2 stroke advice

[idh959]

I wanted your opinions on 2 strokes as a thought I might want to get something like a sukiki rgv250 as a little track toy. I dont actually know of an alternative to the RGV. Any suggestions, tips ideas?

[Gosling1]

them old soozies are too old.

If you really want a good 2-stroke track bike, get an Aprillia RS250V.

Then you will be a very happy camper.......(they may have Aprillia-badged RGV motors, but they have all that nice Italian frame/suspension/brakes wrapped around it...)

If you want to race in New Era , get an older reverse-cylinder TZ250. These are a lot of fun as well.

Just depends on exactly what sort of *track* work you want to do, and how much money you want to throw at it.

[idh959]

Just depends on exactly what sort of *track* work you want to do, and how much money you want to throw at it.

I was thinking of an ex race bike that I can use just for fun, and learning bike handling, not race, and spend as little as possible. and reasonably easy to maintain. The TZR250 sounds like a good alternative.

[Nanna10r]

You'd be better buying a second hand 4 stroke mate. Unless you want to spend all your time chasing Barrels & re ringing it every coupla months.
Best thing to do with an RGV250 is toss the motor & put a KLR650 in the sucker n go Supermono racing. Low maintenance is the go. Thats what happens to most of the rgv frames.
my 2cs.
Cheers Brett

[HemiDuty]

Agreed. Strokers are just too much effort. I looked into them a while back and boy am I glad I left it well alone.

[balanse]

I raced an RGV for about 5 years and had a ton of fun on the suckers. Mine was a brand newy bought specifically for the purpose of racing and I found that they generally are a really good race track machine with great manners when the heat is on. Power is satisfying (remembering its a 250) with the great 2 stroke top end and the weight, handling & brakes make the model suited to balls out sport riding.
I would have to agree with Gos about the Aprilias though if for no other reason than they are more recent than an RGV.
Motor wise the RGVs have 2 common problems - power valve and 2nd gear failures. I would expect that any used one around now would be pretty high km and in addition you would have to expect and be ready to deal with other wear and tear issues such as main bearing and seals, big ends etc. Being a 2 stroke thay need a constant supply of pistons and rings and if not replaced the pistons will crack in the skirt and eventually break - ruining a perfectly good barrell, head and often power valve in the process. This is to be avoided as barrells are nikasil plated and whilst you can now get them replated it is not that cheap.
The good news is that motor work (depending on your level of mechanical interest) is a piece of piss. The top end is pure 2 stroke and about a 10 minute job to get into and about another 10 to get out of. Piston and ring changes are nothing really. Barrells last for ever because of the previously mentioned Nikasil coating, in 5 years I only ever replaced one and that was due to piston skirt breakage. The gearbox is a cassette style unit with the guts sliding out from the left hand side without seperating the cases, and the crankshaft can also be pulled out from above with the gearbox left untouched. Generally speaking they are designed to be worked on trackside, so all is pretty easy. I have many times witnessed gearbox problems internally investigated between races.
Handling wise the RGV only really needs a steering damper to counteract some steering nervousness due to its race oriented geometry. Suspension is great as it comes with usual Suxuki adjustability although no rebound on the front. The Aprilias are reportedly much better though, but I cant say - never ridden one.
As for other machines I would also agree with Gos and say a good older GP style racing 2 stroke is a vastly better ride. Machines like the TZ250 Yamahas (note NOT TZR which is a street machine) are brilliant bikes and about as good a track bike as you could get. Downside with these is that they take the maintenance thing up a notch and they LOVE parts as they are made very lightweight and low service life. Also becasue they are from the manufacturers *racing* product line all parts cost a bomb and its not as easy as going to the local Yamaha shop and picking up bits - everything has to be ordered as no shop keeps parts. Cheap as chips to buy though.
IMO if you have a clue mechanically can use a spanner dont be afraid of the 2 stroke.
hth and good luck with the process.

[diesel]

why not a bucket?
or try to hunt donw an old gp 250.
or a kh250. 1st its a kwakka. 2nd its a 2 stroke. and 3rd its a tripple.
according to rossi, they fly.

[Gosling1]

....or a kh250. 1st its a kwakka. 2nd its a 2 stroke. and 3rd its a tripple...according to rossi, they fly.

great fun, but hard to get parts for, and when you do find them, they cost a motza.....

The cheapest 2-stroke I could recommend for fun track-day stuff would undoubtedly be an RZ350 - the power-valve model. Great fun, enough HP to make it worth the effort, parts are still available, they *will not* need a rebuild every time you take them out (use good 2-stroke oil and appropriate maintenance) - they will last forever. With a little bit of suspenion work, and a good engine tune (mild port job etc), you can really put the wind up the *Big Boys* on one of these babies....

Just another option apart from an ex-GP bike and/or the Aprillia.

[idh959]

Thanks for the tips guys. I was hoping to get that old GP feel but it sounds like the 2strokes are a lot of work. Frankly I dont have the time or resources. I dont have enough time to ride as it is.

[Neka79]

some advice on 2 strokes huh??
stay away from em...


nah seriously..there easier to rebuild than a 4 stroke by far, but they need it more often too....sounds like a fun plan, tho u need to be pretty clever to tune em right..so ive been told...

[R3Dknight]

I had a Cagiva Mito 125 before my 636. First ever bike, was pretty good however it got pretty slow for me within a few months as my confidence grew (good thing as I wrote it off going up the arse of a hatch stopped in the middle of the merging lane after hesitating).

All in all, a good little bick, great handling, no issues with it mechanicaly. Yes parts are expensive and normaly need to be ordered from overseas.

The automatic 2stroke oil injectors were great.

[Stereo]

There are some other affordable race classes out there....

the 400cc class,

and the 2 cylinder up to 650 class...

Much less work than 2 strokes... and the 400cc bikes put out around the same power....

[Gosling1]

There are some other affordable race classes out there....the 400cc class....Much less work than 2 strokes... and the 400cc bikes put out around the same power....

Good call, these bikes are enough fun for a track-day weapon, without the *knife-edge* you have with a good GP or 'worked' smoker. Plenty out there as well.......once you have set it up properly, regular maintenance would not be costly or as time-consuming as a smoker.