Maybe out-of-remit, since although it was definately a motorcycle engine. it wasn’t actually IN a car or motorcycle (or jetski), but in a scrapyard.
Mildly idly curious, since I can’t remember seeing a Yam parallel twin here? Looked quite big so I guess could have been from an (illegally imported?) TX650/750
This particular Pointless Post is now a Pointless Picture Post.
[quote=“Ducked”]Maybe out-of-remit, since although it was definately a motorcycle engine. it wasn’t actually IN a car or motorcycle (or jetski), but in a scrapyard.
Mildly idly curious, since I can’t remember seeing a Yam parallel twin here? Looked quite big so I guess could have been from an (illegally imported?) TX650/750[/quote]
DefinitEly!
It’s a Yamaha 2-stroke twin with reed valve induction which makes it from the RD series. Judging from the shape of the cooling fins I’d say it was a 250, 350 or 400cc model, but they all look so similar it would take a close up of the cylinder base flange to identify it further. From the looks of it I’d guess it might be useful as an anchor for a small boat.
Prolly a 250. So many more of them than the larger ones. I used to have a 250 with 350 barrels. Chewed oil, smoked a lot when cold, but popped wheelies off the lights very easily unless you slipped the clutch a lot. Bags of fun and taught me to handle bikes that did not want to go where you pointed them (frame like a wet noodle).
Sandblast it down, powder coat it and sell it as a door-stop or a window display.
“Frozen in time” comes to mind.
Wasn’t planning on doing anything with it, its probably irreperable anyway (and its the wrong shape for a boat anchor). I just wondered what it was.
Surprised its a 2-stroke though, especially if it could be a 400.
Given the number of times people on here have lamented the abscence of big 2-strokes I’d have expected to hear more about these if they were around in any quantity, so I guess they aint.
Wonder if it would fit in any generally available frames. SR150?
They were standard issue when I was a teenager. Great, great bikes. EVERYONE and his uncle got a used RD250 as their first bike, sold it on after a few months and got an RD400. Fucking fast! There was also the track version that I raced for a few years that was a 350 and much faster than the 400. Glory days!
I’d read of the RD350 (often described as a “giant killer in its day”) but I probably wouldn’t have noticed one before coming here.
The existence of the engine might suggest there might be one or two intact bikes around, but I don’t think I’ve seen one.
According to Wikipedia an RD350B was made in India until about 1990, and there is still a spares supply chain operational there.
[quote=“Ducked”]I’d read of the RD350 (often described as a “giant killer in its day”) but I probably wouldn’t have noticed one before coming here.
The existence of the engine might suggest there might be one or two intact bikes around, but I don’t think I’ve seen one.
According to Wikipedia an RD350B was made in India until about 1990, and there is still a spares supply chain operational there.[/quote]
It was indeed a giant-killer in it’s day. The existence or not of a complete bike is pretty irrelevant since the chances of one having a legal registration are basically zero.