A Bicentenial restoration/rescue - '76 RD400

What a beauty!

I want a motorcycle with a kick start... Just because... I have been eyeing a Kawasaki W650... Just need the shop to be done so I can buy it and hide it quickly from the wife...

This one belongs to a friend of a friend...

IMG_1969.jpeg
 
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Had to Amazon the 10W30 MA2. No one locally had any! Yamaha dealer said they use 10W40 in everything. I will remember to not use them for service on anything, as I expect a dealership to follow the mfr's specs.
 
Was an easy fix once the parts were in hand. Ran and shifted perfect... but...
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took her for about 25 mile test ride - all very sedate. Until a couple miles from home, when a car pulled from a drive hidden by weeds into the road just feet in front of me. On the brakes, horn swerve lime MSF teaches. He kept coming and sent me over his hood and into the ditch. Besides bumps and bruises, I have a separated collarbone. The pretty little RD is wiped out. Handlebar a question mark, clocks broken, front fender loks like its been through a buzz saw, forks bent, tank sharply dented, tail light smashed, frame looks askew. Hope the insurance does me right. It's been a week now, and the major physical issue for me is the collarbone.
 
AAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

no no no no no no no no no no no no!

Get an appraisal from a collector group. Insurance will def try to screw you over…ie: its how old? It how small? No one wants a two stroke road bike so its worthless. You say it was “mint” but we can’t tell that now. Etc etc…

Those are very hard to come by now, especially in stock form. Most were raced out and disposed of. Ashamed to say I wadded more than my fair share of RD’s when I was young and racing.

Were I near you, I’d have it in the back of my truck already and on the way to my shop to be rebuilt….
 
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Oh man!!! Very sorry to read this!! I hope you heal well and fast!

But the bike man! The bike!! Nooooooooooooooo!!
 
Sucks for sure. So sorry.

A woman in an F150 pulled a left turn in front of me on my just finished/restored GS450 back in 2006. The bike was totaled, and my body hasn't been the same since. She had the state minimum insurance, which didn't pay for crap. The bike evaluation came out okay. I was worried that they were going to screw me over, but they did fine.
 
Sorry to hear that. Hope you heal up quickly and insurance pays out well.
 
If you took all of the advice above, good. But you're not done. Get a creepy greasy low-life lawyer and first sue the idiot car driver. Sue them 'til they're raw. Also, your low life lawyer is probably on good terms with the local county attorney. Your guy needs to push the county to prosecute the offender as hard as possible. Why?
Because that driver in all likelihood was not paying attention. (texting maybe?) I'm 74, rode since 1966 and still ride. The idiot who did me was not licensed, not insured, and no one on law enforcement's side cared to find out who owned/let her take off in that truck. The driver continued to drive. The county attorney didn't care.
She continued to drive even running over a deputy's niece. At this point the Ohio State Patrol took notice. (God bless them). Every time they caught her behind the wheel they arrested her. She finally disappeared. Family sent her out of state.
Do the world a favor.
Rant over; sorry.
 
Adjuster called today. Bike reimbursement is fair. The guy had the minimum insurance and going after him won't be worth it. I'll be another month (at least) rehabbing the shoulder. I'm too old to tilt at windmills. Got to use my time for more enjoyable endeavors.
 
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