RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

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tubeglower
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RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#1 Post by tubeglower » Sat May 31, 2014 9:03 pm

Hello to all.

I've been reading for a while this fantastic forum, learning and enjoying very much the builds of the members.

I recently bought a RD 350 YPVS (Christian Sarron replica) as it was sold in some European countries. The bike was in a sorry condition, but engine was sound and the bike was complete (only 8000 km). The list of points to pay attention was:

- Fairing in very sorry condition, bad repaired (lots of fiberglass and bondo) and rattle can sprayed. Not worried since I will convert it to front cowl.
- Fork leaks in both stanchions.
- All the three calipers are also leaking.
- Also leaks from the fuel peat-cock.
- YPVS no working.
- One of the silencers has some war signs.
- clip ons are bent, from many battles.
- Tank rusted in the low corners (typical), a big dent under the seat.

The bike arrived home like this:

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Brazilian 2UA

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#3 Post by tubeglower » Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:26 am

strip down process:

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#4 Post by tubeglower » Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:32 am

Fuel tank had a big dent and was leaking. The leaking area was covered with some cold welding paste and overlapped with horrendous tarmac strip... :smt021

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JonW
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#5 Post by JonW » Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:34 am

Interesting build, cant wait to see what you build with this one.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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tubeglower
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Location: Synera

Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#6 Post by tubeglower » Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:12 pm

JonW wrote:Interesting build, cant wait to see what you build with this one.
Thanks JonW. Nothing compared to some of the cool builds in the forum... I wanted to keep it simple, easy, and match the idea of the bikes racing endurance in the 80's. The nice part is that the RZ (we call them RD in Europe) were the terror for the Ducs, Laverdas, Guzzis, and most of the other Japs. The RD was a derivative TZ animal, extremely light, nimble, with a very good power/weight ratio and very reliable, so an absolute nightmare for the rest in TT2 (and even at close pace of many TT1 category bikes in the night hours).

I was a school kid when the last events of the endurance Montjuic 24 H were celebrated, but still remember them as a very big thing in the city and broadcast in tv. I would say today is only the Tourist Trophy in Man as a comparative thing... Big balls racers.

I have the luck that one good friend (close of 20 years older than me) was racing then, he raced Yamaha TZ and RD, Ducati SS and Pantah, Laverda 750 SCs, Suzuki GS 1000, and small Spanish Montesas and Bultacos... He still have the lap record at Montjuic in TT2, and you know what? It was with a 83 RD 350 YPVS. Back then, and for endurance, the Yamaha official tuning was basically to improve the stock bike:

- Blueprinting engine and polishing internal transfer flow. Stock expansion chambers (internally fiddled) and open admission to improve airflow, jetting carbs accordingly.
- Harsher clutch
- Brake pads
- Suspension tuning

This picture is a RD racing back then in 1984 in the Montjuic 24 Hour Endurance race, rider is one of the fast guys then (Eduard Carol).

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This is my friend on a RD probably a couple of years later... The guy with the curly hair speaking to him is Joan Garriga, who had epic battles with Sito Pons in 250 and 500 GP, sadly he took bad personal live choices when retired from racing.

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It is also very good that he has started a build project with a another RD and we are sharing a great time doing both.

In this last picture, my friend is the second in the podium, the winner is Joan Garriga.

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My friend Tomás was winning at Montjuic two years with Ducati, being his team mate Dennis Noyes, who is a "semi-local" guy, very well known in Spain also for his work as a motorcycle journalist.

It is actually quite nice to think that I am a friend of a champion of a world class race (Montjuic had that category), and it is crazy to see today in which safety and organizational conditions that guys were racing back then...

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#7 Post by tubeglower » Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:26 pm

back to the build...

Cleaning the rolling chassis

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I got this kit for panels dent reparations... Didn't fully work, though... So I used some creativity...

