Yamaha RD400 cafe racer

When you think of Yamaha café racers, it’s usually the SR400 or SR500 that crops up. But Chris Fiaccone of Dallas, Texas, has shown that the RD400 is a terrific starting point too. He’s into bikes that are fun and nimble, and this two-stroke twin delivers. The RD400 was a lively, quick-steering machine developed from the giant-killing RD350: built between 1975 and 1980, it was priced well under Honda’s CB400. Its light weight and 40 bhp motor took it to a whisker under 100 mph, and made second-gear wheelies easy. Fiaccone’s mods include clubman bars, new pipes, a modified frame and new two-up seat, and liberal powdercoating. [Image by Pat Painter.]