- 19B30559-0934-480B-8006-53FAE914FCB0.jpeg (179.28 KiB) Viewed 120939 times
Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
Moderators: Aladinsaneuk, MartDude, D-Rider, Moderators
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
That's mine finished, always wanted a "Mars Bar" LC.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
That looks lovely, Tipper. I really like the Mars Bar colour scheme as well. Had it been an option when they first came out, I'd probably have gone for that, but in August 1980 it was a case of take what you're allocated.
The white wheels work quite well I think, but they are actually a bit scabby and need a refresh, but that can wait for winter. I'm still not sure whether to return the wheels to standard (like yours) or re-do them in white. The white wheels really do give the bike a 'lift', but they're a bugger to keep clean. Mind you, so are standard wheels. The reason I had the wheels coated white was because road salt had got at the alloy and made a right mess of them. No chance of that happening now...
The white wheels work quite well I think, but they are actually a bit scabby and need a refresh, but that can wait for winter. I'm still not sure whether to return the wheels to standard (like yours) or re-do them in white. The white wheels really do give the bike a 'lift', but they're a bugger to keep clean. Mind you, so are standard wheels. The reason I had the wheels coated white was because road salt had got at the alloy and made a right mess of them. No chance of that happening now...
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
It's been quite a while since I posted up any updates. In September, with the bike just having got its MoT, we gallivanted off to the moneypit in France for a much-delayed (by Covid) break, and stayed for a whole 5 weeks. Lovely. This meant that by the time I got back autumn was well advanced in the UK (mid October). However I did manage to get about 300 running in miles racked up and the bike now feels pretty good. It's been running in so far on premix using basic mineral two stroke oil so that rings etc. bed in quickly. When it next turns a wheel it will use the injector pump with fully synth Silkolene Comp2.
Then I can start giving it some beans...
My last ride was to Buxton and back (from Sheffield) and it brought back memories of when it was my sole transport and it got used in all weathers. Even 10 degrees is a bit on the cold side for me these days, so it got washed down, returned to the shed and had its wheels taken off and all bearings, seals, circlips, discs, brake shoes etc removed. Then the bare wheels were taken first to a local firm to have them dipped and vapour blasted and then taken over to the most excellent C J Ward in Burton on Trent to be powder coated back to as close to original as possible (I'd decided that originality was the way to go). This was just before Christmas.
A few days ago (just before the snow arrived) so did these little beauties. I'm delighted with the way they've turned out.
Now it's down to fitting tyres, inner tubes (I hate those fuckers), bearings, oil seals etc, then put the wheels back on the bike.
Then I can start giving it some beans...
My last ride was to Buxton and back (from Sheffield) and it brought back memories of when it was my sole transport and it got used in all weathers. Even 10 degrees is a bit on the cold side for me these days, so it got washed down, returned to the shed and had its wheels taken off and all bearings, seals, circlips, discs, brake shoes etc removed. Then the bare wheels were taken first to a local firm to have them dipped and vapour blasted and then taken over to the most excellent C J Ward in Burton on Trent to be powder coated back to as close to original as possible (I'd decided that originality was the way to go). This was just before Christmas.
A few days ago (just before the snow arrived) so did these little beauties. I'm delighted with the way they've turned out.
- DSC_4894.JPG (661.01 KiB) Viewed 120182 times
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
Hot damn....
Those wheels look amazing.
Those wheels look amazing.
It's the V-twin thing. There's just something about it that inline-4s don't have at all, and V-4s don't have enough of.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
I've only just realised that it's been nearly 18 months since I updated this thread. Mea maxima culpa...
The next step after the wheels was to get the exhausts refurbed, and for them I decided to go with ceramic coating. It's pricey but the finish is about as close as you can get to factory original.
The running in miles had clicked over to the point where I was ready to switch over to the autolube pump and high quality Silkolene Comp2 oil, and so the switch over was made and me and Mrs Mango set out on a celebratory ride into the Derbyshire Peak District. So off we went, cleared the urban sprawl and were just about to start on the twisty bits of the A621 on the way to Bakewell when - guess what?
The bloody thing seized solid halfway round a bend - that's what.
Fortunately some vestige of muscle memory had kept my left hand hovering over the clutch lever, and we managed to avoid a painful, expensive and unpleasant meeting with the tarmac (or a car coming in the opposite direction.) It's hard to put in words just how pissed off I was, after spending most of 2020 restoring and rebuilding the bike, only to have the bike's first outing of 2021 end so unceremoniously.
After another look at the bike I fairly quickly spotted what had caused the seizure. Basically the LH cylinder (why is it always the LH cylinder?) was starved of oil because the oil delivery pipe for that cylinder had come into contact with the hot exhaust and had been cut in two. The photo below shows it more eloquently than I can explain.
