Greetings from a new member

[thruxtontexas]

Name: James.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Age: 53.
Occupation: 34 years as a Weldor, Metal Fabricator, and Pipe Fitter.
Bikes: 2006 Triumph Thruxton
1976 Yamaha RD 400 (presently under reconstruction in a futile attempt to recapture my youth )
Interests: Reading, Classic Rock, Aviation and of course Motorcycles.

I found this site through Economy Cycles after purchasing one of the Chinoy charging/ignition systems. Upon initial examination, it seems to be a great bargain. Except for installation, it's almost "turn key"; the included wiring harness eliminates the hassles of dealing with the "rat's nest" of ancient wires during the re-build. And, there's no more mechanical breaker points or other old technology to hinder reliability once it's finally running. ....................James.

[satyajitmenon]

Welcome aboard, James.

[reaper]

welkommen.

[PhantomLord]

Welcome James

[roshiba777]

welcome james

[james]

Welcome, James!

[chinoy]

welcome james
Hope you enjoy the CDI
call me if you have any doubts.

[ajaybiz]

Welcome and nice to see people trying to capture their old time just like me

[aerorolli]

welcome james

[thruxtontexas]

Thanks for all the welcoming posts. Just curious, how many members are from the US? After reading through some of the various threads/posts, I notice that parts/spares availability is somewhat limited in India. It seems that there would be plenty considering the fact that the Rajdoot 350 was built and sold over there, and that the RD 350/400 are such a popular machines. I find it ironic that in the US, two-stroke street bikes are rare (import is restricted here since the 1970's because of air polution standards and every yahoo JUST HAS to have a Harley ); yet I'm able to find most parts on the 'net and on e-Bay. In India however, two-stroke street bikes seem to be a common sight; but parts/spares seem to be hard to find. I'm just trying to get a perspective on how it is for motorcyclists in different countries. I chose the Yamaha RD 400 as a project because I don't like to follow the crowd; I want at least one of my bikes to go RING-DING-DING, instead of POTATO-POTATO! Of course it's not polite to say I'm trying to build a Harley beater; I already get enough B.S. from my buddies who ride 'em..................James.

[iomega]

Of course it's not polite to say I'm trying to build a Harley beater; I already get enough B.S. from my buddies who ride 'em..................James.

You need a 400 to build a harley beater?? May I suggest the RD250 for such applications..

Well Harley bashing is quite prevalent here so you dont need to be discrete about it.
There are a handful of American/non-Indian member here as well as quite a few Indians who live across the world.. so there is a healthy dose of basing just about anything.. as long as things are civil and dont get personal.


Ram

[vinaykumar]

In India however, two-stroke street bikes seem to be a common sight; but parts/spares seem to be hard to find. I'm just trying to get a perspective on how it is for motorcyclists in different countries.

Hi James,
The bulk of 2-stroke bikes in India are 100-135 cc commuter bikes. They are fun to ride but the engines are mildly tuned, and the technology in those engines isnt exactly "cutting edge"
The companies in India have stopped making them as emission norms tightened, and spares are becoming increasingly hard to find.
The RD 350 sold in India, that's an entirely different case.
Back in the eighties, It was way too expensive to own, too thirsty and worst of all, poor tech support.
Yamaha pulled the plug around 1991. They do not stock parts anymore.
Not many RDs were sold, so not only is it hard to find half decent examples, almost all of them run poorly substituted [locally made] components like ignition, bearings, carbs and even pistons.

P.S
Another issue here is that the DIY culture is not really prevalent in this country.
Most people consider it beneath them to get their hands dirty.

Edit:- Some people have their reservations, they worry that they might screw things up.

So they take their RD to a mechanic .... and then go when they realise that original parts have suddenly gone missing.
And so the hunt for spares begins...

[chinoy]

As you can see we have a shortage of ethics along with a shortage of spares in this country.

The RXG 100/135 have better tech than than the RDs.
The RXG Boys want to all build RD beaters.
The RD Boys want to build RDs that beat up on everybody.
The Bullet Boys want to build Bullets that are faster than RDs.

