Any conversation about the good old days of motorcycling will eventually include the words ?they don’t build ’em like they used to.? And then someone will mention the Yamaha RD350.
The fiery two-stroke was loved when it was released, got even wilder as it evolved, and has been missed ever since it was discontinued. Given the motorcycle industry’s current obsession with nostalgia, the time is ripe for a modern take on the iconic RD?but there are no signs that Yamaha plans to resurrect it. After all, ever-tightening emissions laws have put the kibosh on two-stroke development.

Custom builder Renato Frateschi remembers the RD350 well?particularly the later RD350 YPVS F2, which made waves in his native country of Brazil when it was released in 1987. (If you don’t know it, it was called the RZ350 in the USA.) With over 60 horses on tap and a paltry curb weight, it was an instant hit. Like many, Renato misses the RD350. So when he and a client couldn’t quite settle on a direction for a custom build, he came up with a radical proposal. “Look, I have an RD350 chassis and fuel tank here,? Renato told his client, ?and I think we can do something amazing with it.?

The client agreed, and Renato set about sourcing an engine for the bike. Since the cost of an original, good condition RD350 power plant would have wrecked the budget, the idea was to create a modern tribute to the iconic Yamaha. So he settled on using the four-stroke, twin-cylinder ...