Rajdoot 350

Last updated
Rajdoot 350
1986 Rajdoot 350.jpg
Manufacturer Escorts Group
Production1983–1989
Predecessor Yamaha RD350
Class Standard
Engine 347 cc (21.2 cu in) two stroke, air-cooled, parallel twin, twin carburetor, 7 port torque induction with reed valve
Ignition type CB points (Core: Kokusan Denki AR 3345 Points: Daiichi)
Transmission 6-speed manual
Suspension Front: telescopic fork, Rear: swingarm
Brakes 180mm drum brakes (TLS front)
Tires Front: 3.00-18"(4 ply rating), Rear: 3.50-18"(4 ply rating)
Wheelbase 1,320 mm (52 in)
DimensionsL: 2,040 mm (80 in)
W: 835 mm (32.9 in)
H: 1,110 mm (44 in)
Weight143 kg (315 lb)[ citation needed ] (dry)
155 kg (342 lb)[ citation needed ] (wet)
Fuel capacity16 L (3.5 imp gal; 4.2 US gal)
Related Yamaha RD350LC

The Rajdoot 350 , also known as the RD, was a two-stroke Yamaha motorcycle made in India by Escorts group from 1983 to 1989. [1] RD stands for 'Race derived' , in India promoted by Rajdoot in collaboration with Yamaha Japan. [2]

Contents

It is a licensed copy of the Yamaha RD350B, modified to suit Indian conditions. Even though the production of the air-cooled Yamaha RD350 had ended in Japan in the mid-1970s due to stringent emissions norms, it was a technically advanced motorcycle in the Indian market in 1983. [3] It has a 7-port two stroke parallel twin engine, Yamaha's patented Torque Induction System using reed valves, 6-speed manual transmission, autolube system, mechanical tachometer, 12 volt electrics and 0-60 km/h in less than four seconds.[ citation needed ] In the interest of cost, the front disc brake of the RD350B was substituted with a 7" twin leading shoe drum brake from the Yamaha

It was primarily targeted at the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, which was the biggest-capacity motorbike in India at the time. The Yezdi Roadking 250 was another competitor. However, the Rajdoot 350 was not a commercial success due to its relatively high fuel consumption in a cost-conscious Indian market. High purchase price, poor availability of expensive spare parts and lack of trained service personnel did not help either.[ citation needed ] After the runaway success of its smaller stablemate Yamaha RX 100 introduced in 1985, the Rajdoot 350 stayed in production as a flagship model, and production ended in 1990. The last bikes were reported to be sold in 1991.

HT(Stock)/LT(LETI) and CUSP Model

The HT was made from 1983 to 1985 (until 1989 for the Government). It develops a respectable 30.5bhp @6750 rpm, detuned from 39 bhp (29 kW) by restricting the exhaust ports of the Yamaha RD350B. Some HTs have mufflers with flatter ends. HT exhausts make the raucous "RD growl" compared to the more toned-down LT beat. Initial bikes had KOITO Headlights. Engine number of HT Starts with 1A1.51.******
This model cosmetically resembled HT, with left side engine cover marked "Made in Japan".Exhaust with flatter ends. The barrels of this cusp model had a removable plate for the exhaust port. With the plate installed exhaust port will be on Leti specification and once removed its HT spec. Headlights were changed to Stanley Japan. Engine number of Cusp Model starts with 00****


LT was made from 1985 to 1989. It develops 27 bhp (20 kW) because the exhaust ports are restricted even further. LETI bike was the fastest accelerating RD up to 100 km/hr due to its low-end power delivery compared to HT. All LTs have the left engine cover marked "Made in India". The mufflers have slightly tapered or conical ends. The only notable upgrades to the LT in 1988 were slightly stiffer front forks in 1989. We can Identify whether it is HT or LT By looking at the starting of the engine number.Towards the end of production, most of the parts were localised.Headlights changed to Lumax. Engine number of LT Starts with 00****

The other side

A variety of issues hindered the sales of RD350 in India. Maintenance of an RD350 was not an easy task as Escort's service network was not so good in those days, and there were not enough trained mechanics who could handle its twin-cylinder engine. Spare parts were neither readily available nor very affordable. The HT's fuel consumption is 20 km/L (urban) 25 (mixed), that of the LT is 35 km/L - figures considered quite steep by most[ citation needed ] of the population at the time. According to reports, Yamaha is planning to reintroduce their iconic RD350 motorcycle in the coming months, unveiling a fresh variant called the XSR300.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha RD350</span> Type of motorcycle

The RD350 is a two-stroke motorcycle produced by Yamaha from 1973 to 1975. It evolved directly from the piston port, front drum-braked, five-speed Yamaha 350 cc "R5".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multi-valve</span> Type of car engine

A multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing, and with more smaller valves may be able to operate at higher revolutions per minute (RPM) than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R</span> Model of Kawasaki motorcycle

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is a 636 cc class motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki. It was introduced in 1995, and has been constantly updated throughout the years in response to new products from Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha. The ZX series is what was known as the Ninja line of Kawasaki motorcycles in the 1980s and still carries the name today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzuki Bandit series</span> Type of motorcycle

The Suzuki Bandit is a series of standard motorcycles produced by Suzuki since 1989. The Bandit series includes the following models:

