MS Dhoni Adds A Modified Vintage Yamaha RD350 To His Collection

The ace cricketer’s latest addition packs a whole range of aftermarket performance parts

Former Indian Cricket Team captain MS Dhoni’s love for motorcycles is well known. From vintage roadsters to modern supersports, his collection of bikes makes for one of the most desirable garages in the country. Dhoni is particularly fond of old-school icons, having restored and owned many Yamaha RX100s and RD350s. While he already owns a few RDs, Dhoni recently added a custom restored RD350 LC to his collection. 

Restored by Chandigarh based Blue Smoke Customs, this bike retains its original aesthetics, finished in an eye-catching Yellow livery with Captain Cool’s number featured on the tank. It retains the rounded headlamp and turn indicators, rectangular tail lamp and blacked out engine. The RD350 LC gets a different fuel tank from the standard Yamaha RD 350, along with triangular side panels and a sportier seat with an inclined rear.

Most of the custom work on Dhoni’s bike is mechanical, as this RD350 LC features a whole range of aftermarket performance parts. These include a liquid cooled engine, Lectron carburetor, Moto Tassinari VForce4 reed valve system, Uni air filter, Zeeltronic Programmable CDI, NGK spark plug, JL Street twin exhausts, Metmachex aluminium swingarm and LMC silicone radiator coolant hose.

The power output of this liquid cooled engine is over 72PS. Dhoni had previously added a modified RD350 from Blue Smoke Customs, whose liquid cooled engine produced an astonishing 60PS! You can read more about this bike here.

The original RD350LC was powered by a 347cc parallel twin, liquid-cooled, two-stroke mill that produced around 49PS, which was considered to be a crazy amount of power back then. Compared to the air-cooled engine in the RD350, the RD350 LC’s engine received liquid cooling to meet stricter emission regulations. In comparison, the current KTM 390 Duke’s 373cc mill produces 43.5PS.

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The Yamaha RD 350 LC was sold globally between 1980 to 1983; however it was never officially launched in India. This did not stop enthusiasts from importing this bike privately. Apart from a desirable collection of Yamaha RD350s and RX100s, MS Dhoni also owns a range of modern-day motorcycles, including a Harley Davidson Fat Boy, a Kawasaki Ninja H2 and the rare Confederate X132 Hellcat.