Yamaha Motor Company Limited is a world famous Japanese manufacturer of motorized vehicles such as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, and boats. This company was founded in 1955, and now ranks among the largest manufacturers of motorcycles in the world. In 1958, Yamaha became the first Japanese manufacturer to venture in the field of international motor racing. Their impressive performance in these races earned them recognition as providers of high-level technology. Their initial reputation in the 1960s was based on their lightweight two-stroke bikes such as the 250cc YDS, and the 350cc YR1. By the end of that decade, they entered into the four stroke market with the introduction of the 650cc XS-1 road bike.

The RD350 was a two-stroke, six speed street motor cycle introduced by Yamaha Motor Co, in 1973. It was the leading sports lightweight motorcycle of the early seventies. It featured a two cylinder, air-cooled engine that used the Autolube technology. This technology provided automatic injection of the oil. It had extremely powerful brakes, and abrupt power delivery. There was a single disc brake in the front, and a drum brake in the rear. The rim was made of chromed, wire-spoked steel construction. The street frame of the RD350 had several brackets for the street equipment.

Easy handling was a significant advantage of the Yamaha RD350 sports bike. This motorcycle was also known for its excellent performance and easy maintenance. The original Yamaha RD350 was available in purple with white side details. The RD350A and RD350B were also introduced in the early-to-mid seventies.