I recently inherited a 1975 Yamaha RD350 that has 10,000 original miles. Curious if it is worth restoring.?

Question

This bike belonged to my father who only rode it one time after he bought it from a used dealership. He said it was too hot for him to handle. He had the bike fully serviced then put it in storage where it sat for over 20 years. The storage unit was in the middle of the Arizona desert so it "cooked" for many years. I don't know anything about bikes, but when I checked it out I discovered the gas tank is full of rust and the brake fluid is crystalized. Other than that all I know is there is no rust on the exterior anywhere, no dents, scratches, tears, etc. Have no idea if it is worth restoring to ride or even where to begin. My biggest question is what kind of expense would I be looking at to get it road-worthy. The only motorcycle shop in town said they wont even look at it without a $500 deposit. That sounds a little steep to me and money is tight. I dont even know what a bike like this would be worth. Thanks

Answer 1

The RD has not really reached the status of a "Vintage" motorcycle,so it's not as though you will make a lot of money restoring it. There is a select group(a cult following if you will) that loves the RD myself among them,so they are a collectible bike I believe is destined to become "Vintage".
If you like the idea of having a collectible bike and will ride and enjoy it ,go for it, you will at worst break even.
Your biggest single expense will probably be the tank,once rusted it's hard to clean w/o hurting the paint and if you have to repaint that will be expensive ( and less than original paint hurts the value).
If you're not into the idea of restoring and keeping it, sell it as it is.
What part of Az. are you in and How much do you want for it,I may be interested. I'm in Ca. but have a place In Fort Mojave I go to a couple times a year( Next in April for the River Run) P.S. probably worth $1000 as it sits, Probably take that much maybe $1500 to get it right if you pay someone to do it.In "Killer condition you may get $3000 from the right buyer.

Answer 2

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RE:
I recently inherited a 1975 Yamaha RD350 that has 10,000 original miles. Curious if it is worth restoring.?
This bike belonged to my father who only rode it one time after he bought it from a used dealership. He said it was too hot for him to handle. He had the bike fully serviced then put it in storage where it sat for over 20 years. The storage unit was in the middle of the Arizona desert so it...

Answer 3

If you've never ridden before, I don't think I would recommend any 2 stroke bike for a new rider. Assuming that you have ridden before, this compact lil 350 will deliver alot of speed. Parts are still readily available on Ebay.

To go over it, in addition to new tires, battery. You'll more than likely have to pull the carbs off and dismantle and soak. You'll want to check your front break lines for cracking due to age and excessive prolonged heat. More than likely you'll need to flush the entire system and clean out and possibly rebuild the mastercylinder. You'll need to flush and possibly seal the gas tank. Don't use Kream if you decide to, look into the gas tank seal kit sold by POR-15. You'll more than likely need to pull the petcock off the tank, dismantle completely and soak (do this with the carbs).

If the bike kicks over, do a compression check. If it's below 100 on either cylinder, I would re-ring. Drain the engine oil and refill also.

If you can get spark now, you could prolly get it running with limited expense and time.

Lastly, the shop asking for $500 is a bit steep for an initial look see. Good luck getting any of it back too if you decide to not let them do the work. The $500 would be better spent by you picking up any needed tools and the few things you'll need off the top, tires and battery. If you do decide to work on and you do the tires, be sure to pack the bearings with grease.

In the shape it sounds, I'd be all over trying to get it up and running. They are definitely fun bikes.

Good luck.

Answer 4

It is up to you on this one. A lot of it you could do your self, but it is going to be a lot of work. You can either get a new tank, or clean it. The gas lines and brake lines have to be replaced. The carb has to be rebuilt or replaced. It is a hot little bike. A friend of mine use to have one and I rode it a few times. It is a fun little bike. The $500 seems a little too steep to me. I work on my own bikes. Shops want way too much and half the time they are idiots. As far as value, it isn't worth that much, but if it has sentimental value go for it. You have to decide what it is worth to you. It will need tires, battery, and the other stuff I mentioned. It sounds like there is about $500 or $600 to invest just in parts. I don't personally think the bike is worth that much.

Answer 5

You will need to replace every piece of rubber, every gasket, every hose, every seal and every cable on this bike. Rebuild the carb, clean and re-line the gas tank, new battery, probably new bearings in the wheel and steering head.

To make this thing truly road worthy you're looking at about $700 just in parts and supplies. And that assumes you figure out all the labor yourself.

Sell the thing on ebay. Some enthusiast out there will love to get their hands on this thing. Take that money and go buy something that already runs, you seem like the kind of guy that doesn't need to be goofing around with learning to wrench.

Get yourself a GS or EX 500, or maybe an SV 650. They'll go just as fast as the RD 350, handle better, and they come with a warranty. And if you haven't done it already go take a riding class. Look for an MSF course in your area.

Answer 6

The RD350 is one of the scarcer models made by Yamaha and like your dad said: "Hot!" It was bred on the race tracks and "down sized" as a roadster. The bike now being 22 years old, you'll probably find there are few still left in running order - which explains why the bike shop you've referred to showed reluctance to touch it (they probably wont know how to get it running in any case, being neither used to such "old" technology, nor enthusiasts but rather mere salesmen - and to boot probably never even worked an a Yamaha!) Get onto the net - http://motorcycles.about.com/od/yamaha/Yamaha_Motorcycles.htm - is one of dozens of sites, and get chatting to fellow Yammie enthusiasts! We're a great bunch of folks who love our machines and are always willing to help and chat to a fellow Yammie owner! You'll probably find a fellow Yammie owner close-by and willing to help yoiu do the restoration job yourself (which looks to be a mere stripping down of the bike, cleaning everything and re-assembling it!) Good luck and enjoy this magnificent inheritance!

Answer 7

Celtic is on the right road here. If your dad only rode it once I'd bet it's not much on sentimental value.These were fast l'il 350's.The shop may not be 'out of line' asking alot to look it over,as in,they may do alot of dis assembly to give an accurate idea of what it'll take to get the bike right.I'd bet the bike needs a major tear-down.You may consider buying a 'Clymer'manual to see if ya wanna do it yourself.Check your online auctions & see if there's a market for it as is. Good Luck !

Answer 8

1975 Rd350

Answer 9

This is a job for an enthusiast restorer. I can't see that you would want to go to the time and expense of paying people to restore it for you with no certainty of getting your cash back on it. Give it a shot on Ebay or something similar to see what you could get for it.

Answer 10

Hey, I had the most success with Tims battery plan (just google it). In my experience it was the most useful method that I have tried so far. Maybe worth a shot.