or so we are told.Originally Posted by Diesel76
Small capacity, non hard revving 2-strokes on veggie oil are not that bad at all. Even hard revving ones are surprisingly moderate. The small capacity and light weight advantages. It is a pity that politics kept Honda from developing their directly injected PD class winning stroker.
Casal, I had one too, a Black and Silver one, in 1978, the exhaust kept falling off it but no FS1E or SS50 could ever catch it.
Digger
I like to be different and had one of these while my mates all had Fizzies and SS50's.
I remember the plug lead melting in the middle of Stirling on a camping trip and doing 70 down hill on the A9! Happy days!
Anybody care to identify it?
My first bike was an Ambassador 175, the engine was a Villiers 175cc two stroke. After that I went four stroke with a Matchless 250cc G2 sport. During my time working in Saudi Arabia I had a trio of Suzuki two strokes, TS 250, TM 400 and RM 370.
forgive me for not reading the entire thread, but...
yeah a few strokers... some commuter ones, a rg125, a 350 ypvs, a rs125 a rs250
I loved that aprilia 250, it shattered a piston skirt on me, I rebuilt it, then 1200miles later it dumped a PV into the engine, I rebuilt it, sold it & got a fireblade
didn't look back tbh...
in fact my current bike (cbr600rr7) only weighs about 15kgs more, makes twice the bhp & with the slipper clutch hasn't got much engine braking... when I had the 'prilia 250 I dreamed of it with 100+bhp and the cbr is nearly it
direct injection could of worked well - but bimota f***ed it up with the v-due and that was that
my most memorable 2-stroke experience was the first 500cc 'motogp' race I saw, they were awesome!
After lurking for far too long, decided to make first post, so please forgive ramblings but.... far too many bikes spanning almost forty years, jeez, after christening of first grandchild, realised truly a grandad!!
anyways in 1973 puch vz50, in 74 ts125, in 75 rd250,dt175 in 76 h1b 500, in 77 '68 bonnie, in 78 s2 350 in 79 walked down the aisle and sold last three bikes for house deposit.........eleven years off and two sons later laverda rgs1000, ducati 350 pantah, sanglas v2 500, then in 96 went green laning xr250, wr400,gixer600 then another wr400,trx850 then husaberg fe400, crm250, another crm250 another trx850, cannondale e440 with supermoto wheels,crf250x, another trx850, rc30, wr450 2trac and out of all these bikes, only lost money on the puch, so would probably consider myself a bit of a bike geek
As for watches, gran bought an omega de ville in 78 for me 21st, quartz just out and cost £98, still have in the drawer somewhat worse for wear, but everyday wear Blue faced Tudor prince date and love, bought pre-loved for 40th .
Shell 2t, Kawasaki triples, used to up the oil pump so as not to 'nip up', falling off with monotonous regularity, being 'bollocked' for doin 90 by friendly police motorcyclists, triple cibie lamps on the front of kwak 500 so as to see at night thru black visor on agv ago lid, and we have the gall to criticise the youth of today, seem grateful to have made it this far, all this mixed with minis, 1600e's, 3 litre capris, the summer of 76 onanonanon, feck this has been interesting to recollect, but can't remember if took me medication this morning!!
Surely with todays modern technology must be possible to pre-mix wax and r40 for the ultimate incense.
After reading this back, just realised probably undiagnosed adhd to boot
anyways regards to all
Col Ribble Valley
oop north
Hi Col, I'm just a bit south of you in sunny Bolton. I hope Kev Davies does you proud this year, he was a great servant for us.
Cheers , but after the last two seasons found Ewood left a bad taste in the mouth and puts you in a bad mood until the next game and then deja vu, groundhog day etc, had a season ticket for 20 yrs, but alas not until something changes down there, and I don't mean just the pies, though I recall Kev was partial
cheers
Col
I had a Suzuki GT (the smaller air cooled one not the water buffalo!). It would start going up the revs, then try to rip your head off as your arms stretched to twice their normal length, trying to hang on. Pretty scary, the first time I rode it (after my 500 thumper!)
Mike
First bike was a Kawasaki KC 100, enclosed chain the lot, I wanted an AR 125 but my dad but his boot down and insisted I started on something 'sensible', passed my test and bought a 350LC YPVS version - that did not go down well.....
I used to go to Liverpool Road in Manchester city centre on a Saturday afternoon to perve at the bike shops and watch the inevitable wheelie contests going on.
