The 1974 Yamaha RD350motorcyclewas a watershed bike , being light and very powerful for its sizing .
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Originally a manufacturer of musical instruments , Nippon Gakki added a humble motorcycle to its line afterWorld War II .
It was based on the same German DKW 125 - cctwo - strokesingle as the post- war BSA Bantam and Harley - Davidson S-125 motorcycles . And like those model , it proved successful in the postwar vender ’s boom . In honor of Nippon ’s founder , it was given the name " Yamaha . "
Yamahas were jolly successful in race during the 1950s , and when the company bought Showa late in the decade , it added that house ’s noesis of rotary valves to its engineering portfolio .
By then , Yamaha had already branched out into four - stroke twin represent by the 650 - cc XS1 . Although variations of that model would keep for a good many years , the company did n’t forsake two - strokes – at least , not yet .
The 1974 Yamaha RD350 was a milestone motorcycle , with an surpassing power - to - weight ratio and , thanks to reed - valve induction , a broad mogul band than most two - stroke . That made it not only quick , but easy to ride in traffic .
diminished versions with as picayune as 125 cc followed , and the 350 grew to 400 cc in 1976 .
But two - stroke street bike in ecumenical were not long for this creation , as they were being squeezed out by U.S. emission laws , and the RD series was quit in 1980 .
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1974 Yamaha RD350 Pictures
The 1974 Yamaha RD350 motorcycle had a 350 - cctwo - stroke engine , a intent that was discontinue in 1980 due to U.S. expelling laws .
