RESTORATION
WARNING: If you already own one, this article contains some potentially distressing (and expensive) information…
Few owners are more passionate about their bikes than fans of the RD350LC. Those who were young tearaways back in 1980 are now searching out the perfect example of the bike that defined their twowheeled world. But what is ‘perfect’ and how much can it cost?
“It’s driven by nostalgic riders who had an LC back in the day, done the family thing and now have disposable income as the kids have left home,” says Daryll Young of RD experts IDP Moto. “Over the last 10 years this has seen LC prices rocket and even a ratty one is £3000. But what everyone wants is a mint, ‘4L0’ matching numbers bike and they’re prepared to pay for one. A mint LC is now £8000-up, eight times what it was in 1980, and full of near-impossible to locate items. But that’s what the market wants and that’s where people like us with the knowledge and contacts to locate such parts come in.”
If you are one of those LC nerds who is after that Holy Grail of bikes, here are Daryll’s tips on what you need to keep an eye out for…
Paint, panels and finish
“The white with blue or red decals is the iconic look, however the black ‘Mars bar’ is going through a resurgence. The tank’s decals should be lacquered, but not on the side panels, tail or mudguard, however we do it or they just peel off! The LC has several plated finishes – drab olive green, yellow zinc and bright zinc. Drab olive is very hard to get done nowadays as it contains arsenic, which is why most of the screws on restored bikes that should be olive are black. You can buy aftermarket replacement body panels (they always crack over time), but the chrome grab rail is very rare. Tanks rot through on their seams but you can buy Indian-built pattern tanks for £300 that are very good.”
Frame and cycle parts
“The frame seldom rusts but the sidestand lug snaps off as owners used to sit on the bike on its stand, weakening it. The single disc 250 had a plastic blanking plate over the redundant holes and its master cylinder is smaller. Purists want rubber brake hoses, so we recondition old ones. The 350’s rear wheel has a separate sprocket carrier. Lots of 350s have 250 rear wheels.”
Frame/engine numbers
“It should have matching engine and frame numbers with UK-spec 350s starting ‘4L0’ and 250s ‘4L1’. There’s also a metal plate riveted to the headstock with the number on. If the plate is missing or the number hard to read, the frame has probably been powder-coated. The stamping on the engine number is a bit wonky as standard from Yamaha!”
Clocks and switchgear
“The trip-zero knob breaks off and any imported bike’s clocks will be in kilometres. You can buy a covering mph sticker, but it looks tatty and so mph clocks demand premium prices. While you can still buy new switchgear stickers, you can’t buy the switchgear or individual switches – only the kill switch is made aftermarket as they always snapped off.”
Engine and exhausts
“The barrels are marked ‘4L0’. If they’re marked 4L1 or the marking has been ground off they’re either 250 barrels or 350 ones that a 17-year-old fitted illegally to a 250! The 250 and 350 carbs are identical bar jetting but are also stamped 4L0 or 4L1. You can’t buy replacement carbs. The 250 and 350 pipes have different baffles and are stamped 4L0, 4L1 or 4L2 on their inner side.”
The finer details…
“There’s a plastic cover over the wiring at the headstock and also under the seat, both of which are almost impossible to locate – I’ve seen them for over £200. The original seat cover is heat-welded along its seam and pattern ones are stitched, the twin horns are two-tone and one key should operate the ignition, seat lock and fuel tank. Purists will spot these details…”