RD / Powervalve owners never needed much egging on, but a growing chorus of "Get it UP, Get it UP, Get it UP..." ( to the tune of "Here We go..") would always light the blue touchpaper and inevitably a couple of minutes of hero-ism would end in a cartwheeling bike, a shower of indicator bits and side panels and hysterical laughter all round. KH250 owners were allways brain donors and could be relied upon, as could Z1300 owners bizarely, who were all mental and always overlooked the fact it was supposed to be a tourer.
Happy Days back then , but Sports Motors and the greasy chippy have long gone now.
I was feeling nostalgic !!!
That is Bike Porn , full stop! Stunning
Steve
thanks Steve, the 808 of my 'name' came from the reg of that bike!
that era was awesome, am looking to get back to basics and building cafe racer built around 450 supermoto but with ally tank/clip-ons/rearsets/underseat pipe
b road special, not too loud to keep under the radar, modern day 450 desmo, but still retro with spoked wheels.
Had H1B with Denco pipes back in 76, wouldn't get away with those on the road these days
regards
Col
oop north
Only had a tiddler to go back and forward to work on in early 1980's, a Suzuki GT125, nice little twin with a pleasant amount of zip for one so small. Got reversed into by a (insert expletive) who was driving a Chevvy Camaro and didn't see it parked behind him. Grrrrrr!
Now I'm disabled, I have a Vespa GT125 4 stroke auto which gives me great pleasure pottling around on.
My girlfriend's dad who is 74 is taking delivery today of a Suzuki X5. He says that he can't ride the big heavy fast bikes any more so he's going for a fast lightweight instead! The passion for riding never dies ;-)
BSA Bantam 175cc - 1966
Graduated to a 350 gold star. Wish I'd kept both of them!
Ive just got in to Mini Moto racing, does that mean im a big kid, its great fun and the cheapest form of bike racing by a country mile
That makes a lot of sense, simple reliable200cc twin , ride it as long as you want and when he sells it will inevitably get all his money back
That's all so true. Here's the bike, terrible photo I know.
1988, started on an RD50, then up to an RD125. Had a Vespa PX125 for a bit.
Break from bikes, then in the early 2000's I had an RD 350 YPVS. Bonkers, but such fun when it hit the powerband!
Great days...
Anyone else rode snowmobiles?
Once, on a glacier in Iceland, in thick blizzard conditions, flat-out behind a laughing loony Icelandic guide :-)
Great fun but I would like to do it again one day when I can see where I am going!
It's certainly better when you realize that you are doing 80mph with rough ice four feet away from eating your face off! With a two-stroke you even can't slow down because it would seize, and you would be freezing 20 miles away from next person, from next heated building. Highly recommended.
Why are all Finns such mentalists when it comes to anything with an engine in it ? :)
Spot any racing driver in the line up who's name ends in "...nen" and you can be sure they will drive like their pants are on fire ! LOL
Well, just consider that the roads of WRC Finland are normally used by people driving/riding to work/school etc, and there are plenty of that sort everywhere. It also helps to have half the year icy & snowy roads. And probably the gene pool has a role as well!
I don't really race anything, but I'm probably pretty average in having ridden and driven ATVs, road motorcycles and mopeds, enduros, offroad cars, snowmobiles, tractors and quite of few other thingies with engines - before I was 20. OTOH, I did not grow up in the capital area, where it would have been more limited.
Imagine this: a junior classical gives a concert. Two hours before, dozens of mopeds arrive, with 15-year-old flute playing girls and cello playing boys carrying their dresses and suits neatly folded in backpacks. They morph into a sinfonietta, play with passion and grace, and swap into their hoodies. Moments later, only blue smoke and a very special smell lingers at the parking lot. In the dark. In freezing conditions. In November. I've witnessed this...
For balance, the statistics for motoring accidents are a bit sad for young people.
Not a 2 stroke, but I did buy a little 70s Jap the other day on a bit of a whim.......
(borrowed pic)
So many I've lost count over the years and late model RS250s really weren't too bad at all...
... but I'm bound to say... Viva la four stroke!
Not a 2 stroke, but I did buy a little 70s Jap the other day on a bit of a whim.......
aha.. A 400/4. Very nice indeed.
Never owned one, but rode a few. Sweet bike.
(borrowed pic)
Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsZ2deZoZQk . A Finn rode a snowmobile on water (liquid, not ice) for 112 miles last June.
But now I promise to stop ranting on genes and motorheads...
I love these - my wife's cousin in France has an absolute mint one that he has restored over the last few years. There was a sporty one (maybe Paul Dunstall?? - I've lost a few braincells since the 70s...) I absolutely coveted when I was a teenager.Not a 2 stroke, but I did buy a little 70s Jap the other day on a bit of a whim.......
