Home › Builds › Custom Builds › Joe's - 1979 Yamaha RD 400 Daytona Special

Most people fall in love with motorcycles when they are young and this was the bike that sparked someones love for motorcycles. That person happened to be the owner of Atlanta Motorcycle Works. This bike sits in the shop when Joe isn't riding it. One day while we were closing up the shop I finally asked Joe if there was a story behind how the bike came to be. 

Joe had a buddy when he was in high school that had an RD400 DS. Joe was 17 years old at the time but by the way he described his buddies bike you would have thought it was last week. One of the perks of owning a motorcycle shop is having a staff of guys who like building and restoring motorcycles. Knowing its for the boss man makes it a bit more special. Joe is a very busy guy but if he was walking through the shop and his bike was on the lift he would check it out as he does with all the other bikes. Instead of asking what we were doing for the customer he became the customer. He could make judgement calls on parts and even be hands on when he had time. I remember him talking about the colorway for the wheels and how he decided on which exhaust to use. 

As you can imagine this was a full custom build. Motor rebuild, powder coating parts, re-plated hardware, and a couple of choice aftermarket parts. All of the rubber parts and seals where replaced on the bike. A set of SCR radial heads were added along with some Hagon shocks. A pair of VM32 Mikuni carbs are handling the fuel. Joe is beyond pleased with the end result. Its amazing to see someone get a bike they have wanted for so long, in a trim that was picked by the person riding it.  

Build sheet:

  • Performance SCR radial heads

  • Performance exhaust

  • Powder coated frame and swing arm

  • Custom paint

  • Custom powder coated wheels

  • Hagon shocks

  • Re-plated hardware

  • Fully rebuilt engine

  • Floating rotors

  • Braided stainless brake lines

  • Fully restored controls

  • Custom upholstered seat

  • Trimmed inner fender 

  • Aftermarket tail light and indicators

  • Vapor honed crank cases

  • VM32 Mikuni carbs

  • Powder coated engine covers

  • Airbox delete with pod filters

  • Performance crankshaft

  • Avon Road Rider tires

  • Exhaust valve actuator delete

  • Fully restored braking system

  • Vapor honed, polished and clear powder coated fork lowers

  • Dyna ignition coils

  • Dyna electronic ignition