Two Strokes

[morsetaper2]

1991 TZR250RSP
3XV2
One of 500 for homologation purposes for Japanese home market TT/F3 racing

That bike is based on the 1991 TZ250B. Both bikes shared some parts, I know for certain the engine cases were shared. And some other parts where also shared to keep the cost of the racer down. I was getting some support from a local Yamaha dealer that sponsored me for many years. I paid dealer cost at $15,000 when I bought my '91 TZ250-B. I had to write the check in the Fall of 1990 to get it delivered in early Feb 1991 in time to race Daytona.

The TZ250 racer prefix was 3YL vs the TZR 3XV. See the photo of my 1991 TZ250B a couple post above this one.

 

[neil w]

My favourite the one Kawasaki never made but Allen Millyard did

 

[Simmons1]

My favourite the one Kawasaki never made but Allen Millyard did

That's pretty cool. I have only seen the bikes he added cylinders to.

 

[neil w]

That's pretty cool. I have only seen the bikes he added cylinders to.

There is another video on his YouTube channel which shows the build

 

[Rectaltronics]

Shit, how am I finding this thread only now..?!

Thanks everyone for sharing.

I've had a few RZ-350s. First truly affordable "totally mine" bike at $2200 OTD on a company mail clerk budget.

Of course I always lusted for a Gamma but the ROI didn't seem to be there somehow.

Many great memories! Including several unintended wheelies on the way home from the stealership and a few more after that. Memories of a piece breaking off one of Barnett's shitty friction plates, finding its way to the nylon gear that drives the oil injector pump, and breaking it. It's interesting how piston aluminum can snowball against a dry cylinder. Memories of blasting past a liter bike, then winding up spending the next hour or two popping off the head to fish pieces of broken ring out so I could slowly ride fifty miles home going "ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding BANG!" with a hole in one of the pistons and substantial material burned off the other. Lean is mean! But short-lived. Lots of low-sides. Some death-wobbles. Weekenders and cross-country trips with bags full of elephant containers of Yamalube. Constantly having to re-weld the front stay because of shitty design, crap metallurgy and NYC's roads. All fun.

Part of me wants to pick up a used one but I ain't got time fo dat. And decent examples are fetching crazy money.

One of mine, long time ago, don't have it any longer, shown with matching RKA bags and a mild Spec-II pipe...

 

[Ridefreak]

I was a big RD fan back in their day, at the time I built up a 350 with a TR3 roller crank, a pair of 34 mikunis, modded pistons, DG heads and a set of Toomy pipes. Being air cooled it had it's limitations compared to an RZ but that was one fast 350. That group was like gunfighters, if you had a fast 350, the other guys would hear about it and challenge you. I got challenged allot, lost my license a couple times. Fast forward 30 years and picked up another, a nice untouched 1974 only to realize it's the last bike you want for the vast open area of the west where a 350 2 stroke is likely to run out of gas before you get to the next town. I sold online for some really good $$ and buyer paid to air freight it back east. My memories were more enjoyable then actually owning the motorcycle again

 

[Simmons1]

I still own a couple old two stroke street bikes. An H2 and a Water Buffalo. Mine get used around the metro area I live in on shorter days rides bike nights etc. I still love the sounds of smells of my old triples and will probably always keep at least one around. Heck I bought my current H2 back in 1985.

 

[Rectaltronics]

I was a big RD fan back in their day, at the time I built up a 350 with a TR3 roller crank, a pair of 34 mikunis, modded pistons, DG heads and a set of Toomy pipes. Being air cooled it had it's limitations compared to an RZ but that was one fast 350. That group was like gunfighters, if you had a fast 350, the other guys would hear about it and challenge you. I got challenged allot, lost my license a couple times. Fast forward 30 years and picked up another, a nice untouched 1974 only to realize it's the last bike you want for the vast open area of the west where a 350 2 stroke is likely to run out of gas before you get to the next town. I sold online for some really good $$ and buyer paid to air freight it back east. My memories were more enjoyable then actually owning the motorcycle again

My RZs got stupidly good mileage if I could control myself.

Queens to Boston on one tank was not impossible. If I was being a dick on the way up I'd wanna fill up maybe near Worcester.

Of course it also had a healthy size tank too.

Concern about running out of Yamalube was another matter.

Fast forward to now, yeah, I'm kinda' done with worrying about scored pistons and carbon build-up, cleaning the fucking YPVS, pipe packing, that goddamn cantilevered front stay, the death-wobbles and the idiotic design that guarantees a dinged tank when the wobble inevitably becomes a literal tank-slapper...

Oh, and the 84-pound Corbin seat.

I swear that fucking seat was heavier than the motor.

The bike was a blast. And the LULz from people seeing the "350" on the side and thinking that was a disadvantage, they were priceless. I will always have a soft spot for two-smokes but I'm comfortable with my VFR now.

.