First Love

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

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.