RD 350 front end advice
- Thread starter cafeguy78
- Start date
It's just in terrible shape. It definately needs new tubes and I think I only have one of the calipers- rust- kinda tyring to be lazy here. And I am not even 100 percent sure what it is from... I am replacing the steering bearings because they are not quite smooth anymore- kinda feels bumpy when I turn the wheel. I figured while everything is off Just throw a whole new front end on there.
Are the tubes pitted near the area of travel? That's the main thing it seems...everything else can pretty much be rebuilt. I just got the same bike an orange 75...and it has some serious pogo sticks up front. I think just changing the fork oil can go a long way. But really fitting new springs and a rebuild is the best bet. But if the forks are pitted then yea better look around, new seals will never last. It seems that I have read that FZR400 have the same diameter, not sure about axle diameter or length though. Then you will probably have to use an FZR wheel, which would be cool, but probably not worth all the trouble. Just look around for some decent RD350 or 400 forks, the 400 are an inch longer and use a different caliper but I think they bolt right on otherwise. Fit some progressive springs and new oil and should be an awesome ride. Do you know if the RD wheel is still intact, or is it from the GT? Post up some pics...
I just reread your post, do you have to have a dual disc setup? I think that the single rd one is plenty strong...even as tired and worn out as my whole setup is, it has some bite. I have seen where guys put the FZR front end on, but then remove on caliper/disc because in cafe trim the bike is just so light and the dual disc is overkill. Just a thought... 
So far I have never even ridden an RD. My buddy raced this one way back and he said the single disc didn't give it much stopping power at all. I do have the dual disc set up. The calipers i'm sure will need to be rebuilt but I have everything I need there... I still have to figure out what it is from so I can replace the fork tubes at least... I was just looking for suggestions because the local bike shops so far had no clue or just didn't want to help.
Well, everything always comes back to what you're willing to spend :-\ ... Fork tubes are expensive for new ones, probably like $250 for a pair, and that's just the tubes. For a little more money you could do a stock front end proper. Probably $75 for good used forks, $25 for pads, $100 springs, $15 fork oil, and you can probably pick up the whole brake system pretty cheap, replace the hoses with a stainless line, and use a good rotor. Kinda expensive huh? Add another $170 for Racetech emulators and that will be an awesome front end. Will be more for the dual setup. And if the forks are not RD350 length that could throw you geometry off, unless you drop them down. The RD has always been considered a good handling bike, considering age, so keep that in mind.
Do they look like GT750 brakes? They seem to be pretty easily identifiable from looking at some pics on google.
Do you have pics posted up anywhere, would love to see it? What other mods have been done?
BTW the RD is quite an interesting ride! Not as bad as some 2 strokes, but still, its like an on/off switch at around 6000. You can tune the powerband to be lower and more broad...again all in what you want to spend...Could easily sink like 5 grand in one, easily! Boy wouldn't that be fun! Being poor sucks :'( .
Do they look like GT750 brakes? They seem to be pretty easily identifiable from looking at some pics on google.
Do you have pics posted up anywhere, would love to see it? What other mods have been done?
BTW the RD is quite an interesting ride! Not as bad as some 2 strokes, but still, its like an on/off switch at around 6000. You can tune the powerband to be lower and more broad...again all in what you want to spend...Could easily sink like 5 grand in one, easily! Boy wouldn't that be fun! Being poor sucks :'( .
I have no clue about the brakes- I have to do a little more research to figure it out. My buddy who raced it rebuilt the bike a few times but he wasn't the main man behind what went where... I do have braided lines already I scavenged from another of my buddys bikes. I don't have any pics up yet. As for mods- hard to say- right now I am pretty much looking at a frame and motor, front end, combustion chambers and missing a swing arm. He said everything is there (in those two trash cans and five gallon buckets). I know the motor has been bored-34 mikunis and a broken engine mount on the frame- other than that I didn't really ask for too much information considering he pretty much gave me the bike and I wanted to stay in his good graces until I got it to my house. Possession is nine tenth of the law! After reading your post though I might go stock RD front end. Too bad I just spend lastnight poishing the triple tree clamp. And yeah- being poor does suck.