RD350LC “Elsie”
My second real daily rider. Still in the fleet of great bikes I own and still my daily rider.
The LC was the first two-stroke WP started with in earnest. Before dreams of ever becoming a two-stroke tuner I ported this bike in 1996 for the first time. Several incarnations later it is still going strong with over 30,000 miles on the clock. Up until around 3-years ago it would still run with the 600 class of modern sportbikes up to around 85mph. NOT TO BAD considering it was 23 at the time!
There really aren’t that many of these old birds around in the states, not like the RZ350, (sold legally in the US and the RZ500 gray markets). The LC really is in a class all its own for now a vintage two-stroke street bike. In fact I’d say there’s more TZ250s made into streetbikes than these things.
Consider this bike for a moment. It was the first streetbike Yamaha produced with a monoshock rear swingarm. The first two-stroke street bike from Yamaha to have a water cooled engine. With sleek styling and classic paint and wheel design it was really more than the 750 killer of its day. A real icon in two-stroke streetbikes.
I have a fond place for this bike and so is my care in their engines. From stock rebuilds to all out vintage racing WP can provide you with the continued enjoyment this bike has to offer.