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Two-stroke street bike (Read 168 times)
DesertCat
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Two-stroke street bike
01/22/20 at 18:27:58
 
For many years I've wanted to get another two-stroke street bike.  My second motorcycle was a brand new 1970 Kawasaki Mach III (H1), the 500cc two-stroke triple street bike.  All my bikes since then have been four-strokes and the two-stroke street bikes faded from the scene by the late 1970s.

I see used RD-250s, RD-350s, Kaw 500s, Kaw 750s, Suzuki Titans, GT750s, for sale occasionally but I've been thinking more modern . . .

The local dealer has a good price on a new 2019 KTM 250SX, a full-fledged dirt bike.  They say that it can be made street-legal with a kit that costs a few hundred dollars.  

Am I crazy?  Well, of course I am, but that's beside the point.  But should I just wait for that good used two-stroke street bike to pop up on Craigslist instead of making a KTM dirt bike into a silly street bike?
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Juliana
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #1 - 01/22/20 at 22:31:45
 
Yes you are crazy but as you say why not? haha.

Might be better and easier ( and cheaper ) than the route i took restoring a stroker.

Ahh the vibration, the smoke , the consumption, the no brakes!! Still, on a crisp autumn morning it hits the spot just right .My titan 74

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T500Titan.jpg
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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #2 - 01/23/20 at 05:20:01
 
Very nice Titan 500 twin.  A buddy of mine had one back in 1971 -- if I remember correctly it was a blue one.

That would be one way to have a two-stroke street bike:  find a basket case and restore it.  I just don't have the time or room to do an extended bike restoration.  I barely have the room to store the bikes that I have.  So, it's either (1) buy a low-mileage un-restored  bike in good shape or (2) buy one that someone else has restored.  Option (1) is what I would do.
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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #3 - 01/23/20 at 05:58:54
 
Buying a fully restored bike just doesn't fit with me.  For one thing, I never understand how someone who has poured their time, money, and expertise into the restoration of a bike could ever part with it.  And I couldn't see myself riding a bike that someone else restored -- it just wouldn't feel right.

So, that leaves finding an old bike still in rideable condition, more or less.  Also not cheap.  Decent unmolested old bikes are starting to get expensive.
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #4 - 01/23/20 at 06:02:32
 
I have always had a fondness for the T500 - when I worked at a dealer in Alliance, Ohio one of our customers had 40,000 miles on his, and it was spotless.

The 2 stroke bikes of this vintage are often in need of new crankshaft seals.  I have a local friend with a T500 that needs them, and I have a 1962 Suzuki Hillbilly that is currently on my bike lift getting new seals....thankfully on this little bike the seals can be replaced without having to split the crankcase.  It is much harder to do the work on 2 strokes with multiple cylinders.

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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #5 - 01/23/20 at 06:09:11
 
What I would really love is to find a late 60s Kawasaki 350 A7 Avenger, the two-stroke twin with rotary valves.  But these are almost never for sale.  I see Suzuki Titans occasionally -- not often.

A pic of the Avenger:



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srinath
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #6 - 01/23/20 at 06:27:01
 
Someone I know rephased a H2 to a 17 degree crank and stuffed it into a early GSXR 750 chassis.
I was too stupid to realize what a cool bike that was, I could never get comfortable with the camel like hump of the first gen GSXR's frame/tank set up.

Cool.
Srinath.
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Juliana
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #7 - 01/23/20 at 12:07:05
 
Just because we are bike nerds heres the innards of my Titan 5 years ago.

Good thing I discovered is that Japanese two strokes are so easy to work on and as you can see once the cases are split its all laid out like a box of chocolates.

Had to get the crank done by a shop tho to replace the oil seals.

Most parts are easy enough to get and you soon develop a list of sources but some simple things can be eye wateringly expensive.

The main problem is probably simply the age and deterioration of components irrespective of mileage..plastic gets brittle, think oil lines, electrical wiring. Still like all restorations its a labour of love  Smiley
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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #8 - 01/23/20 at 17:58:14
 
@Juliana

Way to go!  <thumbs up>

The last time I split the cases on a bike engine was back in 1971, my H1.  I replaced a shifter fork -- 1st to 2nd if I recall correctly.  Haven't done anything near as extensive in all the intervening years . . .
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jcstokes
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #9 - 01/23/20 at 18:36:22
 
Look for a Jawa 350
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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #10 - 01/23/20 at 18:39:18
 
jcstokes wrote on 01/23/20 at 18:36:22:
Look for a Jawa 350


======================================

I've never seen one of those.  And I don't think I've ever seen one for sale either.
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MMRanch
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #11 - 01/23/20 at 20:25:22
 
https://www.jawamotorcycles.com/

..............................

Hay , They LOOK GOOD !!!   Smiley
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jcstokes
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #12 - 01/23/20 at 20:50:11
 
The 2 strokes sold in the USA were probably 1960's '70's models I had a 1974-6 depends on manufacture and first registration Model 634
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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #13 - 01/24/20 at 16:07:32
 
jcstokes wrote on 01/23/20 at 20:50:11:
The 2 strokes sold in the USA were probably 1960's '70's models I had a 1974-6 depends on manufacture and first registration Model 634


================================

Thanks.  I've looked at pics on the net.  I'll keep an eye out . . .
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DesertCat
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Re: Two-stroke street bike
Reply #14 - 01/24/20 at 16:08:23
 
MMRanch wrote on 01/23/20 at 20:25:22:
https://www.jawamotorcycles.com/

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Hay , They LOOK GOOD !!!   Smiley


================================

They do look nice.
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