When you get something like a CSL for used E46 pricing

Nicad

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(Sorry this is long and perhaps tedious)
I'd bet there are some amazing stories of people buying CSLs for paltry sums. This is a motorbike story, so if you hate bikes and thought you would get a CSL story, sorry. In June of 77' I bought my first new vehicle. I remember the day quite clearly. Rented a bumper hitch from Uhaul, loaded my barely running Can AM MX125 onto the back of Mum's 73 Pontiac Grand Prix and drove into Montreal with the cash I had, looking to buy something. Started at a Honda dealer as I really loved the new at the time CB400/4. It seemed like the perfect first street bike after not killing myself riding an MX bike on the street (Quebec was pretty good about that type of thing).

Couldn't swing the price of the Honda which I think was about $1,900. Went to a few dealers, then finally one in downtown Montreal Friday, late afternoon.
I had now switched my sights to a Yamaha RD 400. They were pretty new, getting good reviews and priced around $1475....I think.
Was dealing with a very busy dealer. Hopping busy actually as Quebecers love bikes and when June hits they flood to the shops. So the fast talking sales guy gets my bike to the used bike dept and I am worried it won't start because of the cranky Bosch electrics on the Can Am (built in Quebec by Bombardier and the fastest MX bikes of the time). The bike starts right up, they rev the hell out of it and offer me a crazy good price. SO a deal was struck. They had to get the license stuff done and I also had cash to buy a Bellstar helmet which I had always wanted. It wasn't until near ten PM that I pulled out of the dealership. (Forget what I did with Mom's car) into the Montreal night on a bike with turn signals, horn, tach....and an angry sounding Two stroke Parallel Twin. I think I remember the smell, lighting, everything....Went to a gas station to fill it up and there was next to no air in the front tire.

I loved this bike. It was fast and reliable and I only crashed it once. Sold that bike a few years later and bought a 71' 240-Z and became a car nut that day and up till now I guess.

Well I gravitated back to bikes when I hit 60. Started with a modest Vstrom 650 I want to tour on extensively, then put together a touring dirt bike the next winter (Yamaha WR250r with 300 mile range). After that I was looking at early 80's middle weight Japanese bikes as I love those from that era.. Came close to buying a GPZ 550 for $1000, but then found a Honda VF500f for about the same. It is a stunner of a design, with a Jewel of a V-4 70HP half litre motor. Has been called the best handling bike of the 80s. Came across a running second bike and a parts bike for another $275....why not, add some more.
Then another one I loved, this time an 82' Yamaha 650 Seca for $1000. A Classic shaft drive beauty (not coincidentally my 2nd new vehicle)

I saw an ad in Kijiji for a super low mile original 76' Yamaha RD 400 in Montreal, Quebec. Gave Pierre a call. He had 80 Motorcycles...had sold 30 so far and said he was 65 and time to sell it all. He knew his stuff and has shipped bikes to Japan and the States. He knew the market, and how it has gone up. He wanted $7500 Cdn for his RD...and it would sell for more if in the UK. He certainly had some neat stuff. a few Kawi 2 stroke triples, Honda Bols D'Or, etc.

I'm not looking for a market value bike, but it is always best buying them in the best shape. I wasn't really even contemplating more stuff.

Two days later out of the Blue, I get an email from a guy with an RD fixer upper for $2500....I don't want to fix up a bike as in restoration, so not interested. HAlf hour later I get another email from someone else with an RD. He wants $1500 ($1150 USD). I again say send me some pictures. It turns out to be a 79's RD 400F Daytona Special. The end of the line for Two stroke air cooled streetbikes. Bit of a final send off for Yamaha that made it's name racing 2 strokes on the World Stage. The bike is less than 3 miles from my house at a low rent used car dealer. They don't want anything to do with bikes. I actually had the cash in their hands in 15 minutes.

As it turns out it is a 6,000 mile bike in kinda stunning condition. The Canadian spec ones are the most coveted because of no pollution stuff and CDI ignition. As much as they don't command huge prices compared to Barnett Newman paintings, they could and people in certain markets will pay about 10-15 times more than the one I dragged home and tucked in the shop cost me, so I am going to have great fun cleaning it, servicing it,polishing it and getting it ready to ride. Much like an E9, you can enjoy these things while in your garage, just to admire the beauty of how they work.
My wife even knows about this one. Bike collecting is very easy once the bug has hit you. I can stop anytime.
IMG_3510.jpg

Polished the tank up the first night, joined the RD 400 Daytona Special community today. (A bit like E9 devotees)
 

Oldbmwcoupes

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Ahh those great days of two stroke street bikes. Some of the best power to weight, two wheel, rides around. I’d love to see where the GP bikes would have been today had they stayed 2 stroke. My airplane is powered by a 2 cylinder 2-stroke 582 cc engine- 65 hp
 

Nicad

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Ahh those great days of two stroke street bikes. Some of the best power to weight, two wheel, rides around. I’d love to see where the GP bikes would have been today had they stayed 2 stroke. My airplane is powered by a 2 cylinder 2-stroke 582 cc engine- 65 hp
Do you run premix in it or does it have oil injection?
 

Nicad

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It barely needs polishing, it is in such good shape... the fittings have zero corrosion. really lucky this way. The rubber parts are pliable. Pulled one plug out...Looks perfect, Nice light tan.


THEN... pulled the right plug out. Uh Oh. Burnt, Black, no center electrode. Next popped a borescope down the hole and I see a Black Void. Probably carbon I'm hoping. the camera approaches the void, goes through it and then I see a beat up connecting rod. So I pop the head off to see what I am dealing with. Oil up the good cylinder and figure I will crank the motor to see how bad the cylinder has fared. It doesn't budge. Then I put it in gear and rock it a bit and only one piston moves, so the Piston is broken in pieces inside. I then clean up the unobtainium Canadian RD cylinder head and am very relieved it has not been wrecked in the meltdown. One bit of good news. the Folks on the RD website have jumped in offering forensic opinions and advice how I should proceed. Most say the crank should be rebuilt because the bearings would have absorbed some of that molten aluminum. Motor has to come out, cases have to be split, at that point you do everything I guess. Still nothing to paint or plate, and RD enthusiasts view this rare model as the needle in the Haystack. I'll keep polishing it for now.
 

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Nicad

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Is that a needle from the wrist pin or the crank bearing embedded in the piston?
Why Yes it is. Wonder where the rest of them went? I'm most likely going to get the crank rebuilt as a "While you are in there" precaution. At that point this bike will be in close to new condition. Sorry Greta.
 

m_thompson

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Why Yes it is. Wonder where the rest of them went? I'm most likely going to get the crank rebuilt as a "While you are in there" precaution.

I traded my 250MX CZ for a basket case Yamaha DT360 and a basket case Kawasaki S2 350 triple. The original owner said that the S2 would only run on one cylinder and the dealer said that the crank seals were bad. I got the crank rebuilt, and the rebuilder said that the original seals and bearings were OK, but replaced them "While he was in there". When I reassembled everything it would only run on one cylinder. After lots of part swapping I found that there were two left and one right carb. The original owner swapped the slides from a right and left carb so no air would go through until about half throttle. "While while I was in there" I ported the cylinders, shaved the heads, installed higher compression pistons, a Bassani 3 into 1 expansion chamber, and a smaller primary sprocket. It was a rocket up to about 100 MPH which was plenty fast for me.
 
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