Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

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Disco
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#31 Post by Disco » Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:52 am

After a few years without a two-stroke in their line up, The yz 250 is back. Pressure/complaints from riders/customers made it happen. There's no doubt a sub 500cc 2-stroke can be made and pass emissions standards with little to no added expense vs a 4-stroke. But if the parent company doesn't think there is a need, why would they?

1 other thought, if they didn't stop making them, then our bikes wouldn't be as rare and cool. :smt023

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Smoker
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#32 Post by Smoker » Thu Sep 15, 2016 10:51 pm

Definitely one of the greatest shows on earth.

I'm surprised how many little kids wave to me. Thought they'd be scared by the noise, but they're not.

I never miss an opportunity to wave back and let them know that bikers are good guys. :smt006

Couldn't count the number of times dudes go insane and pee their pants with excitement over the RZ. Hanging out of their car windows at 80 miles an hour, screaming at me every experience they ever had with an RZ.

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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#33 Post by wolfman » Fri Sep 16, 2016 12:20 am

Smoker wrote:Definitely one of the greatest shows on earth.

I'm surprised how many little kids wave to me. Thought they'd be scared by the noise, but they're not.

I never miss an opportunity to wave back and let them know that bikers are good guys. :smt006

Couldn't count the number of times dudes go insane and pee their pants with excitement over the RZ. Hanging out of their car windows at 80 miles an hour, screaming at me every experience they ever had with an RZ.
X2 on this, had young school girls yell, "I really like your motorcycle".
I thought this very strange from this genre but I waved non the less.
Maybe all is not lost on these youth ?
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#34 Post by Forzfed » Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:15 pm

When I ride the bike it sometimes reminds me of that old Dodge commercial, "That thing got a hemi?" But instead I get, "That thing got a 2 stroke?" And I reply, "Yes!"
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#35 Post by wolfman » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:04 am

At least in Canada they were somewhat normal. In the US they're kind of a unicorn.
Have to say, not one environmental wacko has ever said 1 word to me.
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#36 Post by Zombie » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:31 am

While not a streetbike, my '96 CR500R draws a crowd simply because the MX riders today are a whole generation out from a big open-class 2-stroke. The few people who do know what that bike with the big bulge in the pipe is, are even more amazed that after performing "the drill" is that I started it on the first kick. Everyone else wonders how they got smoked (literally and figuratively) by the older guy on an older bike.
-Z

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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#37 Post by Disco » Wed Sep 21, 2016 10:37 am

The "drill" you do on the CR500 makes me unfondly remember my tween and early teen years (12-14) and my buddy's parents let him buy a used 83 CR480. That ungodly thing had a Left leg, kickstart with compression enough to snap our spindly little ankles.
My buddy hated starting it, so though I was all of 90lbs (about 30 fewer than him), he would generally call on me to drive over on my stupid-slow thumper (xt200) and do the cold start for him. Many a time I was almost launched over the handlebars. Once running it was a vibrating behemoth that jumped like a rodeo bull in the chute when clicked into 1st, and it could easily flip in any of the 4 gears that it had. Absolutely not a good "kids" bike. Bad parenting right there, though we never did kill ourselves with it, I bent up the bars on it pretty good once, but promptly bought him a new set of renthals out of my corn-detasseling money. No wonder my buddy turned heavily to drugs at about that time. He was in constant fear of the monster lurking in his garage.

Can you imagine a 12 year old kid doing this, while wearing tennis shoes?? How dumb were we? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo4_7K9zDo8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#38 Post by Zombie » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:39 pm

I didn't get my first 500 until I was about 15, a ratted-out '85 KX500. Quickly learning "the drill" (gas on, choke on, hold down the kill switch and put in in first, rock it back and forth a few times, neutral, get the kicker to TDC, let go of the kill switch and kick it HARD!) let me start it with relative ease. My brother, conversely, had a mid-70s Yamaha 360 that backfired and kicked back violently when cold. Never had any of mine do that. Everyone makes out the big 2-strokes to be unrideable, unmanageable beasts. In reality though, they are quite mellow and while the do churn out tons of power, they are much less peaky then the smaller 125s and 250s, so you can keep it a gear high and use the prodigious torque to slingshot you corner to corner. The big CR will rev, but you ought to be pointed at something you want to get to in about 2 seconds if you do.
-Z

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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#39 Post by TCRZ88 » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:49 pm

Road it to work today[emoji4]

Image

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Redline Junkie
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#40 Post by Redline Junkie » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:53 pm

Tcrz88, are you running an R1 front end? Also what are you running for a rear rim?
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#41 Post by TCRZ88 » Wed Sep 21, 2016 5:15 pm

Redline Junkie wrote:Tcrz88, are you running an R1 front end? Also what are you running for a rear rim?
GSXR 600 front end, SV 650 rear rim with a 150/60/17 Battlax

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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#42 Post by Forzfed » Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:12 pm

wolfman wrote:At least in Canada they were somewhat normal. In the US they're kind of a unicorn.
Have to say, not one environmental wacko has ever said 1 word to me.
True dat! They are starting to get scarce here. More people have them sitting in their garages and sheds. But you will see the odd GT500/750 or H2 and RD's. Been a long time since I've seen another RZ on the road.

TCRZ88 the bike is looking good! :smt023 Does that thing got a 2 stroke? :smt005
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TCRZ88
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#43 Post by TCRZ88 » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:09 am

It does indeed have a 2 stroke

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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#44 Post by Hooligan » Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:11 am

TCRZ88 wrote:
Redline Junkie wrote:Tcrz88, are you running an R1 front end? Also what are you running for a rear rim?
GSXR 600 front end, SV 650 rear rim with a 150/60/17 Battlax

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How did you get the SV rear wheel and sprocket to line up with the engine drive sprocket? I'm doing an LC special with an SV rear wheel and suspect I may have to go to an offset countershaft sprocket.
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Re: Public Reactions riding the 2 stroke?

#45 Post by Hooligan » Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:23 am

And as to the original topic, I pretty much have someone come up and ask or talk about RD/RZ every single time I ride the bikes. Even my FZ750 gets lots of comments from old bikers. These kinds of vintage 80's bikes are just not that common on the road today.
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