27/03/2026
2026 brings a new mount which is 'Bluey' - a 1981 Yamaha RD350LC. Here is some reading on why this model has a special place in motorcycle history ....... " It produced less than 50bhp and had a top speed of not much more than 100mph, but for many riders Yamaha’s raw, racy RD350LC was the high-performance bike of the Eighties.
In many ways, the LC had the lot: acceleration, excitement and handling – plus also reasonable practicality, reliability and economy. Although it had an appetite for fuel and two-stroke oil, it was relatively cheap to buy and to run. And it looked great, too, with a restrained style that contrasted with its exuberant personality.
Introduced in 1980, the RD350LC, its LC standing for Liquid Cooled, was a descendant of the string of outstanding air-cooled two-stroke twins that had earned Yamaha an unmatched reputation for middleweight performance. The line had begun with the 347cc YR1 in 1967, and continued through the Seventies with models including the RD350 and RD400.
The familiar RD initials stood for Race Developed, and were well deserved. Yamaha riders including Britain’s Phil Read had won 250 and 350cc world championships in the Sixties and Seventies, firstly on air-cooled twins and then on the liquid-cooled TZ250 and 350.
The RD350LC was developed alongside an RD250LC sibling that was visually near-identical apart from its front brake having one disc rather than two. The larger, 347cc engine produced 47bhp, a few horsepower up on the air-cooled RD400. The LC’s liquid cooling allowed a more constant engine temperature and closer tolerances, as well as reducing noise.
Chassis layout was also influenced by Yamaha’s racers: instead of a twin-shock layout like the RD400, the LC had a TZ-style mono-shock system with the unit angled diagonally under the seat. The 18-inch cast wheels had stylishly curved spokes but in other respects the chassis was conventional, with a twin-downtube steel frame, non-adjustable front forks and slightly raised handlebars.
Initial reaction was not all positive; some testers wondered whether the LC was too aggressive to appeal to more than a limited section of the market. It didn’t appeal to everyone – but for riders looking for high performance on a low budget, no other bike came close. With a 110mph top speed, wheelie-popping acceleration and racetrack credibility, the “Elsie”, as it was soon nicknamed, was the bike of a speed-crazed teenager’s dreams.
Decades later, it still has a rarely matched ability to put a smile on its rider’s face. The entertainment begins the moment you kick the engine into life; there’s no electric starter. The two-stroke powerplant fires up with a burbling, rather harsh sound through the twin pipes, which also belch out a fair bit of smoke and fumes.
The Yamaha has excellent controls and a light clutch. Its low-rev performance is pretty feeble; there’s not much power available below about 6000rpm. And then, hang on!
By the time Yamaha retired the LC in the mid-Nineties it had been produced in its various forms for well over a decade, and sold in huge numbers all over the world. Almost 30 years after that, its reputation is intact and the original model, in particular, remains one of the best-loved bikes of all time."
So that’s the history of the RD350LC model and a speed-crazed teenager’s dream is being realised with ‘Bluey’!