(borrowed pic)
While I'm here my YPVS rebuild is continuing slowly - I had a few parts mising that I've now sourced/had made so the power valves are now rebuilt with nice new seals etc and the top end is ready to be rebuilt. Need to get the frame painted now.
Went from learning on an RD250 and then straight onto an RG500. Its a wonder I ever lived past my 20's as the throttle had a sort of 'full-on or off' quality and not a lot of control in-between!! Awesome engine and also taught me a lot about how to rebuild them!
More recently (5 years ago) I had a race tuned Aprilia RS250. A truly wonderfully handling bike that put many larger bike riders to shame on the twisties - and I'm not even that good a rider.
Last edited by birchgra; 13th August 2013 at 14:06.
My mate had an RG500 and it was so scary to ride that you didn't notice till you had stopped that the exhaust pipes under the seat were setting your bum alight... :)
Big up for two strokes, last weeks Stafford show , indicated the ridiculous prices paid for oil burners , no matter the condition. It beggars belief what 70's triples will go for!
My simple 250 water cooled twin lunched itself at a mere 60 mph , £650 solved the problem, 2 strokes , dont you just love em !
To illustrate my point
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kawasaki-H...item35cd9d939c
Last edited by higham5; 6th November 2013 at 18:06.
I had a Suzuki GP100U, a KH400 and then a 350LC. I've just seen a pristine KH400 in town in the colour I had (purple) - what a fabulous bike, made me think seriously (again) about getting a bike once more. Must take another look at that GS850 on sales corner...
Here's a picture of my dear departed dad on my LC that takes pride of place in my hall.
I went all round France on that, lightweight camping, as I followed the 1983 Tour de France. Happy days.
Yep, first bike was a Yamaha DT50 MX! Happy days, bored to within an inch of its life, sold it on before it blew up on me 😜 My brand new ZX6R was much nicer to ride! I miss having a bike!
Had several back in the day...
FS1E Yamaha
RD250E Yamaha
GT500A Suzuki
GT750M Suzuki
wouldn't mind a Kawasaki triple now...
My Honda MTX50 was the same and did indeed blow up two days after I sold it !!!
Foggy
Had quite a few back in the 70's
I liked their simplicity and didnt even mind putting 2 stroke oil in the petrol tank
This was a favourite - I loved the look and it was super comfy to ride
(this isnt the actual bike - found a photo of a similar one on Google)
The first two stroke I owned was a Suzuki B100P. OK, don't laugh. It took me to University day after day with never a spanner needed. I moved on to a Super Six. A great machine to ride with cracking acceleration for its day. It thrived on revs and more revs but heck it guzzled fuel which an impoverished student could sorely afford!
Nice thread resurrection.
I had a Honda NS125f for 2 years as a student and used it in rain, snow and shine as it was all I had to get around. My, now, wife did about 100 miles on the back in freezing rain at a max of 55 mph- Happy days!
God, still gives me the horn.........................
Started on a TY50 Yam then a Suzuki GT185 before moving on to four strokes but had a brief fling with a 350 LC in the late eighties.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the memory reboot Velorum; the ETZ 250 from MZ was my first ever new motorcycle. Decent examples are worth a bit now I believe.
I eventually went on to be the proud owner of a Yamaha DT 400. Matt black and mad as a bag of rats on acid. Not quite the same sort of stroker as the MZ.
Do any 400's exist these days? They were known to self destruct with alarming regularity.
Love the smell of 2strokes!
This was my first bike. Aprilia rs125 in Rossi yellow. Did close to 100mph. Could skin suzuki bandits alive in any corner. Wonderful fun. Crashed it three times. The final time was when the choke cable snapped. Used to polish the aluminium frame with brasso until it shined bright.
In addition to the Trophy I bought a brand new TS150 from Jack Lilly's shop in Shepperton in 1977
As I recall it was about £250
Came with a cloth bound owners manual detailing all aspects of home maintenance, a comprehensive tool kit fitted in one of the side panels, a box of spares and there was even a tyre pump under the seat. The build quality was superb.
My T500 bought it for my 18th.
My MZ ETZ 250 Deluxe. Deluxe meant you got a separate oil tank and a disc on the front. 60 mile round trip everyday in all weathers. Despite having some of the most memorable and fastest bikes available at the time I will always have a soft spot for this.
^^^^
Those MZs used to get surprisingly good reviews back in the day (unlike the Jawas/CZs of the time...). Not as sexy as the Japanese 250s but I seem to remember the handling was generally considered very good.
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