2013 Yamaha Yzf-r on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Filling a void with an RD350LC

Last winter I managed to fill a void in my life when I stumbled on a very reasonably priced Yamaha RD350LC.  It was a tad scruffy, had the wrong exhausts but most importantly it was blue and white with all numbers matching.  I had the usual euphoria when the deal was done but I underestimated how much pleasure this particular purchase would continue to deliver another eight months down the line. The difference with this old bike is, instead of just taking it for the occasional ride I was talked into doing a full nut and bolt restoration.  Having never taking a bike apart completely before, initially it was quite daunting but I soon found the RD is easy to work on so it turned into a truly satisfying experience.  I’ve had some help from LC enthusiasts with the rebuild, however, the stripping, sourcing and organising was a total labour of love.  And call me sad but it has made me bond with this bike like no other which only adds to the feel good factor.  The bike cost £1800 and I’ve spent around £1000 but I reckon my mint Elsie is now worth a fair bit more.   I fancy rejuvenating a Fizzy  next time but there’s lots of other cheap 70’s and 80’s winter projects  out there so why not have a go yourself?

Pipewerx's new Slash Cut slip-ons

Pipe Werx, the British performance motorcycle exhaust company, has added a new product to its range – the Slash Cut Trim. Priced at only £79.95, delivered, the Slash Cut Trim easily bolts on with its supplied mounting clamp and spring to the catalytic converter in place of the heavy standard exit pipes on Yamaha’s R6 (2006-2011) and Suzuki’s GSX-R600/750 (K8, K9, L0). With the main aim of reducing weight and improving aesthetics on these machines, the Slash Cut Trim does give a marginal increase of throttle response and exhaust note.

Niall Mackenzie Blog number 3

This picture of me chasing Foggy on the Daytona banking in 1991 brought back some bitter sweet memories recently. I did half a season as his team mate on the Silkolene RC30s before scurrying off to Japan to ride a factory Yamaha Superbike. I’ve never been a quitter but I felt the team that year was gear stretched running two riders so it was a case of last in first out.