Reedy Racing

Yes, AI is a motorcycle fan

Had a wonderful weekend of racing at Morgan Park last weekend. When you are racing a motorcycle that has quite a number of years accrued, the joy is experiencing the sounds of the bike, the feedback from the track, and the joy of making the bike go round in circles ever faster and faster. The Norton ran beautifully until it spat out the copper head gasket down the back straight - easy (long) fix but not in the pits! The RD350LC ran sweetly and this was really a get to know you session and we battled a tyre tube puncture, flat spotting carbs, jelly suspension and a detached rh exhaust in the last race ( the lh exhaust also cracked 80% open at the head fl**ge woo). Overall our finishing positions were 3rd with the Norton and 2nd with the Yamaha. Decided not to do the Masters of Morgan Park events as they have eliminated P3 events (boo) but looking towards doing a track day at Lakeside Raceway on 02 Aug so mark your calendars if you’d like to pop in on that day and see the bikes, rider and the best pit chief around!

Having a great weekend racing the Norton 650SS and Yamaha RD350LC at Warwick’s Morgan Park Raceway. The finest English thumper engineering vs Japanese banshee screamer!

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’!

Big news on a new track weapon for 2026 season coming soon! A bike that was a pinup poster in the 80s with blue stripes…

Last weekend's race meeting went well and we were spared the rain that seemed to lash Brisbane. The 650SS with its torquey twin cylinder engine ran without issues and achieved second overall in its class. While the RD400 gave that lovely two stroke smoke-and-noise thrill that I enjoy it for - that was until we departed company at the end of the main straight at about 120kmh. The damage was not too serious for bike or rider but wasn't part of the plan for sure. Oh well, learning more at every outing. Another positive experience from the weekend was dining at Stanthorpe's Anna's Italian Restaurant. Wow. The food was excellent and can highly recommend - it'll be on our must do list for Stanthorpe visits for sure.

2025 race season gets underway this weekend with the 1962 650SS and 1978 RD400 getting a chance to stretch their legs. Don’t they look super. Looking forward to a great event and having a beer on Sunday night, with body intact!

Looking forward to the Qld/Aus 2025 motorcycle racing year starting. Plenty of mods and maintenance to enjoy in the meantime. Not to mention the post Christmas get into shape program underway!