RD350 with 21st Century sex appeal

Two-strokes just won’t go away. The thrill of a screaming RD350 still sets the hairs tingling for many of us. And when it’s combined with sexy R1 styling like this ” R3 ” many will start slavering.

It’s been created by American David Zemla: ” It was my dream to own an RD, but I hated the style, ” he said.

The motor and chassis are from a 1984 RD, the front end from a 1993 GSX-R1100, the swingarm off a 1986 FZ600 and the wheels off a TZ250. The fairing, seat and subframe all come from a 1998 R1. It weighs just 136kg (300lb), 12kg (26lb) less than before, and makes 65bhp.

Still if two strokes ain’t your thing but R1s, are, here’s a way of keeping your eye in during the worst winter weather: an R1-powered snowmobile.The 145bhp motor powers Yamaha’s top-of-the-range snowmobile, the £6200 RX-1. The engine is reversed, so the air intakes are at the front and the exhaust is at the back, to accommodate its new frame.