First Love

The Rd350 Was the First Superbike in India. And We Are Still Gushing Over It!

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When Escorts introduced the hallowed RD350 under the then ubiquitous Rajdoot brand in 1983, the motorcycling scene in post-independence India was changed forever.

The RD350, when it made its debut in its HT trim, was good for a company claimed 30.5 bhp from its twin cylinder, two-stroke motor. Another first was the six-speed gearbox, with most of the motorcycles of the time sporting four-speed ‘boxes at the most. Although the country’s avid motorcyclists had experienced British parallel twins that were remnants of pre-independence India, they were nothing in comparison to this giant killer from the Orient.