Yamaha RD250LC Rebuild and Review... and you can win it!

We take an ex-Niall Mackenzie #Yamaha #RD250LC, strip it, rebuild it and offer it as a competition prize and this video shows us the intricate details of a much-loved classic #motorcycle
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics' Bertie Simmonds drops in to chat with Daryll Young from IDP Moto who's been charged with stripping, checking and rebuilding the LC before it goes to its new home, that of a competition winning BikeSocial Member.
If you want the chance of winning this gem then sign in to your BikeSocial account but if you're not yet a member and fancy accessing a rang of exclusive offers on a massive range of bike kit and events, visit www.bikesocial...
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[@stevenwatson3963]

I used to watch these things go past my house in the early 80s, they were unreal performance wise.I'm now 50 yrs old, and had all types of bikes, but an early RD 250/350 LC WOULD BE A GREAT BIKE TO OWN.Memories eh!

[@tonybarton3746]

Lad down the road , has a great immaculate one , oh the smell of that two stroke , happy memories 😊😊👍👍

[@parasinthephilippines]

Brings back memories as this was my second bike along with my MBX 80 when I was a dispatch rider in London. Used the MBX around the City and kept the LC at the office to swap out for outer London work. Ran the arse out of both as I was totally mercenary and they were there to make money. Loved the kick when the power band was hit

[@rattusnorvegicus4380]

If I was informed correctly back in the early eighties, when I had a trio of 350 Elsies in my garage(purchase cost as runners, £280-£350), Yamaha created that powerband to give the illusion of speed, but it was claimed( & I`ve never checked the specs), that the 350LC was slower than the RD400(which I`d also owned), off the line. No fond memories for the RD400, but the LCs, especially the tuned one, were bucket loads of fun. Along with my `76 Guzzi factory proddy racer & XT500, these kept a smile on my face from `80-`85. One chap sold me his old 350LC cheap as he`d just bought the new power valve model, which I still think doesn`t look right, not only ugly but an accident-in-waiting. He scrubbed the tyres in, then started to push it thereafter, the front washing out on him on a perfectly dry road and he broke his arm. Said he missed the surefootedness of his old bike. I knew exactly what he meant.

[@021mr5]

Everything he said. I had to do when I restored my bike and what I have read in facebook groups and forums. Especially the brass balls in the carburetors. This guy knows this bike inside and out.

[@karlhoward2737]

I had one of these, back in 1980, bought mine from Ken Heanes over in Fleet, Hampshire….I commuted every day from Sandhurst to West Byfleet, not the best commute, but some great twisties on the way, I was 18 then, silly me used to race a Suzuki X7 most nights on the Lightwater bypass, riding at insane speeds….how silly, but what fun, his bike would just pick up quicker than my LC, but top end, I would always leave him behind..,.I kept my bike, a black one, with the mini fairing and scope, until November 14th, 1981….riding up from Yately, a drunk driver cut right across me….stood no chance, I was doing 30mph at the time….bike was written off, and I ended up rather broken , arms, leg etc…..so…that was it, until some 43 years later, I got back to riding and now ride a Honda NC750DCT….got the DCT as a result from that accident all those years ago…..love my bike now, but boy did I love my LC, it was so good to ride when you hit the powerband, brakes were questionable and those drain gripper tyres not great, but it was just so ahead of anything on the road back then….then of course the UK got very boring….shame, but that was then….long live the RD250LC

[@neilhamill318]

I bought a sightly used 1981 Yamaha RD250LCH in 1982 full fairing white and red pin strips. Had it for five years of to and from work and weekend fun. Never let me down. All that was needed on cold morning to get it up to operating temp a picture frame made out of cardboard to fit over the radiator.

[@stevemcguinness40]

All my mate's had 350s lc I tried to keep up on my 250lc so I put a set of allspeeds and K&N filters 😉shit it was quick for the time, Not good at stopping with that 1 disc. Great days. They still look the business.

[@bennettsbikesocial]

Great memories, eh Steve?!

[@roughsponge]

RD actually stands for ring ding, we all Know that!

[@MotoTingle]

Haha! It’s true

[@rappers5719]

I had an RD125LC. What fantastic fun it was. I was 30 at the time.

[@sjk8273]

I now live in the US. I was having a good chat with a bloke in a bike shop about 2-strokes, but when I mentioned 'RDs' he looked blank. They had an 'RZ' designation here.

[@cyclingbikerwholovestotinker]

very good video indeed, informative and helpful to anyone thinking of buying or restoring, thanks for posting guys - nice to see solid content being produced

[@HONMONSTER]

Really enjoyed this video Daryl has great knowledge of this bike. Looking forward to the next video. Cheers

[@paulkelly6494]

I had the 350lc, loved it. In hindsight gutted I sold it.

[@-DC-]

Bit of wheel bearing grease on the grommets always works wonders in ease of fitting and removal of panels.

[@rattusnorvegicus4380]

Not Vaseline?

