretty clean. The tank does have a dent. The steering stop is broken probably how the tank got dented. I am planning to do a complete off the frame restoration to pretty much stock. Anyway how much would you guys have paid for this bike?     

[m in sc]

sitting not running for 30 years? needs full rebuild so me? 800 to 1k

[Longbow62]

Oh really, well if you put that 1K in front of 800 is how much I paid. I was thinking I got a decent deal, but maybe not. Yeah it's going to be a money pit for sure I figure.

[SoCal250]

A complete 400E would go for a lot more than that here, even if not running for many years. I think you got a great deal!
Good decision on going resto and not modifying. It looks to be original and will be worth a lot more in that condition. You even have the usually missing seat trim. The Crystal Silver '78s are pretty rare when compared to the production numbers of other RDs.
Congrats!

[Longbow62]

Thanks, I bought an RD repair/shop manual off ebay this morning. I'm going to start disassembly this weekend. Can anyone recommend someone to rebuild the crank or other 2 stroke engine work?

[2 Smoker]

I would have paid that for it also.
Great find.
I just passed on a 74 RD 350 this morning for $600.00 plus over $100.00 for fuel to pick it up.......all stock but a bit to rough, being of course stored out side covered.....yea riggght

[m in sc]

i mean from a pic is one thing, looking at it in real life is another. nah, you didn't pay too much if thats what you wanted for sure. the 78s are def hard to find, that i do know. 

[RustyRD]

Nice example, will be a great project. Economy cycle is a great source for parts and some services.

[dgorms]

I've paid more for less! But I let my emotions guide my wallet sometimes.   

[Washerman]

I think you scored there. From what i see around here people want that much for a set of rims a frame and 6 totes of parts. I have been looking for a 400 for a while. I would have paid more for it in that condition.

[pdxjim]

That's about what I paid for my LC.

Sold it three years later for almost 6x what I paid for it.

[RDnuTZ]

nice find! even better if you got keys and some kind of title with it. Of all the RD400s, that 1978 Silver is my all-time favorite. Hoping to find 1 someday if I live long enough and get serious going through the herd I have now.

[Longbow62]

Thanks for the compliments on the find. I have the seat off and cleaned up. Other than the strap which had damage and will need replacing I think the seat is in great shape. The little bolts and nuts holding the seat trim on are very rusty so I have applied oil and I am going to let it soak in before trying to get the seat trim off. I have the battery box and air box out. The air box has been cleaned up. The battery box will need to be sand blasted and repainted. The fuel tank had a little rust in it. Nothing horrible. I have it off and it's on it's second dose of vinegar now. The oil tank was very cruddy. The oil inside had turned to sludge. I cleaned the tank out with gasoline. It took a lot of work to get the crud off the oil tank itself. There was a thick layer of crud on it. The internal parts look okay. The oil tank will have to be repainted for sure as well as the tank, seat trim, and side cover. This is going to take awhile. I'm shooting for a year.