Giant Killer. Review on Rajdoot Yamaha RD350

Well the first pointer to writing a review on mouthshut is ’’ Why did you buy this vehicle?’’ ..umm..well I havnt bought an RD350 , never owned one , so why the hell am I writing this review? read on..ok first off I AM gonna get meself an RD350 SOON. Why? well you have to ride one to know why...its a 2 stroke machine in the purest sense that I have ridden till date..mindblowing performance , loud , lottsa blue smoke, the only stock bike in India where you can experience a POWERBAND..& a 2 stroke powerband at that is just WILD! , she handles like a beauty , is one of the best handling bikes in the country , brakes are good but not for the speeds this bike does , the 6 speed gearbox, helps you tap into the juice of that twin cylinder & feel the powa!! well these arnt the exact reasons I wanna buy the RD...its just cas everythime you ride her she is never the same & never fails to make your heart skip a beat , be it the powerwheelies , the way the wheel just looses traction & wheel spins crazy outta corners & even on the straights, the way she just jerks your arm sockets out & gives you the most powerful pelvic thrust you’ll ever experience on an Indian Machine when she gets into the powerband , the handling is just mindblowing for a bike as big & almost as heavy as an Enfield ...that exhaust note...addictive man...the beautiful looks..the best racer cum tourer in this country...the list is endless & its the only upgrade from my ported RX135 so thats some of the reasons y ive got to get meself an RD :D

What I dislike about this vehicle is that spares are a bit of a pain to procure , dont get me wrong the spares ARE available & the expense of those parts & yes the fuel guzzling capabilities & the scarcity of GOOD & I mean real good RD tuners...not every mech can make your RD run like stink & you should not take your RD to any tom , dick & harry mech , if you dont understand y , youll find out later. lol ...that brakes..the tyres..a few other details like the fact that the stock RD runs on points which are a pain in the arse when not running rite..but then its a 20 year old bike what the hell did you expect??? something that you dont expect from a 20 year old bike is for it to beat the Comet in performance . Handling is a different issue with the Comet.

the best CDI’s customized for the RD350 are available at https://rddreams.com..i dont like the fact that all spares arnt being manufactured ( but thats not the RD’s fault), even for all its short commings in other aspects compared to todays bike , its performance WILL surprise you & have your knees knocking & ull be muttering to yourself like a mad man after getting off the RD..

Experiences?? Powerwheelie in 1st ,2nd & 3rd...almost throwing off the pillion everytime you launch at the signal riding an RD350 LT , wanna overtake? just open the throttle a lil , or drop a gear & scream pass & smoke the mutha ...cornering .... just not discribable ....the powerband....lolz its just orgasmic..i experienced my first real powerband on an RD350 HT with drag expansions...it was just CRAZZZZY....the bike felt slow ( not the CRAZZZY rush) till about 6500 rpm BUT once you cross that , hold on for the ride man , cas it just pulls ur arm sockets out , it pulls your whole body with the bike as it rushs towards the redline , its like one long , crazy pelvic thrust , lol ...your mouth will be open & ur eyes popping out ... once while doing a top speed run on modded RD350 with chambers I was wearing this open face helmet & at one point I was going preety fast ( maybe 155 km/hr ) & I heard my helmet strap stitching starting to tear...lolz too fast for the aerodynamics of the helmet....i just love this bike & I will never die a happy man till I own an RD350...i just love its simple yet beautiful looks , its simplicity ( even the engine) , its indianness (RAJDOOT :) ) its performance ....a good stock RD350’s ( though very few good stock RD’s are actually moving around & kicking a$$) performance will blow you away , & if stock performance is not enough tricking the bike is easy & doable , ported RD350 with expansions cross the 200km/hr + mark with ease....go to Bangalore to see some kickarse RD’s in action...

A little about the RD350 , two versions released in India :

the RD350 (HT) & the RD350 (LT) , HT = High Torque , LT = Low Torque ,

HT powerband starts around 5,500 rpm - 8000 rpm ( not sure)

LT powerband starts around 3000 rpm - 6000 rpm

what this translates into is that the LT enters the powerband very qwickly ...meaning wild , crazy , pickup which makes the LT good for city traffic , not too good on the highway since it hits a wall at 6000rpm . Top Speed on the LT is 140km/hr.

The HT on the other hand enters the powerband a little later , hence it feels a little sluggish in the city but then once it enters the powerband it is just crazy with an insane midrange and top end . the perfect bike for high speed runs & for highway touring ( starts making power at around 6000 rpm, so when the LT powerband stops the HT powerband starts lolz) Top Speed on the HT is 150km/hr.

the LT was introduced so that the RD could give better milage , the HT being the earlier version of the indian RD350 . The difference between & HT & LT were the port specs & the silencers. The Indian RD350 HT put out 32 horses & the LT put out 27 horses. Milage for a good RD350 ht should be around 25km/l ( with CDI).

Now who shoud buy this machine? Somebody who is passionate about his Bike , who eats , sleeps & drinks bikes , but that isnt enough , you gotta have atleast a respectable amount of money , a person who is passionate about the RD , a person who has some knowledge about the RD350 (or you WILL suffer) & atleast wants to learn more about the RD . A person who doesnt think twice when it comes to spending on his bike. If you arnt working or dont have a good Bank Balance & have issues on spending on your bike then DONT get an RD. ( collegians , no no) Remember fuel prices are rising so running & maintaining this bike is not a joke ( its not a CD100 to say the least lolz) maintaince isnt alot on a well maintained/ rebuilt RD but how many of those are around??...most people want to spend the least now & wind up spending more in the long run ( which is y you got shitty rebuilt RD’s running around), or sometimes the owner doesnt mind spending on his ride but the mech winds up screwing him..so you gotta learn..Get an RD IF your gonna make her RUN like an RD , with a top speed of atleast 135- 140 km/hr , dont buy an RD just to show off & get ur a$$ taken by RX’s & Pulsars ..if you get an RD make sure she MOVES like one , dont keep her in the showcase , she wasnt built for that , take good care of her & she will serve you well & take you all over the world although there will be frustrating times with her but thats all part of the game. Think you fit the bill? Then go for it.

Ok in the end I will sum it up like this , she is the Best Bang for Buck performace motorcycle in her class & tricked RD’s eat up 500’s & quite a few 600cc bikes ...no limits to the stuff you can do with this bike...a Strick , Pure Performance Indian Motorcycle & she was released 20 years back (lolz) ...an amazing Race Bike & an Amazing Highway Tourer ( well maintained RD’s will eats Enfields for breakfast , lunch & dinner on the highway , if you can afford the fuel bills :D ) Not a bike for your average Joe. Dont forget to rate this review.