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two-stroke-brit
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#8 Post by two-stroke-brit » Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:58 pm

hi tubeglower, are you in spain ?.
and whats your screen name about ?
thanks mark
350LC,Athena 392 big bore,stock porting,swiss cheese air box,stock reeds,spec11 pipes.(now TSA big bore pipes)
She might not be pretty but she will always be a fun ride


1982 YAMA RD350LC
98KDX 220R
1967 TRIUMPH TIGER
2001 TRIUMPH TT600

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#9 Post by tubeglower » Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:12 pm

two-stroke-brit wrote:hi tubeglower, are you in spain ?.
and whats your screen name about ?
thanks mark

Hi two-stroke-brit, yes, you could say so, (actually from Catalunya)...
Name comes from when I started to be member in forums years ago, it was related with tube amplifiers (the old electronic vacuum valves used from the 40s and still used today), those tubes glow when energized, that is the origin.

Coming back to the tank, since the reparation kit did not work properly, I started to improvise as the pics show, The problem was that the thermoglue didn't have the strength and the puller tool was was actually breaking the adhesion before the dent was removed, probably the kit works with a big panel... I decided to drill some holes and use riveted nuts to be able to actually pull back the dent, since it was too deep to use any bondo. It worked but the drawback is that I had some more holes to take care off...

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Leaks management...

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By the way, the guy welding is my friend racing in the 80s that i told you about... :smt023
He is also my TIG welding teacher!! But I didn't dare that time to close the holes myself with so thin steel tank.

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JonW
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#10 Post by JonW » Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:46 pm

Good to see the idea behind this bike, I was living in Amsterdam in the mid 80s and we used to go to Zandvoort to watch the races, so saw a lot of RDs race back then.

Tank repair looks good. I have welded up holes in these tanks, its not an easy thing to do, as you say they are very thin.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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tubeglower
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Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 2:20 pm
Location: Synera

Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#11 Post by tubeglower » Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:23 pm

JonW wrote:Good to see the idea behind this bike, I was living in Amsterdam in the mid 80s and we used to go to Zandvoort to watch the races, so saw a lot of RDs race back then.

Tank repair looks good. I have welded up holes in these tanks, its not an easy thing to do, as you say they are very thin.

Amst :smt033 erdam!! Nice city. I am not interested myself in the psychotropic offer they have, but Holland is a country with fabulous home-engineers... I was once at home of an old guy producing himself a replica of a Honda RC166 (among other treasures), and when I say a replica, I mean the guy was casting himself in the garden all the aluminium parts of the engine!!

You are right, the tank is not an easy reparation... but unfortunately good shape tanks are as rare as flying dogs here, so buying a tank that probably has the same rust problems maybe was not wise. I wanted to go for all the process of refurbishing this one as a learning exercise in this case also...

Here it comes after lining it with epoxy, a light outer bondo layer in the repaired dent and a coat of primer with anti rust particles...

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#12 Post by tubeglower » Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:38 pm

Some preparation work came later :smt015 :smt015 :smt015

Fast action Domino adapted

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Air box tuning

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Carbs dress up

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Pit cock refurbish (zip tie is provisional, curing some epoxi glue to fix the outlet)

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#13 Post by tubeglower » Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:55 pm

Then I started with the suspension. I used a good recipe used in the classic racers here nowadays for RD/RZ

- Rear shock from R6, but with RD spring, since the original spring is longer, a specific part is turned to solve that

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Regarding the fork, complete disassemble, cleaning, fresh seals, 10mm spring compressors, new oil (automatic gearbox oil) and 0.3 or 0.4 bar of air pressure. Added a hand made aluminium bridge made out of 8mm thickness alloy plate. Very nice and firm action without feeling it harsh. :smt045 Sorry, no pics here...

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tubeglower
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#14 Post by tubeglower » Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:59 pm

Then started some chambers work...

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And refurbish the seat

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JonW
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Re: RD/RZ 350 YPVS Montjuïc Endurance build

#15 Post by JonW » Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:40 pm

nice work on the shock, Ive read a few guys who found the R6 spring too soft, did you make any more of those rings to fit the RD spring? Id love to try one.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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