All this was because I have always been annoyed by how little slack Yamaha provided on their delivery pipe. It only ever JUST fitted. Now I know why. By providing a lot more slack in the oil pipe I became the unwitting architect of my own downfall.
As it turned out, the damage to the cylinder was not as bad as I feared and the aluminium smears were cleaned up with a light hone. The piston was toast, of course, so a new pair of Mitaka's finest were needed. And when it was all reassembled I made very sure that there was no slack in the supply pipes. And just to go full belt and braces, I bound all oil delivery and supply oil pipes in spiral wrap. Once bitten...
The next issue I encountered was one I'd been peripherally aware of for a while. Oil on the shed floor, by the LH side of the centre stand. After consulting various forums, it appears that there are 3 possible causes of Elsie's incontinence:
1. The gear shift rod wears against the oil seal and over time the seal lip gouges a groove in the shaft allowing gearbox oil past.
2. The neutral indicator switch either gets cracked or the inner oil seal decays and falls to pieces allowing gearbox oil past.
3. There are two aluminium bungs that are punched into gear shaft drillings in the crankcase and over time these unseat themselves allowing gearbox oil past.
As it happened, I had all 3 issues to a greater or lesser degree and had to fix all of them. #1 is a well-known issue with LCs of a certain age; in some cases the steel shaft actually wears the alloy crankcases giving rise to iffy gear changes. Mine hasn't gone that far but the solution is the same; hoick out the old oil seal and replace it with a niftily machined alloy part incorporating an o-ring, phosphor bronze insert and new oil seal housing which moves its position outwards by 10-15mm and on to an unmolested part of the shaft (see picture).
The machined alloy part is an interference fit and is drifted in to the former oil seal housing using a suitable length of steel tube. Once the alloy part is fully home, the oil seal is then drifted into position in the same manner. By far the hardest part of the whole operation was removing the old oil seal. Once that was out, cleaning up the seal housing and fitting the new parts was the work of a couple of minutes. The kit even provides a replacement for the manky 40 year old nylon sleeve that protects the gear change shaft from flappy chains.
However close examination of the above picture shows an oil droplet poised to descend from the neutral indicator switch housing. So I'd only partially cured the problem. Next step was to unscrew the 3 fasteners holding the switch cover in place and check out the state of the cover and o-ring behind it. The cover was fine and undamaged, but the 40 year old o-ring was brittle and flaky. Thankfully a replacement part was available and inexpensive and a few days later that was fitted. Would that cure Elsie's incontinence?
No it wouldn't. It was still bloody leaking oil...
After further investigation (and consultation with the LC nutters on the RDLC forum) it appears that oil was weeping past the little alloy bungs that blank off the holes for the shift fork spindles. Apparently they work loose over time and start weeping oil. The cure (allegedly) is to give them a little tap (nothing too violent) to re-seat them and allow them to seal again. There are two such bungs, one by the neutral switch plate, and the other just behind the gearbox sprocket.
Just to be sure I ordered a pair of new ones from Fowlers as backup if the weeping continued. If so I'd remove the ones in there and seat the new ones on a bed of silicone sealant. But I gave the tap treatment a go first, as it was cheapest and easiest and I do have a strong lazy streak.
When I came to inspect the gearbox sprocket area I was quite surprised by the amount of oil that seeped out since I last had a butchers. You can clearly see that the forward bung (circled in red) is wet with oil and there is a fair old pool of it in the crankcase web.
I cleaned up all the oil using paper towels and brake cleaner and then gave the bungs a restrained (but still manly) tap with a drift and hammer. Would this work?
As you've probably guessed - no it didn't. So I headed out into the shed armed with a cordless drill and a selection of drill bits. After a few minutes, this was the scene:
Being ali the little plug didn't put up too much resistance. It's only 4mm deep and there is an air gap before you hit the end of the selector shaft. I drilled a pilot, then a 5mm hole as 5mm is the tapping clearance for an M6 x 1.0 thread. The plan was to tap an M6 thread then use some kind of slide hammer type arrangement to get the plug out. I was secretly hoping that the action of tapping an M6 thread would cause the plug to loosen its grip and come free; and believe it or not that was exactly what happened. Not just for one but both. That made life a whole lot easier.
I then cleaned up the holes with a mixture of paper towels, brake cleaner, vacuum cleaner and compressed air. But not at the same time. That would have been silly. Then I dug out the tube of Threebond I've been using for years and painted TB1215 over plugs and holes and tapped the plugs into the holes using a drift. One went in dead easy - the other put up a bit of a fight. Guess which is which...
The new plugs were left for a day or two (or three or four) for the TB to cure, and then the gearbox was re-filled. And having had a look at the grooves on the clutch pushrod where it encounters the oil seal, that also got renewed. And the result?
A totally oil-free shed floor and engine. Top banana.
