Ahm, I’m not sure about this one. Like somebody else had said, this may not be your cup of tea… I’ve always thought RD in RD 350’s and like this one RD stood for “Race Developed.” And because they are fast, still, but not sure about…is this a bobber?
It’s a project. It looks neat, but it needs a functional front break. The skillsaw idea is cool, but he should get a brake disc millled to look like that and still work.
characterize “need”.
“he”? “should”?
check the details. now check some more details. look at the tank one more time. she (or he) put a lot of thought and effort into this build. I think it would be a blast to tear around town or just ride to work on this bike.
“He” is an assumption, and a generalization. But let’s be honest. The overwhelming majority of people who put this kind of time into a bike are male. If this was built by a woman, I apologize. Nice work either way.
However, no matter how well you did everything else on a bike, a bike missing a front brake is missing a vital aspect to it’s function. We all know that the front wheel does most of the work. All the work put into the stuff behind the front wheel is wasted, if it’s wrecked for lack of a standard feature. IMO same goes for people who delete mirrors and basic gauges. You can make them small, or restyle them, but those things should be on any bike that is for riding.
So to me someone who manages to do the rest of the bike right and integrate vital features in a way that seamlessly fit into the style ethos gets more credit than someone who takes them off.
This isn’t me saying I could do as well, or better or whatever. I’m just saying that a road bike made after 1930 that doesn’t have a front brake is incomplete. This is a neat build that is Really Close to being “done.” I like the creative way of doing the paint, and really respect the DIY mentality including using ready to hand materials. To me that is usually more interesting than a wealthy retiree hiring a fancy shop to use exotic supplies and unlimited hours. This is a person creating their own and using it.
Thank you all for you`re interesting comments. I am the builder and owner of the RD 400 you see above. This bike was just recently completed after sitting for 10 years. My goal was to get it running and finished before a local bike show here in Wichita, Ks. I achieved that goal, as well as building the bike for less than 500.00 dollars. I got first in my class, competing against a bunch of worn out crotch rockets in the 350-650 sport bike class. To my suprise, after sitting at the bike show ALL weekend, only about 5 people actually talked to me about this unusual bike. Most people did`nt even notice the raked front end, the extended gas tank, chopped custom seat,repositioned tach and speedo, car mirror made into a tail light, wrench brake stay, cheesy skil saw blade on the front wheel,much less any of the other small changes, lengthened swing arm and such. I do appreciate all the diffrent views you all have. I personally can`t bring myself to look too long at a Harley dressed in catalog attire, bought not built. Thanks Randy for noticing the details.
They must have been blind if they failed to notice the tank. That must have been a pain to do. For the paint, did you scrub it off with scotch brite while still partly “wet”?
Also, thanks for clarifying that he gauge was a speedo & tach. With the location, I assumed it was something like a temp or oil pressure gauge. Is your leg in the way of seeing it while riding?
Jeff G- I was looking at this again, and just noticed the wrench. I know the tank was far more work, but somehow that feature is the one that defines the bike. That’s fun.
What has a good motorcycle done to deserve so horrible a fate as this?
Poor little bugger, my heart goes out to it.
If people don’t know and understand motorcycles and motorcycling why don’t they just stick to BMX bikes, or iPhones or something else? Motorcycling doesn’t need them!
Motorcycle Photo Of The Day 
Ahm, I’m not sure about this one. Like somebody else had said, this may not be your cup of tea… I’ve always thought RD in RD 350’s and like this one RD stood for “Race Developed.” And because they are fast, still, but not sure about…is this a bobber?
It’s a project. It looks neat, but it needs a functional front break. The skillsaw idea is cool, but he should get a brake disc millled to look like that and still work.
characterize “need”.
“he”? “should”?
check the details. now check some more details. look at the tank one more time. she (or he) put a lot of thought and effort into this build. I think it would be a blast to tear around town or just ride to work on this bike.
“He” is an assumption, and a generalization. But let’s be honest. The overwhelming majority of people who put this kind of time into a bike are male. If this was built by a woman, I apologize. Nice work either way.
However, no matter how well you did everything else on a bike, a bike missing a front brake is missing a vital aspect to it’s function. We all know that the front wheel does most of the work. All the work put into the stuff behind the front wheel is wasted, if it’s wrecked for lack of a standard feature. IMO same goes for people who delete mirrors and basic gauges. You can make them small, or restyle them, but those things should be on any bike that is for riding.
So to me someone who manages to do the rest of the bike right and integrate vital features in a way that seamlessly fit into the style ethos gets more credit than someone who takes them off.
This isn’t me saying I could do as well, or better or whatever. I’m just saying that a road bike made after 1930 that doesn’t have a front brake is incomplete. This is a neat build that is Really Close to being “done.” I like the creative way of doing the paint, and really respect the DIY mentality including using ready to hand materials. To me that is usually more interesting than a wealthy retiree hiring a fancy shop to use exotic supplies and unlimited hours. This is a person creating their own and using it.
!! no comment right now …. but it might end up in one of my future youtube vids : http://youtu.be/sbu6nXV3xZ4
Good for doing cool skids!
Thank you all for you`re interesting comments. I am the builder and owner of the RD 400 you see above. This bike was just recently completed after sitting for 10 years. My goal was to get it running and finished before a local bike show here in Wichita, Ks. I achieved that goal, as well as building the bike for less than 500.00 dollars. I got first in my class, competing against a bunch of worn out crotch rockets in the 350-650 sport bike class. To my suprise, after sitting at the bike show ALL weekend, only about 5 people actually talked to me about this unusual bike. Most people did`nt even notice the raked front end, the extended gas tank, chopped custom seat,repositioned tach and speedo, car mirror made into a tail light, wrench brake stay, cheesy skil saw blade on the front wheel,much less any of the other small changes, lengthened swing arm and such. I do appreciate all the diffrent views you all have. I personally can`t bring myself to look too long at a Harley dressed in catalog attire, bought not built. Thanks Randy for noticing the details.
Very cool. Extra points for the budget cap.
They must have been blind if they failed to notice the tank. That must have been a pain to do. For the paint, did you scrub it off with scotch brite while still partly “wet”?
Also, thanks for clarifying that he gauge was a speedo & tach. With the location, I assumed it was something like a temp or oil pressure gauge. Is your leg in the way of seeing it while riding?
Jeff G- I was looking at this again, and just noticed the wrench. I know the tank was far more work, but somehow that feature is the one that defines the bike. That’s fun.
Dislike this one…… a lot. I’ve owned 3 RD400’s, 3 RD350LC’s and 2 RZ350 and this kind of custom is just wrong on any RD.
fazer: Lets see some pictures.
What has a good motorcycle done to deserve so horrible a fate as this?
Poor little bugger, my heart goes out to it.
If people don’t know and understand motorcycles and motorcycling why don’t they just stick to BMX bikes, or iPhones or something else? Motorcycling doesn’t need them!