22nd Aug 2005, 07:24
Although primarily known as a manufacturer of 4 stroke motorcycles, Honda did manufacture some dual-purpose 2-strokes during the 70's such as the MT 125 and MT250.
30th Oct 2005, 19:35
Wow, you would think an English professor made this site. Everything has to be insanely perfect, spelling and all.
Anyway, I just wanted to mention I got me a perfectly working Yamaha RD200 for $1000 about a year ago. I got the bike for fuel economy, but now I'm looking to get a 2006 KLR 650. And yes the RD200 is street legal. :D I like the RD200, but it's a royal pain to find parts for it, not to mention the small tank. I just thought I would add my 2 cents. That's all.
30th Oct 2005, 23:59
It is interesting to hear these nostalgic comments. I own a 2004 two stroke Suzuki DX 100. It cost me $980.00 new. I live in Ecuador and these motorcycles are everywhere.
It has a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour, and needs to be in third gear for a good hill. It is a lot of fun. It seems to go just as fast with two people.
I am thinking of upgrading to a 185 two stroke offroad bike. That´s what the police here use.
22nd Sep 2006, 16:17
1975 Yamaha RD60-B
When I was 16, my first street bike was a 1975 Yamaha RD60B. It had a 55cc oil-injected 2-stroke engine, and I put an unbelievable number of miles on it, commuting first to high school, then college, jobs and dating. The manual claimed 188 mpg, but realistically it was more like 100.
Believe it or not, I even used to ride the thing on the interstate, although it took a while to get up to speed. It even hit 70 MPH from time to time. One summer I rode it all the way from Danbury, Connecticut to northern Vermont and back, with only one breakdown: the engine ingested the circlip holding the carburetor needle in the slide. A repurposed paperclip did the trick. I had to store it outdoors and eventually the weather did it in. Long live the RD-60!
24th Sep 2006, 09:28
I'm the original reviewer. I'm currently restoring (almost done) a 1975 Yamaha RD250. I owned an RD350 back in 1975.
I know what you mean about your RD60. They moved along okay for such a tiny bike.
15th Nov 2006, 08:55
Hi, I live in Mexico and I just thought you'd like to know that you can still buy the Suzuki TS185 here for about $2000.
Regards.
21st Feb 2007, 18:38
Hi all! I fondly remember my younger brother owning 3 Kawasaki triples in the early 80's. A 250 and TWO H2 750's!
One 750 he bought for $500.00 in a box, and all it needed was a rebore and pistons. The other 750 he picked up for $1200.00 and it was BUILT with pipes, smoothbores, etc.
I'll never forget the day I went for a ride on the back of the 750, and when he hit 3rd gear, that's when my glasses got sucked off my face from the wind pressure! Needless to say, they vapourized upon impact and I ended up wearing an old pair of glasses from grade 6 for a few days!
I guess I got H2-ed!
11th Mar 2007, 18:19
I own a 1974 TS125. I bought it for $200 last year. It's really fast for how small it is, and it runs really well for how old it is.
I'm only 14, so it's my first bike. My dad has a 1984 Yamaha IT 490 (bored to a 510) and after riding my bike his is SCARY.
Anyway, back to my bike, it's really awesome. Although it's an enduro, I don't recommend ever jumping it. I was jumping it (probably only 6 ft in the air) and when I came down I blew both the seals in the front fork and now it leaks oil out of there REALLY bad. I'm going to get it fixed soon. It's nice that you don't have to mix the oil in it, though.
It's also really fast. I've read that it tops out at 65 MPH, but I've had it at 75, and nothing has been done to it really.
I think that the placement of the exhaust pipe is really stupid, though. DO NOT bottom out on a rock or anything, you might pinch your pipe... that wouldn't be good.
20th Aug 2005, 18:36
I am also fond of those little two-stroke bikes. I have a 1980 Honda H100A. This bike I bought as a cheap replacement because my used machine was subject to theft.
When I bought the H100A with a meaningless years MOT, I personally agreed to use it for a year, bearing in mind, it would cost a lot of work to get it through its next MOT, as it was already in a neglected state, therefore I planned to use it then scrap it. However, the more I rode it, the more I became attached to it. People would often admire it, mainly because of its lovely exhaust note.
After a year of riding the H100A, I realized I could never live to see it go to the scrap heap. I decided to keep it and made plans to restore it to its former glory, although I know it will cost a lot of time and money.
The H100A has been in my possession for just over two years (bought 15/07/03). The first day I rode it before buying it, I thought about life in 1980, when I would have been only months old when the bike was bought by its first owner (13/08/80). I was also amazed how quick the acceleration was for a 99cc engine.
The day I first got it home, I cleaned out the carb, made various adjustments and changed the oil. This was done in preparation for the next day`s adventure. Every ride was a joy.
I wish I was privileged to have been able to ride bikes in the seventies and eighties, because there were so many to choose from. The new bikes available today, although reliable and well refined, are often bland, expensive to buy and maintain, and therefore don`t particularly interest me. Forget the latest bike dressed in plastic, give me a GT185 or a KH110 any day.
I personally believe bikes are not as well built as they use to be. I like the early small Japanese two-stroke commuters with lots of chrome and character. The latest bikes dressed in curvy plastic resembling an alien from the Martian Landscape such as the latest BMW, I find extremely bland, that it is enough to force me into a cager for life.
The fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get a two-stroke bike, breaks my heart beyond belief. I want to keep my little H as long as possible. Nothing beats the thrill of the power and scream of a two-stroke.
I love two-stroke.