And just about everything is faster than a Harley.

[thruxtontexas]

Of course it's not polite to say I'm trying to build a Harley beater; I already get enough B.S. from my buddies who ride 'em..................James.

You need a 400 to build a harley beater?? May I suggest the RD250 for such applications.. Ram

Since I'm 5'-9" and 230 lbs. (that's 104 kilos); I don't think a 250 would cut it. I'd weigh more than the bike! In any event, I don't want to embarass them too badly. Besides, RD 400's/350's over here in the States are reasonably plentiful; they rot away silently in garages and barns waiting for someone to re-build/restore them. If the indications of what I'm seeing on e-Bay are correct; many are being "parted-out" for a quick buck, providing donor parts for the ones that are whole. I did a bit of research before choosing this model to make sure that parts were readily available. As soon as I have something worth photographing, I'll post some photos on PhotoBucket and post a link. Thanks for your replies. .................James.

[thruxtontexas]

As I promised in my last post, I'm posting some links to some photos that show my progress on my rebuild project as of late:

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo20 ... ingc-1.jpg
This one shows the basic rolling chassis; the tank, front fender, seat cowl, and side panel/oil tank will be painted Gloss Black.

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo20 ... ingc-1.jpg
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo20 ... ingc-1.jpg
These two show a seat just laid in position to show what it will look like later after I hard mount it.

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo20 ... ingc-2.jpg
This last one shows the Chinoy CDI Box, the regulator/rectifier, and an aftermarket waterproof fuse holder (that accepts automotive blade type fuses, 10amp) that the Positive lead to the battery goes through. This aluminum copy of the stock panel utilizes the stock rubber dampened mounting points on the frame. A ground (earth) jumper wire will be added later when I start connecting the wiring harness. I hope Ya'll enjoy these. ....................James.

I'm sorry, it seems that the first three links are the same photo; maybe I'm limited to two photos on each post. Let me give it another try; hang on. ........James.

[thruxtontexas]

Here are the other two photos I was trying to show:

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo20 ... ingc-7.jpg
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo20 ... ngchas.jpg

The bike in question is a RD400. I'm just shooting for a complete rolling chassis before I rebuild the engine. The only minor criticism I have of this kit (analog cdi/charging system) is that it needs an instruction manual included. The kit shows excellent workmanship, and has a ton of extras like the clutch lever and switch cube. I've figured most of it out; but I could sure use access to the special instruction site for US/UK buyers so I can solve some of the small details. Mr. Chinoy, do I have the proper access or am I just looking in the wrong places on the Forum? Also, do the tail/brake lights run on AC like the headlights when the engine is running or do they run on DC, along with the turn signals? The reason I ask is that I'm strongly considering using an LED tail-light assembly instead of the usual incandecent bulb unit. I need all the visability I can get; half the drivers are blind and the other half are too busy talking on their cell phones. ...........James.

[reaper]

Wow.that is one eclectic colour.Your sponsors seaworld or something? .Just playing around.it looks good James.You can think about drillng the webs hiding between the spokes on the rims.Looks uber cool.You can find a lot of ideas on the net.try usa2strokers.com in the show us your bike section.

[prajeep]

Thats an unique frame colour nice ..

[thruxtontexas]

A short story about the wild paint color: I had two quarts of expensive "Bahama Blue" alkyd enamel left over from an experimental airplane project that I built over ten years. I sold it this year to an aircraft mechanic up in Idaho; the original color scheme was Gray w/ Blue trim. It seemed a shame to waste it by letting it spoil on the shelf of my garage. So...when I started another project to keep me out of the bars and pool halls (not that it's a big problem at my age ); I decided to use it to paint my frame and some of the trim pieces. When I put a Black tank, seat, fenders, side-covers, engine, and expansion chambers on it; that should tone it down somewhat. I'm glad Y'all enjoyed the photos. ........James.

[iomega]

Nice work man.. I think the "bahama blue" will look great once you get the rest of the pieces in place..
Did ya make that seat yourself?? or did you buy it? I am looking for something similar for my ride.
Also.. what rubbers are you running?


Ram