Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Past Bikes - 1989 Yamaha RD350 YPVS


A true cult classic beloved by a generation of hooligan bikers.

The bike had a highly tuned 350cc water cooled two stroke twin engine. It had reed valve induction and the Yamaha Power Valve System which was servo controlled variable height exhaust ports. This gave a (claimed) 57 bhp and a 115mph top speed. The bike was docile below 6,000 rpm after which it went ballistic. The only way to ride it was hard and this made every journey an adventure. The bike also had great brakes and handling.

Looking at one nowadays the frame and forks look very spindly and the riding position isn't really very sporty with flat bars and a large fairing.

Ours was but a fleeting relationship because some bastard stole it.

One of the few photos I have of the bike
A RD350 YPVS for sale at Stafford in 2011 for £1995. These seem to go for £4k now so it would have been a better investment than an ISA and a lot more fun.




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