1973
Yamaha RD350
Colours used
in this example.
Petrol blue and Deep blue set the main colour direction. Softer background tones keep the motorcycle in focus.
Suggested pencil shades, not exact factory paint matches. Test colours on your paper before building richer layers.
Layer darker blue below the tank curve.
Keep the fine stripes light and even.
Layer grey first then deepen the recesses with charcoal.
Leave narrow paper-white highlights beside blue-grey shadows.
Use light irregular strokes to keep foliage behind the motorcycle.
Look a little closer.
Explore the details from different angles.
RD350 comparison
Red RD350 with white tank panel and dark lining, black seat and chrome mudguards. Exact year and paint originality unconfirmed.
Photo: Bergfalke2 · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0Air-cooled RD350
Red RD350 with white tank panels and dark lining. The yellow motorcycle behind it is not the reference subject.
Photo: John Goetzinger · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0RD350 road bike
Olive-green RD350 with dark tank panels. Green is recorded for the 1973 Type 351 in a specialist register but this individual bike is not authenticated.
Photo: k.ivoutin · Source · CC BY 2.0Right-side engine detail
Red side-panel and tank detail with white and black graphics. Exact original shade cannot be identified from the photograph.
Photo: Bergfalke2 · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0Engine and chrome detail
Detail crop from the same red RD350 photograph, showing black engine areas and bright exhaust reflections.
Photo: Bergfalke2 · Source · CC BY-SA 3.01973 colours and market differences
Brandy Red is supported for the 1973 US-market RD350. The specialist RD register also lists Competition Green K1 for the 1973 Type 351. Market availability must be checked before treating either as universal.
- Brandy RedTank, side panels and headlamp shell
- Competition GreenTank, side panels and headlamp shell; specialist 1973 Type 351 record
Screen swatches are a colouring guide rather than exact paint matches.
Competition Green is included on specialist historical evidence. A factory document fixing its exact market coverage has not yet been verified.
In the photographs
The gallery includes red-and-white RD350s and an olive-green example with dark tank panels. Brandy Red is supported for the 1973 US model. A specialist RD colour register also records Competition Green for the 1973 Type 351, so green should not automatically be called a repaint. The photographed bike’s exact year, market and original paint remain unconfirmed.
- Red
- Olive green
- White tank panels
- Black tank panels
Visual colour guide only. These are not additional factory paint options.
In the coloured example
The blue tank and side panel are a creative choice. They do not match the red or green gallery bikes and this audit has not verified that blue as a 1973 RD350 factory option for a specific market.
Make the details count.
Preserve the thin ivory tank stripes as you shade the blue.
Use a sharp charcoal pencil between the closely spaced engine fins.
Leave long pale bands along the twin exhaust surfaces.
Follow your curiosity.
Model history and further reading.