The next step after the wheels was to get the exhausts refurbed, and for them I decided to go with ceramic coating. It's pricey but the finish is about as close as you can get to factory original.
- DSC_5372.JPG (739.05 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
The bloody thing seized solid halfway round a bend - that's what.
Fortunately some vestige of muscle memory had kept my left hand hovering over the clutch lever, and we managed to avoid a painful, expensive and unpleasant meeting with the tarmac (or a car coming in the opposite direction.) It's hard to put in words just how pissed off I was, after spending most of 2020 restoring and rebuilding the bike, only to have the bike's first outing of 2021 end so unceremoniously.
After another look at the bike I fairly quickly spotted what had caused the seizure. Basically the LH cylinder (why is it always the LH cylinder?) was starved of oil because the oil delivery pipe for that cylinder had come into contact with the hot exhaust and had been cut in two. The photo below shows it more eloquently than I can explain.
All this was because I have always been annoyed by how little slack Yamaha provided on their delivery pipe. It only ever JUST fitted. Now I know why. By providing a lot more slack in the oil pipe I became the unwitting architect of my own downfall.
- DSC_5106.JPG (504.47 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
As it turned out, the damage to the cylinder was not as bad as I feared and the aluminium smears were cleaned up with a light hone. The piston was toast, of course, so a new pair of Mitaka's finest were needed. And when it was all reassembled I made very sure that there was no slack in the supply pipes. And just to go full belt and braces, I bound all oil delivery and supply oil pipes in spiral wrap. Once bitten...
- DSC_5363.JPG (685.91 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
The next issue I encountered was one I'd been peripherally aware of for a while. Oil on the shed floor, by the LH side of the centre stand. After consulting various forums, it appears that there are 3 possible causes of Elsie's incontinence:
1. The gear shift rod wears against the oil seal and over time the seal lip gouges a groove in the shaft allowing gearbox oil past.
2. The neutral indicator switch either gets cracked or the inner oil seal decays and falls to pieces allowing gearbox oil past.
3. There are two aluminium bungs that are punched into gear shaft drillings in the crankcase and over time these unseat themselves allowing gearbox oil past.
As it happened, I had all 3 issues to a greater or lesser degree and had to fix all of them. #1 is a well-known issue with LCs of a certain age; in some cases the steel shaft actually wears the alloy crankcases giving rise to iffy gear changes. Mine hasn't gone that far but the solution is the same; hoick out the old oil seal and replace it with a niftily machined alloy part incorporating an o-ring, phosphor bronze insert and new oil seal housing which moves its position outwards by 10-15mm and on to an unmolested part of the shaft (see picture).
- DSCF2955.JPG (631.6 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
The machined alloy part is an interference fit and is drifted in to the former oil seal housing using a suitable length of steel tube. Once the alloy part is fully home, the oil seal is then drifted into position in the same manner. By far the hardest part of the whole operation was removing the old oil seal. Once that was out, cleaning up the seal housing and fitting the new parts was the work of a couple of minutes. The kit even provides a replacement for the manky 40 year old nylon sleeve that protects the gear change shaft from flappy chains.
- DSCF2959.JPG (444.99 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
However close examination of the above picture shows an oil droplet poised to descend from the neutral indicator switch housing. So I'd only partially cured the problem. Next step was to unscrew the 3 fasteners holding the switch cover in place and check out the state of the cover and o-ring behind it. The cover was fine and undamaged, but the 40 year old o-ring was brittle and flaky. Thankfully a replacement part was available and inexpensive and a few days later that was fitted. Would that cure Elsie's incontinence?
No it wouldn't. It was still bloody leaking oil...
After further investigation (and consultation with the LC nutters on the RDLC forum) it appears that oil was weeping past the little alloy bungs that blank off the holes for the shift fork spindles. Apparently they work loose over time and start weeping oil. The cure (allegedly) is to give them a little tap (nothing too violent) to re-seat them and allow them to seal again. There are two such bungs, one by the neutral switch plate, and the other just behind the gearbox sprocket.
Just to be sure I ordered a pair of new ones from Fowlers as backup if the weeping continued. If so I'd remove the ones in there and seat the new ones on a bed of silicone sealant. But I gave the tap treatment a go first, as it was cheapest and easiest and I do have a strong lazy streak.
When I came to inspect the gearbox sprocket area I was quite surprised by the amount of oil that seeped out since I last had a butchers. You can clearly see that the forward bung (circled in red) is wet with oil and there is a fair old pool of it in the crankcase web.
- DSCF3037.JPG (380.51 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
I cleaned up all the oil using paper towels and brake cleaner and then gave the bungs a restrained (but still manly) tap with a drift and hammer. Would this work?
