Mechman I would like to comment. Actually you want an ignition retard as the engine comes on the pipe. Sort of the vacuum advance mechanism that was common in automobiles of the time. Light load advance... heavy load, start retarding. My RD is going to stay with the points. It has made it 37 years with them.
As far as having too much power for the chassis, remember the TZ350, about twice the power and in a chassis that was 50% lighter and still manageable. When compared to models 6-8 years newer (The RDLC and then RZ) it is bouncy, twitchy but without that comparison it was state of the art.
When I rode my RD on the road. It got 40 mpg but I could get 50 on the road. About 12-15 mpg at the track.
I do believe that time has passed the 2 stroke engine. At least as I know them. Using the crankcase to scavenge the engine, carrying oil and unburned fuel with it is just not politically correct. If you want one better find it and rebuild it. Almost all the parts are still available. My RD is going to stay the same as when I raced it. Stock pipes, rear sets.
My bikes are now antique or historic vehicles and will probably be ridden less than 1000 miles a year. I haven't ridden the RD since back then but rode my RZ a couple of weeks ago. It hits the pipe at about 6500 and lasts to 9500. The variable exhaust port really fattens the power band. It still is very old school when compared to what more modern performance two strokes can do. But it is pretty light weight and with the short wheelbase it makes it fun. Seems like every time that I have gotten it out is was just after a rain and the clay on top of the gravel makes it just want to slew.
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Originally Posted by mechman600
+1 on the 2-strokes! There is nothing like a 2-stroke when it hits the pipe. Not that I own one anymore....
I did fix an RD350 for my neighbour. What a blast! Basically, way too much power for the chassis.
A stock RD will only get around 40-45 mpg.
The number one upgrade for these engines is digital ignition. The later RD400s had CDI which basically eliminated spark plug fouling issues. With a stock RD, you basically have to take a handful of spark plugs along at all times. There was a company that made a timing advance setup for these as well, which basically doubled fuel mileage around town. I would seriously look into that, because I believe there was no timing advance on these motors. I think it even had a TPS for timing inputs.
Good luck!
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