[@daviddanielstephenson2833]

I had a brand new 350 mars bar in the early 80's when I was working at the bike shop and swapped it for a VW golf when I was courting, the relationship never lasted so I wished I had kept here afterwards, this is what happens when you are young and daft.

[@petebennett7008]

Clocks should be under the top yoke not on top.. beautiful bike 👍🏻👍🏻

[@funkyfin3023]

Spot on, should be almost flush to headlight. Nice job though.

[@SBKPete]

I remember Daryl from his Two Wheels Only magazine days (and Superbike magazine possibly). Blimey, it’s a while ago now 😉

[@mikelsay693]

Did this bike get finished getting restored and put in the competition to win it ,i couldnt find the part 2 video of the finished bike ,its been 2 years now 🤔🏍💨

[@kevinjackson7340]

I pity todays kids, they never got to be a teenager in the 70s / 80s, not all good....but what was good, was fantastic.

[@jamiemorris3995]

My absolute dream bike....

[@veeken777]

Used to have a 250 air cooled, and a 350LC back when. Worth a fortune now. Irony..

[@ImLeuff]

Not a UK resident so sadly can't enter the competition but that's a sweet bike! There was a same era Yamaha XJ400 (1984) (same wheels) in a local classifieds that I'm eyeing for a first bike I'm saving for, hopefully I'll join the biking community on the road next summer. If for some reason you decide to send me this beauty anyway, I'll take it!

[@rattusnorvegicus4380]

Use my address and we`ll split the cash when it`s sold....which`ll be quickly :)

[@garywinterbottom6073]

Had a b reg rd 80lc now they are like hens teeth swapped it for ar125lc in 94.

[@andrewmallard2301]

Nice to know, Nial owned it.

[@ashleyb.1563]

While there are many totally standard bikes that come from Germany, it is not true they cannot be modified - They Can!! It just a pain, costs a lot of money to register every mod that is done! But it can be done, however most people don't bother 😞

[@dermotmoriarty7711]

Great bike broke my necap

[@justintime1307]

I had the larger bike on my license, after an apparent fire in the records building I had been told I could only ride a 125 which put my bandit in the garage for a year. Didn't matter what I'd done to rectify the problem. Did any other UK riders have this problem

[@rattusnorvegicus4380]

I doubt it, but many an effigy of Swansea`s DVLA building has ended up being submitted for Bonfire Night....

[@justintime1307]

@@rattusnorvegicus4380 that happened in the early half of the 90s. If I'd not read about it I'd put it down to they just wanted any excuse to have us pay for everything else they could dream up

[@Triashis]

Wow😍😍🔥🔥looks super cool

[@JIMWSMITH]

Enjoyed that...

[@darrenwhite8875]

So LC Kev can't get LC's from Germany because of brexit and covid, but he can get them from Sweden!. I didn't know Sweden wasn't in the EU and hadn't been affected by covid!. Everyday's a school day I guess...

[@cpuuk]

In part two we show how with just a few extra parts we convert it into a 350LC ;-)

[@fizzy49cc]

Soon as I heard olive drab I turned off. Needs Microns

[@rattusnorvegicus4380]

Needs replacing with a 350LC...then I`d pay attn. Owned three of them, one tuned for 135mph :)

[@petebennett7008]

TTFN Karen

[@Dav37D]

I bought mine in 1991 for £900... sold in 2002 for £1000! Why oh why 😭

[@claretbuck1882]

Sweet 👌🏻

[@stephencartwright5046]

I was looking forward to watching this, but the presentation was poor. Too much " expert " chat. Are you seriously going to put original brake hoses on it? Wierd priorities.

[@mixit2413]

had an RD 250 LC i crashed it two times and blew the engine up once rebuilt it each time even was a dispatch rider on it (worse bike for this ever) . Got a car went then got a GPZ 305 for a bit went back to a car the got a Black GS500 with a Full fairing ( I should have bought the CBR 600)after I wrote off my car and then about a year later had a car drive over me and never rode a Bike again.

[@calvinbrowne2126]

How many times did you have to fix that 305?

[@mixit2413]

@@calvinbrowne2126 it was quite reliable belt snapped a couple for times though.

[@calvinbrowne2126]

Mine was a dog.....

[@calvinbrowne2126]

Or maybe I just rode it like a hooligan ...

[@mixit2413]

@@calvinbrowne2126 that particular bike was just a commuter for me by then parking was limited at work but bike parking was free. I'd done the hooligan stuff on my 125's and 250 so had got it out of my system.

[@micgarn3331]

Race developed not derived

[@davidchiarletti4648]

Rd350lc BADDEST bike on planet stand STEPHENS TUNED STAGE 2 all speed PIPES the microns wer to loud but gave a slightly stronger power band wiv those but I smoked z900s wiv that machine FRIDAY night's CHELSEA bridge ,Box hill on Sunday afternoon miss those days !GATE13SW6CFCCREW