As you've probably guessed - no it didn't. So I headed out into the shed armed with a cordless drill and a selection of drill bits. After a few minutes, this was the scene:
- DSCF3072.JPG (564.35 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
Being ali the little plug didn't put up too much resistance. It's only 4mm deep and there is an air gap before you hit the end of the selector shaft. I drilled a pilot, then a 5mm hole as 5mm is the tapping clearance for an M6 x 1.0 thread. The plan was to tap an M6 thread then use some kind of slide hammer type arrangement to get the plug out. I was secretly hoping that the action of tapping an M6 thread would cause the plug to loosen its grip and come free; and believe it or not that was exactly what happened. Not just for one but both. That made life a whole lot easier.
I then cleaned up the holes with a mixture of paper towels, brake cleaner, vacuum cleaner and compressed air. But not at the same time. That would have been silly. Then I dug out the tube of Threebond I've been using for years and painted TB1215 over plugs and holes and tapped the plugs into the holes using a drift. One went in dead easy - the other put up a bit of a fight. Guess which is which...
- DSCF3073.JPG (497.43 KiB) Viewed 117043 times
The new plugs were left for a day or two (or three or four) for the TB to cure, and then the gearbox was re-filled. And having had a look at the grooves on the clutch pushrod where it encounters the oil seal, that also got renewed. And the result?
A totally oil-free shed floor and engine. Top banana.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
A couple of weeks ago I had to go in for a hernia op and I'm still in recovery mode and getting mighty bored endlessly watching Youtube vids and scouring forums, so I've been looking around for something to do that doesn't involve too much (preferably very little) exertion. And I've found something - buying stuff.
The stuff in question is a set of brake caliper adaptors. all the way from Webike in Japan. It all started when I was browsing a thread on the RDLC nutters forum regarding alternative calipers for LCs. I upgraded the brakes on the VFR earlier in the year to 4 pad 4 pot Brembos off the Factory RSV Mille, so that left the old calipers surplus to requirements. These are old (mid-1990s) Goldline Brembo 4 pot jobs, as fitted to early 916s. Not shabby, by any means.
I asked some questions on the forum and one of the peeps gave me a link to a set of adaptors. They looked absolutely bang on - made to fit 1980-82 350LC (well, OK RZ350 in the blurb) with 42.5 mm mounting centres and 4 pot Brembo Goldlines with 40mm mounting centres and single pad pin. Check. These are the calipers:
Price including 3 day courier shipping was a very reasonable £83.40 so I hit the buy button and a few days later these little puppies turned up:
Mmmmm, Shiny, shiny...
I can't actually fit the calipers and brackets to the bike yet, as I decided that I wanted stealth rather than gold bling and sent the dismantled calipers off to Powerhouse in Chesterfield for them to clean, refurbish and repaint in satin black (same as OE). The Brembo name and logo will have the paint removed in similar fashion to OE. Just in case you'd forgotten what an LC caliper looks like, here 'tis:
They're pretty rubbish by today's standards, being a sliding caliper design, and I always leave more room than usual to the vehicle in front, simply because I don't trust them to pull me up quickly in an emergency stop situation. And having taken a look at that photo, I think I've found something else I can do with my enforced leisure - give the LC a good wash.
The stuff in question is a set of brake caliper adaptors. all the way from Webike in Japan. It all started when I was browsing a thread on the RDLC nutters forum regarding alternative calipers for LCs. I upgraded the brakes on the VFR earlier in the year to 4 pad 4 pot Brembos off the Factory RSV Mille, so that left the old calipers surplus to requirements. These are old (mid-1990s) Goldline Brembo 4 pot jobs, as fitted to early 916s. Not shabby, by any means.
I asked some questions on the forum and one of the peeps gave me a link to a set of adaptors. They looked absolutely bang on - made to fit 1980-82 350LC (well, OK RZ350 in the blurb) with 42.5 mm mounting centres and 4 pot Brembo Goldlines with 40mm mounting centres and single pad pin. Check. These are the calipers:
- Brembo_Goldline.JPG (49.6 KiB) Viewed 116983 times
Price including 3 day courier shipping was a very reasonable £83.40 so I hit the buy button and a few days later these little puppies turned up:
- DSCF3167.JPG (1.08 MiB) Viewed 116983 times
Mmmmm, Shiny, shiny...
