Riding India's 2-Stroke Legends: 1985 Rajdoot Yamaha RD350 HT & 1995 TVS Suzuki Shogun

In this video, I take you on a nostalgic ride with two iconic motorcycles that have a special place in my heart. First up is the legendary 1985 Rajdoot Yamaha RD350, which I have nicknamed the Silver Ghost. This giant killer, originally purchased from Farid Motors, has been meticulously maintained and fine-tuned to perfection. It features Cromodora cast alloy wheels, Paioli forks and Brembo brakes from the Enfield Fury 175, derived from East-German Zundapp KS175. This gives the bike great riding dynamics over the stock RD350 and braking as well. This RD350 also features US-spec porting, UNI filters, and a Vape/MZB CDI kit, among other tricks, with a few cosmetic touch-ups needed. This RD350 was built into a sleeper masterpiece in the hands of its late owner, Arjun Prabhakar, who spent years perfecting it at Nisar's garage (NMW) and with Shankar who setup his own garage for a while (VMW).

Alongside the RD350, we have the equally rare 1995 TVS Suzuki Shogun, dubbed the Boss. This machine, restored with a brand new, unopened engine sourced from Hosur, was Arjun’s pride and joy. The Shogun was built to challenge the Yamaha RX100, and it ruled the streets with unmatched power and style. The Shogun was the successor to the TVS Suzuki Supra that was also a legendary machine in its time with a power-up SS version sold with a rally kit that included a factory-built expansion chamber.

These bikes are now owned by Arjun's close friend Nelson Joel, who graciously allowed me to feature them in this video. To give you a glimpse into the passion and camaraderie that fueled these machines, I've included a clip from PowerDrift, featuring Arjun, his cousin Shreyas, Praveen, and Shankar at the 2013 Valley Run, held in Amby Valley close to Pune. The bikes being loaded up in Nelson's Innova and driven from Bangalore all the way to the event to compete against other drag RD350s from across the country, although the title of the fastest RD350 always belonged to Bangalore.

Stay tuned for more from Nelson's collection, including the Ideal Jawa Yezdi Road King/Oil King and the Vijai Super, in the next video.

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