The two-stroke power valve system is an improvement to a conventional two-stroke engine that gives a high power output over a wider RPM range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha FJ</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha FJ1100 and FJ1200 are sport touring motorcycles that were produced by Yamaha between 1984 and 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha RZ350</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha RZ350 is a two-stroke motorcycle produced by Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha between 1983 and 1996. Available in the US from 1983-1985, Canada until 1990 and Brazil until 1996. The RZ was the final evolution of the popular and well-known series of RD Yamaha motorcycles, and as such is also known as the RD350LC II or RD350 YPVS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha TZR250</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha TZR250 is a motorcycle manufactured and produced by the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha between 1986 and 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha SR400 & SR500</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha SR400 (1978–2021) and SR500 (1978–1999) are single-cylinder, air-cooled, two-passenger motorcycles manufactured in Japan by Yamaha Motor Company as a street version of the Yamaha XT500, with a standard riding posture and styling resembling the Universal Japanese Motorcycles of the 1970s. The two models differ by their engines: the SR400 engine has a lower displacement, achieved with a different crankshaft and shorter piston stroke and both models feature only kickstarting, i.e., no electric starter.

The Yezdi Roadking was a motorcycle produced in India by Ideal Jawa Ltd, Mysore from 1978 to 1996. It was based on the CZ 250 motocross ridden by Jaroslav Falta to the runner-up spot in the 1974 motocross world championship. It was sold under the brand name Yezdi. The bike won several Indian rallies and road races. The bike had a 250 cc engine with dual exhausts and a semi-automatic clutch and Jawa/CZ's trademark integrated gear shifter/kick-starter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha RD500LC</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha RD500LC is a high-performance, two-stroke sports motorcycle, also known as the RZ500 in Canada and Australia. A lightened but detuned version known as the RZV500R was developed for the Japanese home market. Strict United States Environmental Protection Agency regulations meant that the RZ500 was not available for sale in that country. Produced for a short period between 1984 and 1986 it has become a sought after collector's machine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha RX 100</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha RX 100 was a two-stroke motorcycle made by Yamaha from 1985 to 1996 with technical collaboration and distributed in India by the Escorts Group. At the initial stage, Yamaha Japan was exporting all bikes from Japan to India. After 1990, Escorts started production in India, with some parts being imported from Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha FZ150i</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha FZ150i is a lightweight 150 cc motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha Motor Company exclusively for Southeast Asian markets. It was launched in Indonesia in June 2007 at Palembang Indah Mall, Palembang and then Malaysia in January 2008 at First World Hotel, Genting Highlands as the first completely knocked down (CKD) bike to be fuel-injected in Asian motorcycle market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha XJR400</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha XJR4004HM is a motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha. It is a sports naked bike with a maximum power output of 53ps at 11,000RPM. The XJR400 was built from 1993 until it was discontinued in 2007 due to stricter emissions regulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Enfield Bullet</span> Motorcycle

The Royal Enfield Bullet was an overhead valve, single-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle initially made by Royal Enfield in Redditch, Worcestershire England. It was later produced by Royal Enfield at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, a company originally founded by Madras Motors to build Royal Enfield motorcycles under licence in India. The Royal Enfield Bullet has the longest and unchanged production run of any motorcycle having remained continuously in production since 1948. The Bullet marque is even older and has passed 75 years of continuous production. The Royal Enfield and Bullet names were derived from the British company which had been a subcontractor to the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha MT-01</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha MT-01 is a MT series motorcycle made by Yamaha from 2005 to 2012, available in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, India, Japan and parts of North America. But Yamaha Motor Corp. USA declined to import it to the United States, citing a small market for this style of motorcycle. It has unconventional features with a cruiser-style 1,670 cc (102 cu in) air-cooled, overhead valve V-twin engine but sportbike or naked bike style frame and suspension. The engine is derived from the Yamaha Warrior XV1700 and modified to suit application in the MT-01, while the forks and brakes are derived from the 2004 to 2005 Yamaha R1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha RD350LC</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha RD350LC was a two-stroke motorcycle produced by Yamaha between 1980 and 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha TZ 350</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha TZ 350 was a racing motorcycle produced by the Yamaha Motor Company from 1973 to 1981 for competition in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing series. The motorcycle was powered by a 350 cc two stroke engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda 650cc standard and sport motorcycles</span> Type of motorcycle produced by Honda

The Honda 650 cc standard and sport motorcycles are a range of 649 cc (39.6 cu in) inline-four standard and sport motorcycles made by Honda since 2013. The line includes the CB650F standard or 'naked bike', and the CBR650F sport bike that replaced outgoing CB600F Hornet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Enfield Hunter 350</span> Type of motorcycle

The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is a roadster motorcycle launched by Royal Enfield in August 2022 in India. It is powered by 349cc BS6 engine that produces 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of torque. The Hunter 350 is the most affordable motorcycle under the new J-platform, and the second least expensive bike after Royal Enfield Bullet 350. The motorcycle features a retro-style single-piece seat, a classic round headlamp, a flat handlebar and a sculpted fuel tank. Within a month of its launch, the Hunter 350 became the second highest selling Royal Enfield motorcycle.

References

  1. ↑ Momin, Aamir (2021-07-10). "Yamaha RD350: The Icon, the legend, and the rumours". Evo India. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  2. ↑ Live, A. B. P. (2023-03-27). "राजदूत तो मॉडल का नाम था... मगर इसे कौनसी कंपनी बनाती थी? मारुति, यामाहा या फिर कोई और?". www.abplive.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  3. ↑ Momin, Aamir (2021-07-10). "Yamaha RD350: The Icon, the legend, and the rumours". Evo India. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.