A friend of mine just gave me a 1975 RD 200. It needs a little work, but is rideable as is. I own a few bikes but I've never owned a RD 200, and was wondering if anyone could tell me anything to lookout for with the bike. I'm planning on using it for around town, it has electric and kick start, and any tips on what to watch out for as far as keeping it running well would be appreciated, Matt.
Sweet bike! I rode one once, passed on buying it, after all I had a 400 at the time! The alternator doubles as the starter motor. Just make sure the oil pump is functioning, and you use good oil, and it should work fine for you. Keep an eye on your air/fuel mixture though, as the crank seals could be dry and leaky on a bike that old.
Get a dial indicator (if you don't have one) and learn how to set the timing: points will go out of time and bad things can happen.
Thanks Bob, I can't wait to get it running!! You'll havta come down so we can cruise around town, RD200/350 style!! Thanks for the advice everyone, it helps a lot!!
So with the help of some friends I found a website that sells everything I should need, and it looks like I'll be running a set of Uni filters. But other than the filters everything is stock...so what pre mix should I run? 32:1? 50:1? And does one oil work better with these engines than another (I've had Honda HP2 recommended), and do I need to run a certain octane? I don't want to trust the oil injection system, so do I need to do anything other than not put oil in the oil tank?? Thanks in advance.:up:
If the pump is like other Yamaha oil pumps, it needs the mix oil to lubricate. You will need to remove the pump (or the drive gear) and block the lines from the pump to the carb. Just running the pump dry will be bad for the fuel mix ratio as a lot of air will get into the intake after the carb. Not great. You can test the pump, it should be pretty easy to make sure it's working properly. I know that lots and lots of people on the RD/RZ forums swear by them, but YMMV (pun intended). If running premix, a study in the late 70's/early 80's showed that 20:1 made the most power, but most pre-mix oils are formulated for a specific ratio. I am running 32:1 in my RZ, that's what the bottle says to mix. I just bought a bottle of Amsoil which states 50:1. Do what the bottle of your favorite brand says to do, and jet appropriately. Remember that more oil in the mix = less gas which is a lean condition as oil is not part of the combustion charge. Less oil = rich condition but less lubrication. Follow the bottle recommendation and get the jetting sorted. You will be fine either way, pump or no pump.
