A 1973 Yamaha 360RT3 restoration
Sometimes we long after something we had many years ago. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion and it affects most of us. Story and photos Gaven Dall’Osto 44 years ago, a younger Ron Briais purchased a new Yamaha 360RT3 from Annand & Thompson in Brisbane. It was January 1974 and if you were around Brisbane at that time you’d remember the devastating flood. It just so happened that this very flood had also separated Ron from his new purchase. It took two weeks of nervous waiting while things were tidied up and Ron could finally pick up the bike.
The story goes that in the ‘60s (especially in the US) Scrambles, Enduros and Motocross were popular competition events. It was the British and Continental marques that were the main contenders back then, but the Japanese invasion of all things motorcycling was growing in momentum. Yamaha began their ‘Enduro’ bike quest in earnest in 1968. They developed a 250 Enduro from a clean sheet, sharing very little with their current range of motor cycles. This new Enduro was labelled the DT range. the ‘D’ referring to the engine capacity of 250cc. The design included a single cylinder, 2-stroke, light weight, high ground clearance unit that was at home in the bush but had headlights, turn signals etc., making it also suitable for the street. The DT1 was version one and sold like hot cakes. It was soon offered in 100, 125, 175 and 360cc. The initial 360 was the RT1 model (‘R’ denoting the 360cc engine). Subsequent upgrades were suffixed - so came the RT1-B, RT2 and by 1973 the RT became the RT3. The RT3 single was 351cc, air cooled, with 80mm bore and 70mm stroke, a compression ratio of 6.3:1. The Autolube system supplied oil to specific areas of the engine and didn’t mix in with the fuel, supplied by a VM32SH Mikuni carby. 30HP @ 6,000RPM produced between 43 to 53 miles per gallon, resulting in a range of 90 to 140 miles from the smallish 2.5 gallon tank. The 5-speed gearbox was close ratio for the first 3 gears then wide spaced for 4th and 5th, producing a top speed of 83 (plus) mph. Available initially in Black only, the RT3 version was changed to ‘Baja Brown’. The wheels were sizeable with a 4”x18” rear and a 3”x21” front. With ground clearance of 260mm, a climbing ability up to a 35 degree slope and a net weight of 119 kg made it very off-road capable. Ron enjoyed his Baja Brown RT3 for 5 years but moved on to four wheels having sold it to a guy in Strathpine. Ron gave up riding for the next 28 years but in 1996 he joined the HMCCQ and so his motorcycle past was re-sparked. Nostalgia had him in search of another 360RT3 to re-live his ‘70s memories. It wasn’t until 2015 at the Lowood Swap when Ron came across a complete engine. He took it home and continued the search. About six months passed and suddenly a complete bike was tracked down and purchased. They sat in storage until 2016 before Ron started to restore the RT3 to its former glory. Ron doesn’t do things by half, so every nut and bolt was attended to. The owner of the complete bike told Ron that he had purchased his RT3 from Brisbane. Ron then discovered that the two engine numbers were consecutive so must have been from the same Japanese shipment. He then thought that there was a slim chance that the complete bike may have even been his original unit. Restoration was a challenge with many new old stock parts having to come from the US. The engine hadn’t seen too many miles so just needed a good clean, new bearings, rings and fine tuning. Ron had engine guru Steve Costin do the engine work. The paint was beautifully done by the Paint Doctor before everything was bolted back in place. The RT3 was completed in time to have it registered and with 9.3 miles on the clock before the 2018 Laverda Concours. Ron was lucky to get an appropriate number plate in period ‘70s black and white stamped ‘73 YAM’. I caught up with Ron at the Concours to take a few photos and hung around for the presentations where Ron was rewarded with the 3rd place trophy in the Japanese Pre-1984 Class. Whoever said that nostalgia was a disease had it all wrong. Nostalgia is in fact is a powerful medicine and the smile on Ron’s face is testament to the joy the RT3 has brought back into his life.