I can't actually fit the calipers and brackets to the bike yet, as I decided that I wanted stealth rather than gold bling and sent the dismantled calipers off to Powerhouse in Chesterfield for them to clean, refurbish and repaint in satin black (same as OE). The Brembo name and logo will have the paint removed in similar fashion to OE. Just in case you'd forgotten what an LC caliper looks like, here 'tis:
- DSCF3163.JPG (738.64 KiB) Viewed 116983 times
They're pretty rubbish by today's standards, being a sliding caliper design, and I always leave more room than usual to the vehicle in front, simply because I don't trust them to pull me up quickly in an emergency stop situation. And having taken a look at that photo, I think I've found something else I can do with my enforced leisure - give the LC a good wash.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
So today at 9 a.m. saw me rocking up to Dave Whattam's place in West Yorkshire with my LC in the van. Half an hour or so later it was strapped down onto the dyno and Dave was doing some initial checks. First thing was to check the state (and presence!) of the air filter and make sure it wasn't over-oiled. Then he checked the setting of the oil pump, and was pleased to see it had been recently overhauled by 'Arrow' on the RDLC Crazy forum. Then it was time to have a look at the plugs and after that time to warm the engine up and do some exploratory runs.
The first dyno runs confirmed what I knew to be true - that there was a black hole in the powerband at 5000 revs that didn't clear until gone 5500 rpm. Even before he'd checked the Air-Fuel ratio, Dave could tell it was running very rich, partly due to me running a very conservative (i.e. big) main jet size. Each run Dave did, the top end improved as it burnt off carbon deposits brought about by running in mileage. So now it was time to pull the carbs off for inspection and jetting changes.
I couldn't believe how quickly Dave had the carb broken down to its component parts. On both carbs there was loads of crap in the emulsion tube chambers, and also behind the brass balls, The float needles and seats were badly worn on both carbs, allowing the fuel level to be too high and contributing to the over-rich mixture. To fix this, Dave fitted a service repair kit to each carb and also went down two sizes on the main jets (220 down to 200), but left the needles at the mid position and verified that the needles were correct and undamaged (which they were). I couldn't believe the amount of crud Dave removed from the carbs, and likewise just how quickly he could remove, disassemble, refurbish, rebuild and replace the carbs on the bike. It would have taken me all day, even if I had known what to do. It took Dave about 30 minutes .Then it was time for the 'after' dyno run. To say I was pleased with the results was an understatement...
- DSCF3231.JPG (531.93 KiB) Viewed 116568 times
The first dyno runs confirmed what I knew to be true - that there was a black hole in the powerband at 5000 revs that didn't clear until gone 5500 rpm. Even before he'd checked the Air-Fuel ratio, Dave could tell it was running very rich, partly due to me running a very conservative (i.e. big) main jet size. Each run Dave did, the top end improved as it burnt off carbon deposits brought about by running in mileage. So now it was time to pull the carbs off for inspection and jetting changes.
- DSCF3235.JPG (612.11 KiB) Viewed 116568 times
I couldn't believe how quickly Dave had the carb broken down to its component parts. On both carbs there was loads of crap in the emulsion tube chambers, and also behind the brass balls, The float needles and seats were badly worn on both carbs, allowing the fuel level to be too high and contributing to the over-rich mixture. To fix this, Dave fitted a service repair kit to each carb and also went down two sizes on the main jets (220 down to 200), but left the needles at the mid position and verified that the needles were correct and undamaged (which they were). I couldn't believe the amount of crud Dave removed from the carbs, and likewise just how quickly he could remove, disassemble, refurbish, rebuild and replace the carbs on the bike. It would have taken me all day, even if I had known what to do. It took Dave about 30 minutes .Then it was time for the 'after' dyno run. To say I was pleased with the results was an understatement...
- 350LC_before_after.jpg (126 KiB) Viewed 116568 times
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
As I alluded to earlier, I've bought a set of caliper adaptors for the LC to enable me to uprate the brakes by fitting a pair of mid-90s 4-pot Brembos to replace the single piston sliding caliper originals. And while I was at it, I had the urge to Paint it Black.
After playing this classic single I then decided that the Brembos would look better black as well, and sent them off to be done. Various things got in the way and it's only been this weekend that I've managed to get all the bits I needed, fit them and bleed the buggers. They are now fitted, I'm happy to say.
They're probably overkill for a 43bhp early 80s bike, but I always prefer having too much rather than too little front brake. Ask me again after I've locked the front wheel a few times...
And I'm already regretting having them painted rather than powder coated. When brake fluid touches the paint it goes very slightly 'sticky'. Still, always the winter to get that put right. Other than that I am a very 'appy...
Before fitting the Brembo calipers I used stock early 4L0 Nissin calipers with a YBR125 1/2" bore (12.7mm) Nissin master cylinder, as many LC owners do. It improves the brake feel very noticeably. When I fitted the Brembos I stayed with the 1/2" bore Nissin m/cyl, but it was just too spongey, so I reverted to the standard OE 5/8" (15.875 mm) Nissin master cylinder. This was less spongey, but felt rough and wooden and not even all that powerful.
