I love the RD400 thank ye, i was just mentioning it because i found brand new pistions and .25mm -1mm oversize in my catalog and thought of ya little beast
I don't think you understand my point inane
There is more to true motorcycling than exchange value of your bike.
I am doing this to have a recreational vehicle that i am proud of. any dolt can pick up a car and get her to run, its not hard. but to go from a running engine to a tuned engine is a whole different ball game. I want a Tuned recreational vehicle. i want one that i made with my own 2 hands, one that can be called professional.
Most people's experience with the world of machines is limited to appliances. Such experience is not educational- the appliance is simply used and maintenance is mostly cleaning and calling a repair man. Automobile ownership has become appliances oriented over the years with manufactures requiring "Authorized" Mechanics to preform perodic Maintenance. The increased complexity of newer cars intimidates owners who might otherwise preform their own maintenance. Standard charges for scheduled maintenance are not cheap and constitute a significant chunk of dealers' income.
Appliances are intend to be used, but the owner doesn't get to know it.Vintage machines are the oppisite, in fact, getting to know a vintage bike is required to keep it working right. Appreciating the vintage machine and getting to know it is one and the same.
A Vintage machine must realize its design potential, the great preponderance of vintage/english motorcycles delivered to America were incapable of demonstrating the engineer's intentions.
The vision is a rare bike in that she was very modern, but has that vintage quality (Or lack there of

)
I am sure that coil, tiger and Luck will agree that you don't know a vision till you have had 2 torn completely apart.
In the words of a dear friend who recently passed away: Ownership means nothing- they say "I've owned this bike for 30 years." SO WHAT?! I've owned this body for 65 years- does that make me a doctor?
But now i am on a tangent. IF you would like I could post a few of my essays i have written since my voyage in to vintage motorcycles. the appliance paragraph was an excerpt form my notes.