The rolling chassis was just about in one piece but the engine was partially stripped down because of gearbox problems, which had left the crank full of murky H,O - needless to say this was seized. The rest of the bike looked OK - R reg, cast wheels and red paint. I took it, figuring that another cheap engine would turn up.
Out of curiosity I completely dismantled the engine. The gearbox was a real mess the layshaft had been totally twisted in two - I later learnt that the bike was fitted with Microns, Power air filters and an altered advance/retard mechanism.
I saved up my pennies whilst looking for an engine (and battery, exhausts, chain and sprockets). An engine was found for £45 and I managed to get a complete exhaust system bunged in for an extra fiver.
It was at this point that the breaker mentioned he was expecting a crashed RD200 in two days time. This turned out to be a Y reg bike, in good nick, apart from a dented tank, where whoever crashed the bike slowed their forward motion with their nuts first (and no doubt has a high voice and funny walk to prove it). The front end was bent but the frame OK. The asking price was £100 and no amount of haggling lowered this price. As it was the summer hols and I was actually working, the cash was paid out and the bike delivered to my house.
A mere week later I had myself a red RD200DX, MOT, tax, insurance and lots of useful spares. The first two weeks I didn’t venture beyond 70mph, aware of the bike’s previous history, happy with a drastic improvement in speed over the YB and totally unaware of the nature of the RD’s powerband.
It was only when I returned to college and couldn’t lose face to a friend with an XS that I found the bike transformed itself once the rev counter hit seven grand. Oh, what fun! Soon the Yam was humming along with an indicated eighty and more on the clock. With 22 horses shifting just 260lbs, it used to leave 125s standing and give many 250s a run for their money. The bike was loads of fun on country roads, only let down by a rear end that could wallow enough to frighten the rider but never enough to plunge the bike onto the tarmac. The brakes were a bit of a laugh. The front disc was the usual rubbish and the rear drum was either on or off. Alertness and luck usually kept the bike from hitting things.
Two months after putting the bike on the road, it was squashed under a Sherpa van. My pride and joy was dead and I was relegated to the YB100 tanks again. Luckily, the only injuries suffered were a broken finger, missing finger nail and badly sprained foot. Another search found a 200 with piston trouble for a mere £40. It was also red with cast wheels. Three months later I was back on the road and with compensation quite a bit better off.
I soon found that it was better to leave the engine in stock tune than play around with things. I read about one highly modified RD that could still only do 87mph, whilst my stocker has had 90mph on the clock a few times. I did fit a pair of spannies, but they were removed after only 3 days because the increase in acceleration didn’t compensate for the lack of top speed.
The easiest modification is to remove the pins from the advance/ retard unit, which let the weights keep expanding out, allowing the spark to advance a lot more. This ruined low speed running, it was difficult to start and ticked over at three grand, but the powerband started much lower and still went up to 9000rpm the acceleration was really wicked. Friends were amazed with the speed - as the bike was a pig to start and ticked over roughly, the unit was replaced with a standard one before the engine blew up.
One aspect of the bike that amused other motorcyclists was the combination of tyres - they tended to ask if I walked when it rained. It had an Avon Deathmaster (square profile) on the back and a Cheng Shin on the front. I couldn’t afford new rubber at the time, and each had plenty of tread left, so they stayed on. The Avon was changed for a Pirelli Mandrake when it wore out, that improved the back end a. lot. Rear tyres should go for 7-8000 miles and front for 9000-10000 miles, whilst chain and sprockets only lasted 6000 miles. I used to achieve 58mpg regardless of how I rode. I never bought front pads (at least 10000 miles).
Maintenance was very easy. The head could be removed and de-coked in half an hour. The carbs have little windows to ease setting the slides and the points were also very easy to set up. Quirks were a bad torque point, or something, between 3500 and 4500rpm, the bike lurches back and forth despite the engine being set up correctly, when the gearchange linkage wore the lever fell off and the charging system was insufficient to keep the battery topped up to operate the starter (that doubles as a generator, with new bushes at £16 for four - buy car ones and file them down) or the air horns.
Naturally, this made night riding amusing, it was real great fun to shoot around country corners unsure if the bike was going to stick to the road or end up in a ditch. There was also the self destructing seat, the base material carefully constructed from very thin steel that lasts for a good two weeks before giving in to corrosion, cracking and falling off.
By the time the summer came around thoughts turned to a bigger bike - a RD250C for £120 was acquired; this made a diesel sound quiet. My last go on the 200 led to a prang and yet another rebuild (I still had lots of bits). When someone came to look at the 200, they made me an offer for the 250 instead (£160 after just a month), so I sold that.
I bought an X-reg Superdream to replace the Yam (don’t laugh, they’re not that bad). The 200 had 28500 miles, original bores and pistons and not the slightest rattle. I sold it for £220 and still see the bike around - it sounds just as good. It’s the best bike I’ve had so far.
Robert Bird