Operation: RZ350N REVIVAL - Florida 1985 48H Project

[TwoStrokeNut]

Had an H2..gee..wish I kept that one as well..as well as my RD 350 monoshock racer. Man I got rid of some gold...

Yep gold! It sucks when you have to get rid of stuff you love.

[TwoStrokeNut]

Saw some 29L horn stickers on eBay if you are still wanting them.

Thanks for the tip. Since I hadn't dropped in here for a while, I suppose I missed out on them. I'll take a look. Thanks for trying to help me spend my money!!

[TwoStrokeNut]

Service C26 - Create and install tool kit...

I’m not really after a perfectly correct RZ350 OEM tool kit here, but mostly something that looks close and would be mildly functional in a roadside breakdown. This bike is actually pretty comfortable to ride, so I may venture a bit further from home with it from time to time (maybe once the outside temps cool down a bit).

I found this “Vintage Yamaha” kit on Ebay at the very reasonable price of $14. The best thing about it is the pouch has a YAMAHA logo in it AND a yellow snap… a natural for a KR RZ350, right? I figured it was a good starting point anyway.

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I collected up all the OEM tools I could find lying around (that didn’t belong to a specific bike) and this is what I have. I believe all the ones on the case lid are Yamaha and the others on the right side are from some mini-bike or something.

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I swiped this picture off of ebay from an auction claiming to be an OEM RZ350 kit (thanks if it was someone on this forum selling it!), so will use this as my general reference and then add a couple extra tools to it.

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To my amazement, I have everything that’s pictured in the OEM kit, with the exception of the correct pouch, hold-down strap, and spark plug socket. At this point, I’m rather attached to that yellow-snapped pouch and I’m not giving it up! But I will need to locate a spark plug socket to complete the tools.

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I did discover the box end wrench would work in a pinch, however, for removing the plugs, so no big urgency in finding one.

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All the tools fill the bag nicely.

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Here it is, tucked in its spot of the bike. I will likely toss in a few hex keys in there for good measure.

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C26 Total Cost: US$14.00 (Yamaha OEM Toolkit)

[TwoStrokeNut]

Service C27 - Install front fairing trim...

I bought an aftermarket piece of trim from ebay for a discounted price years ago that supposedly was a “perfect” fit for the RZ350. It turned out to be garbage. So I splurged and bought the OEM part. What a difference!

I think it looks much better with the trim on the windshield now and it hides a few flaws on the painted fairing. It was a bit of struggle getting it on, but maybe that means it will stay on. At any rate, it is done.

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C27 Total Cost: US$30.00 (Fairing trim)

[JonW]

Looms great. the OEM trim isnt cheap but it is good quality and the right size etc.

Did you superglue it?

[Smoker]

Would look so much better if you blacked out the cowling area under the windshield.

[JonW]

+1 on that.

[Evans Ward]

I fell for that cheap replacement once that is sold on eBay from a western US seller- absolute junk! It would not bend around the curved edges at all. It went straight to the circular bin. OEM is the way to go here for sure and I use superglue and painters tape to hold all in place for 24 hrs before removing.

[TwoStrokeNut]

JonW - Thanks. Yes, it seemed to work perfectly. I didn’t feel the need to glue it, as it held on pretty tightly. Time will tell if it relaxes a bit and becomes less secure.

If I were to use some glue someday, I would probably opt for Shoe Goo, since I always have it on hand and I’ve had great luck with it on rubber/vinyl/fabric repairs for 15 years now. It’s very “stringy”, so care must be taken when using it in tight locations (a toothpick works fairly well for getting it into grooves). The tubes don’t dry up sitting on the shelf and it’s about US$5.00/tube. Oh btw, it works awesome on shoes too!

Its available in clear:

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Or black. I have never personally used black, but I’m tempted to try some to see if it works as well as the clear version.

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smoker - You know, something about that area has always bugged me. There is some yellow paint rubbed off and debris that gets trapped in there can be seen through the shield with the light background. Something just didn’t look right.

It didn’t even dawn on me that it should be black behind the shield. I have a large set of photos from a low mileage “showroom” condition RZ350 that I always consult when I question OEM condition and sure enough, it’s supposed to be black back there. AND it looks soooooo much better that way. I think even the OEM windshield has black backing on it as well, which likely helps with looks too. Thanks for pointing that out… it’s a fairly easy mod next time I have the fairing off so it’s getting added to the list so it’s not forgotten. I think it would be a big improvement to the overall bike.

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Evans Ward - Probably a trap many fall into. Thanks for the reassurance I did the correct thing by spending the big bucks. Sounds like another vote for superglue to fasten it too. I might have to consider it when the time comes.

[JonW]

yes you need to at the very least paint the screen black around the lower inside, but OEM the fairing is also black under it. I reckon you would get away with just the screen really.

[TwoStrokeNut]

yes you need to at the very least paint the screen black around the lower inside, but OEM the fairing is also black under it. I reckon you would get away with just the screen really.

I hope so. I just purchased a screen from silverstrom with the black on it and I'll see well that looks.

[TwoStrokeNut]

Grand Total of “Phase 1”...

Well, it’s time to close “Phase 1” out. I got the last couple lingering things done and now I get to see the grand total this little project has cost me.

If I did my math correctly, it totals US$ 1,460 which I guess isn’t too bad. I had figured around $1000, but that was before finding out the crank was toast and needing to go deep into the engine. At least now I have peace of mind knowing there are new crank seals.

THANKS FOR FOLLOWING ALONG! It was fun for me, hopefully for you too.

I’m not sure when I’ll get to the Phase II items, but you’ll read about them right here when I start them.

[JonW]

I reckon under $1500 is great, youve got to be happy with that :)