Phil Caplan 1974 Yamaha RD350 in TZ350 chassis
“I PURCHASED THIS Yamaha from a classic bike dealer in Chesterfield about eight years ago. It was in the white and red colours of a TD2 replica and was used by the proprietor of the dealership for racing in the Vintage Motorcycle Racing Club, and it was Vrc-registered.
“I’d always wanted a proper racing bike on the road rather than a ubiquitous café racer, which may have been a novel idea but wasn’t without a lot of problems. The vendor assured me the bike – an air-cooled RD350 – was compatible as it had been registered for on-road use, which was true enough, but once the bike had been delivered and closely inspected, I realised it was shot to bits internally and couldn’t have been ridden in any shape or form. The gearbox, clutch, seals, carbs, etc were all worn out.
“However, it didn’t bother me too much as, aesthetically, it was just perfect looking and its worn-out state presented me with a blank canvas to restore it how I imagined it should be. And I was already salivating at the thought of it in Kenny Roberts livery.
“Being extremely technically minded when it comes to fourstrokes, but not so well versed in two-strokes, I decided to send it away to a two-stroke specialist for recommissioning for road use, with a plan to create the ultimate on-road racer!
“Two years down the line, after many phone calls, it came back with an extremely shoddy engine build with a pile of noncompatible parts so it would never run properly.
“In a bid to get it sorted, I then sent it to a Suffolk restoration specialist who couldn’t get the bike to run properly either. But on this occasion I can at least praise them for executing the yellow and black livery exactly as I’d asked for.
“Undeterred, I tried one more time to get it sorted, and contacted Vic, who I’d found by gingerly yet obsessively scanning the web for hours in search of a true two-stroke expert.
“I phoned him for a chat and instantly felt good vibes – he sounded knowledgeable and extremely interesting, with a passion for two-strokes. After a detailed discussion with Vic about exactly how I wanted the bike to look and perform, he carried out the work required to a very high standard, and with enthusiasm beyond belief.
“The bike is now highly-tuned, tempered with consideration for making it useable on the road and reliable for sunny day outings, and I can’t praise Vic enough for all the hours he has put into the bike for me.”