I had a natter with a guy who seems to know a lot about these things and suggested using a 16mm m/cyl off an early 2000s FZ6 Yam, which was made by Brembo, not Nissin. This would mean calipers and m/cyl were matched and from the same manufacturer. The other big advantage was that it had the Yamaha LH thread mirror mount in the casting, as well as an integrated reservoir and was a very close visual match to the OE Nissin one. I got one off ebay, fitted it, and it's absolutely bang on. Loads of feel, really powerful and no roughness whatsoever. The lever has a span adjuster, which is really worth having and the only slight downside is that I'll have to make up a one-off brake light lead, but that won't be a problem.
So if anyone follows me down this route, an FZ6 16mm Brembo m/cyl is the hot ticket.
After playing this classic single I then decided that the Brembos would look better black as well, and sent them off to be done. Various things got in the way and it's only been this weekend that I've managed to get all the bits I needed, fit them and bleed the buggers. They are now fitted, I'm happy to say.
- DSCF3265.JPG (583.93 KiB) Viewed 115909 times
They're probably overkill for a 43bhp early 80s bike, but I always prefer having too much rather than too little front brake. Ask me again after I've locked the front wheel a few times...
And I'm already regretting having them painted rather than powder coated. When brake fluid touches the paint it goes very slightly 'sticky'. Still, always the winter to get that put right. Other than that I am a very 'appy...
Before fitting the Brembo calipers I used stock early 4L0 Nissin calipers with a YBR125 1/2" bore (12.7mm) Nissin master cylinder, as many LC owners do. It improves the brake feel very noticeably. When I fitted the Brembos I stayed with the 1/2" bore Nissin m/cyl, but it was just too spongey, so I reverted to the standard OE 5/8" (15.875 mm) Nissin master cylinder. This was less spongey, but felt rough and wooden and not even all that powerful.
I had a natter with a guy who seems to know a lot about these things and suggested using a 16mm m/cyl off an early 2000s FZ6 Yam, which was made by Brembo, not Nissin. This would mean calipers and m/cyl were matched and from the same manufacturer. The other big advantage was that it had the Yamaha LH thread mirror mount in the casting, as well as an integrated reservoir and was a very close visual match to the OE Nissin one. I got one off ebay, fitted it, and it's absolutely bang on. Loads of feel, really powerful and no roughness whatsoever. The lever has a span adjuster, which is really worth having and the only slight downside is that I'll have to make up a one-off brake light lead, but that won't be a problem.
So if anyone follows me down this route, an FZ6 16mm Brembo m/cyl is the hot ticket.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
I've just realised that it's over 2 years since I updated this thread. My bad. In the interim I've fiddled about a bit with the suspension - fitted a slightly softer spring to the YSS shock and raised the rear ride height a bit, but this winter I decided that the clutch needed some serious looking at. Clutch action is far heavier and notchier than I would like and finding neutral at idle is almost an impossibility. So as the bike is coming up for 45 years old and has 20k miles on it, I decided it needed some proper money spending on the clutch.
So my Christmas present to me (and dear old Elsie) has been as follows:
New OE Yamaha clutch springs (6 of)
New EBC clutch plates and steels
New OE Yamaha clutch centre
New OE Yamaha clutch centre lock washer
New Makita clutch basket (made from rufty-tufty 7075-T6 aluminium and hard anodised to boot)
New clutch damper pucks
New Pro-shift selector arm kit (improves gear shift and finding neutral)
So these are the parts I've assembled over the last few weeks:
So first step was to drill out the rivets holding the OE clutch basket and gear plate together. The gear plate will be bolted to the new clutch outer basket with the screws supplied. I drilled all the way through the rivet with a 4mm drill then took the rivet head off with an 8mm drill.
And this is the clutch basket disassembled, showing the component parts (and the remains of the rivets after they'd been punched through). Next step will be to remove all and any traces of swarf, clean everything up and reassemble with the new clutch basket and rubber dampers. And Loctite...
So my Christmas present to me (and dear old Elsie) has been as follows:
New OE Yamaha clutch springs (6 of)
New EBC clutch plates and steels
New OE Yamaha clutch centre
New OE Yamaha clutch centre lock washer
New Makita clutch basket (made from rufty-tufty 7075-T6 aluminium and hard anodised to boot)
New clutch damper pucks
New Pro-shift selector arm kit (improves gear shift and finding neutral)
So these are the parts I've assembled over the last few weeks:
- DSCF4571.JPG (688.52 KiB) Viewed 6074 times
So first step was to drill out the rivets holding the OE clutch basket and gear plate together. The gear plate will be bolted to the new clutch outer basket with the screws supplied. I drilled all the way through the rivet with a 4mm drill then took the rivet head off with an 8mm drill.
- DSCF4566.JPG (888.67 KiB) Viewed 6074 times
And this is the clutch basket disassembled, showing the component parts (and the remains of the rivets after they'd been punched through). Next step will be to remove all and any traces of swarf, clean everything up and reassemble with the new clutch basket and rubber dampers. And Loctite...
