New to DOTHETON, New Bike, any assistance/mehanics?

[kenmasters]

Hi everyone,

I love the cafe racer scene and I recently purchased a 1975 Yamaha RD350. These 2 stroke engines are speedy, but it may be hard to maintain and repair. I live in Toronto. Where do you guys meet, and are there any mechanics you would recommend ?

thanks!
-K

 

[JustinLonghorn]

Welcome to the site, sir.

The RD's are fantastic motorcycles. If you do not modify the motor, it should last a long time without problems. Make sure to replace all seals in the motor, especially crank seals.

Repairs are relatively cheap. A quick overbore and a new set of pistons/rings are all it usually takes to get them going again. Usually.

 

[Tim]

Ken - welcome to DTT. A few of us are in Toronto as well (myself included). There are good mechanics around the city, and I can suggest Cyclewerx near High Park as somewhere I frequent. I do most of my own wrenching, but have farmed work out on occasion. Just be aware that tuning these bikes is the most finicky part of the job, and difficult to predict how many hours would be required.

Anyhow - give Cyclewerx a shout and talk to Tom - tell him Tim sent you

We haven't been having regular get togethers in Toronto recently, but the big weekly bike night in Toronto is Thursday, and you'll find a couple hundred bikes at the Tim Hortons at Lakeshore/Leslie on any given Thursday around 8-9PM.

We also hang out at our good friend Hide's bar, the Black Dice Cafe at 1574 Dundas St West.

 

[kenmasters]

Thanks! Perhaps I'll see you guys around sometime. The bike runs. A bit smokey at the start, but clears up after some riding. Thinking it's just old oil buildup. Doing a teardown on the crank case is something I haven't done before, but I may take this up over the winter. I do need some parts, like a new fuel tank (thinking of a RD400 tank, or a Benelli), handlebars, new seat, new lights, shifter/footpeg relocation. I may attempt in making my own custom exhaust if I can't source an inexpensive one...

I'll post pics soon.

 

[JustinLonghorn]

Ha, it should smoke, man. It is a 2-stroke.

 

[Tim]

If it's running, don't take it apart! Save that for a 2nd project bike. Always keep one bike running and on the road

 

[kenmasters]

I won't... for now, just cosmetic changes, and maybe a tear down during the winter when I have some downtime

 

[78kz]

Welcome K.
Also ride in TO occasionally, but live North of the city.
Do post up some pix of your RD.
Never had one, but my brother did as well as some other buddies.

Robbie's shop, Rocket Motorcycle, is the place for 2 strokes.
My brother used them exclusively back in the day.
Robbie's usually down on Thurs nights on his Harley with extended forks.

Check out some reviews here:
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?146316-rocket-motorcycle-shop-in-toronto-reviews-anyone