Rajdoot 350

The Rajdoot 350 , also known as the RD, was a two-stroke Yamaha motorcycle made in India by Escorts group from 1983 to 1989. RD stands for 'Race derived', in India promoted by Rajdoot in collaboration with Yamaha Japan.

It is a licensed copy of the Yamaha RD350B, modified to suit Indian conditions. Even though the production of the air-cooled Yamaha RD350 had ended in Japan in the mid-1970s due to stringent emissions norms, it was a technically advanced motorcycle in the Indian market in 1983. It has a 7-port two stroke parallel twin engine, Yamaha's patented Torque Induction System using reed valves, 6-speed manual transmission, autolube system, mechanical tachometer, 12 volt electrics and 0-60 km/h in less than four seconds. In the interest of cost, the front disc brake of the RD350B was substituted with a 7" twin leading shoe drum brake from the Yamaha

It was primarily targeted at the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, which was the biggest-capacity motorbike in India at the time. The Yezdi Roadking 250 was another competitor. However, the Rajdoot 350 was not a commercial success due to its relatively high fuel consumption in a cost-conscious Indian market. High purchase price, poor availability of expensive spare parts and lack of trained service personnel did not help either. After the runaway success of its smaller stablemate Yamaha RX 100 introduced in 1985, the Rajdoot 350 stayed in production as a flagship model, and production ended in 1990. The last bikes were reported to be sold in 1991.

HT(Stock)/LT(LETI) and CUSP Model

 * 'High Torque (HT- Stock Engine)'
 * The HT was made from 1983 to 1985 (until 1989 for the Government). It develops a respectable 30.5bhp @6750 rpm, detuned from 39 bhp by restricting the exhaust ports of the Yamaha RD350B. Some HTs have mufflers with flatter ends. HT exhausts make the raucous "RD growl" compared to the more toned-down LT beat. Engine number of HT Starts with 1A1.51.******


 * 'Cusp Model (HT/LT Switchable)'
 * This model cosmetically resembled HT, with left side engine cover marked "Made in Japan".Exhaust with flatter ends. The barrels of this cusp model had a removable plate for the exhaust port. With the plate installed exhaust port will be on Leti specification and once removed its HT spec. Engine number of Cusp Model also starts with 00****


 * 'Low Torque (LETI - Low End Torque Induction)'
 * LT was made from 1985 to 1989. It develops 27 bhp because the exhaust ports are restricted even further. LETI bike was the fastest accelerating RD up to 100 km/hr due to its low-end power delivery compared to HT. All LTs have the left engine cover marked "Made in India". The mufflers have slightly tapered or conical ends. The only notable upgrades to the LT in 1988 were slightly stiffer front forks in 1989. We can Identify whether it is HT or LT By looking at the starting of the engine number. Engine number of LT Starts with 00****

The other side
A variety of issues hindered the sales of RD350 in India. Maintenance of an RD350 was not an easy task as Escort's service network was not so good in those days, and there were not enough trained mechanics who could handle its twin-cylinder engine. Spare parts were neither readily available nor very affordable. The HT's fuel consumption is 20 km/L (urban) 25 (mixed), that of the LT is 35 km/L - figures considered quite steep by most of the population at the time. According to reports, Yamaha is planning to reintroduce their iconic RD350 motorcycle in the coming months, unveiling a fresh variant called the XSR300.