- DSCF4570.JPG (665 KiB) Viewed 6074 times
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
More photos!
I like watching people take things apart and then put them back together all shiny and new.
I like watching people take things apart and then put them back together all shiny and new.
It's the V-twin thing. There's just something about it that inline-4s don't have at all, and V-4s don't have enough of.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
Your wish is my command! 
A bit more progress made yesterday - the ring gear was removed from the outer clutch basket, doused in brake cleaner to remove as much grease and swarf as possible, then transferred to the kitchen sink for the hot water, detergent and scrubbing treatment. Mrs Mango was otherwise employed in the loft and I seized my opportunity. Timing is everything, I've found...
With an impeccably clean ring (gear) it was time to put the bits back together. Clearances on reassembly were noticeably tighter than on disassembly; the ring gear separated easily from the OE basket and the little rubber pucks fell out as soon as the assembly was inverted. When offering up the ring gear to the new basket a fair amount of persuasion with the rubber mallet was required to get them seating snugly, and the new rubber pucks similarly required a bit of force to get them inserted in their new home. This is what it looked like prior to the lid going back on...
The red rubber grease aided the insertion of the pucks and the high strength Loctite would be needed for the next step (refitting the back plate using the supplied flat head allen screws). This is the view from the back of the ring gear with it all bolted together:
And this is the view from the front of the clutch basket:
Before the clutch can be rebuilt onto the bike I need to get the gear selector drum 'starfish' off its shaft and do some reprofiling work. Unfortunately it's never been removed in its 45 year lifespan and had no intention of changing that status. So I'm now waiting for a 2 legged puller of suitable size to arrive by post so I can persuade it to part company with the shaft and embrace its new reality.
Tiny steps, I keep reminding myself...
A bit more progress made yesterday - the ring gear was removed from the outer clutch basket, doused in brake cleaner to remove as much grease and swarf as possible, then transferred to the kitchen sink for the hot water, detergent and scrubbing treatment. Mrs Mango was otherwise employed in the loft and I seized my opportunity. Timing is everything, I've found...
With an impeccably clean ring (gear) it was time to put the bits back together. Clearances on reassembly were noticeably tighter than on disassembly; the ring gear separated easily from the OE basket and the little rubber pucks fell out as soon as the assembly was inverted. When offering up the ring gear to the new basket a fair amount of persuasion with the rubber mallet was required to get them seating snugly, and the new rubber pucks similarly required a bit of force to get them inserted in their new home. This is what it looked like prior to the lid going back on...
- DSCF4584.JPG (646.77 KiB) Viewed 5852 times
The red rubber grease aided the insertion of the pucks and the high strength Loctite would be needed for the next step (refitting the back plate using the supplied flat head allen screws). This is the view from the back of the ring gear with it all bolted together:
- DSCF4588.JPG (561.71 KiB) Viewed 5852 times
And this is the view from the front of the clutch basket:
- DSCF4591.JPG (498.01 KiB) Viewed 5852 times
Before the clutch can be rebuilt onto the bike I need to get the gear selector drum 'starfish' off its shaft and do some reprofiling work. Unfortunately it's never been removed in its 45 year lifespan and had no intention of changing that status. So I'm now waiting for a 2 legged puller of suitable size to arrive by post so I can persuade it to part company with the shaft and embrace its new reality.
Tiny steps, I keep reminding myself...
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
Well, the puller arrived in the break between Xmas and NY and it did its job, easily removing the starfish from its shaft. But in that time The Plan had changed. Originally The Plan had been to smooth the points off the starfish so that the selector mechanism had less of a mountain to climb, and thereby make gear changing easier. If you can't visualise this, there are pictures further down. Or as Lux Interior of The Cramps would have said:
I'll teach you how to read the book of Life,
You can just look at the pictures if you like...
But in the intervening time period I had discovered that some canny person had done all that hard work for me by machining the part (with modifications) out of billet. For fifteen of your English pounds. So it would have been rude not to buy one. And I'm not a rude boy. It also means I have the OE parts as backup should anything go horribly wrong (not that it would, of course...) Here is the explanatory picture:
New parts are on top, old parts below. As you'll notice, the new part machined from billet has much gentler-radiused 'peaks' between gears which means that the jockey wheel (left of picture) has less of a hill to climb between gears. Also the spring on the new part is made from thinner gauge wire, so won't exert as much force on the starfish. And lastly the roller on the jockey wheel is a real bearing (small but perfectly formed) on the new part, not just a circular piece of metal. Here's a top down view comparison of parts:
New roller (with bearing) is on the left, old metal disc is on the right. And witness mark from the old roller disc on the starfish is clearly visible. Here's a side on view:
So all it needs is for the shed to stop doing its impersonation of a chest freezer and I'll be back in there fitting this stuff. In the mean time I need to find a suitable clutch plate sized receptacle in which I can soak the new EBC fibre plates in oil prior to fitting them.
I'll teach you how to read the book of Life,
You can just look at the pictures if you like...
But in the intervening time period I had discovered that some canny person had done all that hard work for me by machining the part (with modifications) out of billet. For fifteen of your English pounds. So it would have been rude not to buy one. And I'm not a rude boy. It also means I have the OE parts as backup should anything go horribly wrong (not that it would, of course...) Here is the explanatory picture:
- DSCF4599a.JPG (633.37 KiB) Viewed 5661 times
New parts are on top, old parts below. As you'll notice, the new part machined from billet has much gentler-radiused 'peaks' between gears which means that the jockey wheel (left of picture) has less of a hill to climb between gears. Also the spring on the new part is made from thinner gauge wire, so won't exert as much force on the starfish. And lastly the roller on the jockey wheel is a real bearing (small but perfectly formed) on the new part, not just a circular piece of metal. Here's a top down view comparison of parts:
- DSCF4608.JPG (320.59 KiB) Viewed 5661 times
New roller (with bearing) is on the left, old metal disc is on the right. And witness mark from the old roller disc on the starfish is clearly visible. Here's a side on view:
- DSCF4604.JPG (362.12 KiB) Viewed 5661 times
So all it needs is for the shed to stop doing its impersonation of a chest freezer and I'll be back in there fitting this stuff. In the mean time I need to find a suitable clutch plate sized receptacle in which I can soak the new EBC fibre plates in oil prior to fitting them.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
I finally found my man card earlier today and ventured out into The Shed - an arctic hideaway at the bottom of the garden. Even with a fan heater on full chat the temperature only rose to a balmy 9 degrees C, but still better than the sub-zero temps outside. First job on the list was to fit the new billet starfish to the end of its shaft. This was fairly easily achieved, with a pleasingly snug fit, requiring a little persuasion with a hammer and wooden drift. The OE made-of-cheese cross head screw was replaced with a stainless countersunk allen head screw and a dab of anti-seize paste.
The next item on the agenda was the new jockey wheel and brass washer/stand off. Before the mounting bolt would pass through, both brass parts needed careful attention with a round needle file to enlarge the centre hole. I decided against trying to drill the parts out to 6mm, having visions of parts being sent spinning into the darkest recesses of the shed. Filing the centres out only took about 5 minutes, so no big deal. Then it was time to fit the jockey wheel, spacers, bolt and spring to the crankcase lower. I was expecting a big fight with the spring, but it all went together on only the second attempt, which was nice. This is what it looked like afterwards (neutral currently engaged):
After that it was time to re-fit the gear selector shaft and make sure it engaged with the dogs on the starfish. With that in place the clutch outer and inner could be mounted on their shaft and the lock washer and nut fitted. Here they are in place (but not yet tightened up):
And lastly it was time to put the clutch plates in a bath of oil so they could have a good soak. They'll stay like that at least overnight before being fitted to the clutch. So progress is being made, despite the inclement weather conditions.
The next item on the agenda was the new jockey wheel and brass washer/stand off. Before the mounting bolt would pass through, both brass parts needed careful attention with a round needle file to enlarge the centre hole. I decided against trying to drill the parts out to 6mm, having visions of parts being sent spinning into the darkest recesses of the shed. Filing the centres out only took about 5 minutes, so no big deal. Then it was time to fit the jockey wheel, spacers, bolt and spring to the crankcase lower. I was expecting a big fight with the spring, but it all went together on only the second attempt, which was nice. This is what it looked like afterwards (neutral currently engaged):
- DSCF4613.JPG (1.13 MiB) Viewed 5631 times
After that it was time to re-fit the gear selector shaft and make sure it engaged with the dogs on the starfish. With that in place the clutch outer and inner could be mounted on their shaft and the lock washer and nut fitted. Here they are in place (but not yet tightened up):
- DSCF4625.JPG (843.76 KiB) Viewed 5631 times
And lastly it was time to put the clutch plates in a bath of oil so they could have a good soak. They'll stay like that at least overnight before being fitted to the clutch. So progress is being made, despite the inclement weather conditions.
- DSCF4630.JPG (829.79 KiB) Viewed 5631 times
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
Thanks heaps for the pictures. I'll wager you're looking forward to some warmer weather to get the old girl back on the road again...
It's the V-twin thing. There's just something about it that inline-4s don't have at all, and V-4s don't have enough of.
-
mangocrazy
- Admin
- Posts: 3938
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Re: Yamaha RD350LC restoration.
You bet! I'd be grateful just for the snow to clear so I can push the Falco out of the shed and give me some room to work on the LC! Spring and summer are but a distant dream at the moment - I bet you're desperately trying to keep cool right now, aren't you?