Motorcycles in the Seventies - Two Stroke Tearaways 

The absolute best was Castrol R it smelled so bad👍 But people said you couldn't mix it with mineral oil and all such myths and legends? My friend raced speedway bikes and they run it on a total loss system. He seemed to know what he was talking about😎 I stuck with the mineral oil stuff on my KH250 to be safe👍

Absolutely - took me right back

I have experienced british bikes your pretty much spot they did have tons if character but that's it pushed mine for miles as well but one I has ran like the Dickenson.when.it was foggy.out never found out why ..1968 boneville had its own character I guess

As soon as I drove for 20.miles in the fog .it would scream on the throttle whe the weather changed it run totally diferant .thata was long ago should of kept it but you know

@@rickwaldron4255 Your bike was jetted too richly.

Me too, Bob. After the unreliable, but fun YDS7, the T500 just worked - great bike!

Suzuki 500s were decent bikes and were raced successfully however the 500 H1 was THE performance bike to have in the 70s just needed some decent fettling to quiten down the handling.

I had one too...good bike - solid.

@@ronellingworth7141 Only if you wanted to drive in a straight line all day. The T500 would scrape it's footpegs as it reached for the next curve.....the H1 or 2 would drop on top of you if it didn't simply resist the curve and go for severe understeer.

I bought a GT500 Suzuki the day after I passed my test in Birkenhead in 1977 Brand new, it was discounted and I rode it away after paying cash I agree with the fact that it was very under-rated and largely overlooked but it had a decent turn of speed, was solid and reliable and dead easy to maintain I sold it after two years for virtually what I’d paid for it Didn’t get another bike for 25 years when I bought a Harley Dynaglide at the start of my mid life crisis

Hell yeah, that thing sounded BA!. And it had the most modern 2-stroke sound also

Lol I was just thinking that as I heard it and read your comment , 👍👍

I have one exacly like that one , but is RD125 /1975. and sound orgasmic like the one in the video.

Ha ha all I could think of was restless natives with the 2 strokes.

Love the sound and smell of Yamaha 2 strokes

I always wonder why too. 750 > 500 ? It doesn´t make sense in math, but it does in Bikes world´s.

I had the 2, 500 et 750. The 750 was a lot faster, far more usable, a bit more reliable, and finally far less dangerous. The 500 was quickly sold, and for improving the 750 I bought a very costly but complete Rickman chassis including suspensions, Rickman fork with 2 disk brakes, Williams alloy wheels and complete English green fairing. In end 1974 that was top of top, the ultimate tool. A little work on the engine. a bigger and accorded air filter, 3 exhausts in stainless steel calculated and hand made by me. Result: About 80 hp at the rear wheel, with a very full and usable poweband, that was the purpose of the work on the engine. Total weight dry 340 pounds. I got the street certification and license plate. The handling was miraculously good, a bit heavy in tight corners. Top speed around 140 mph. No Kawa 900 Z1 could match my 750 Kawa-Rickman in acceleration, top speed and handling. I had great pleasure with this bike, although the maintenance was "heavy", that was my week-end sport bike, for every day there was the reliable 750 Honda. I sold it very expensively beginning 1976 to a rich guy who destroyed the bike three days after the sale, a pity but happily without serious injuries for the guy.

Thomas-You know what you're talking about. I looked at a used 500 in 1971, not sure what year model the bike was. I was used to riding a 750 Honda at the time. My memory was, when the Kaw hit it's powerband, it almost ran out from under me & the drum brakes didn't slow it down very well. I think they sold new for that in my area at the time.

I was told that the H1 500 was a 60hp motor in a 30hp frame. Owners were looking for the hinge in the frame!

The first of the mach 3s with the surface gap spark plugs had a very narrow power band. The 750 tried to be a little more driveable. Sacrificing the ultimate power for a wider power band etc. I think that this explains the straight line performance of the 500 triple.

Doug BM yes yor rite there very good video.

Doug BM

Doug BM The same

Well, every time someone starts an engine, simultaneously a certain type music is played... Do they feel shame of engine sound?

Take note, American cable shows

Yep when we're your and dumb you have no.pains no brains and no money did matter then

I agree. it was in every way apart from fashion, interiors and hairstyles!

Rock and Roll music . Cool bikes. What's not to like? Oh yeah . Hot pants!!

@Ami_go_home leggings, are extremely distracting its all out there for the world to rate

AMEN TO THAT!!! Days like that will sadly never come again....maybe in the next universe!! lol!

led zeppelin and black sabbath and 2 strokes so sick

For me a toss up between the Ram Air Suzuki, and the pre- Coffin TankRD250 Yammy's. Back then we saw very few Kwaka's because there were not many dealers selling them at the time. So they were thin on the ground,and I did not like that two pipe on e side and one pipe on the other. Suxuki'sthree into four pipe system look a lot more pleasing to the eye.

Gotta agree with RD!

Yeah, they spoilt the look of the Yammy's in 1976 when they broughtout the DX Coffin shaped tank models. I had an RD200A which hadthe more pleasing rounded shaped tank, and a lovely metallic orangecolour paint job. I had that bike for three years 75-78 and did almost18000 miles on it. It kept up with my then mates old BSA 650 A10.I have a lot of happy memories spent riding it, especially that hotsummer of 76. Great Times.

Gary Dunn You are very lucky to have owned one.

Yeah, I owned 8 bikes over the years, including a Suzuki GT250 X7,yet that little Yammy stands out as one of my favourites.

Thank you :-) We're really happy you enjoyed the film - especially as a non-biker! We're also glad we could share our passion for bikes with you to the point that you want one ;-) Go out and find a good one, you won't regret it. And it's a lot more fun than a weed whacker!

Thank you for the automated.memmories we only seen back the the RD BACK THEN.AND SOME H2.IT SERMED LIKE EVERY ONE LIKED EITHER THE RD..OR THE GT BOTH TWINS AND BOTH DURABLE THE OTHER BIKES YIU MENTIONED IVE NEVER SEEN .ONLY.ONA TRACK TO.MANY MOONS AGO NOW

Ha, Ha, Ha

Likewise even the colour . Took me right back to 1975. Happy Days.👌

WOW I had the Hustler it was a great bike PWU 60K Orange one. I would love to have a ride on one again, You don't live in Doncaster do you? ... :)

Had the 1971 250 Hustler with the scrambler up pipes (it would have looked awesome with 2 expansion chambers in the same position)

A good vintage ;-) Glad you enjoyed the film and the motorcycles!

I also am a 74. Year old bab( born again biker)who started with a250 Suzuki GN,within a year I was on a Suzuki 500 gsf, that's just a natural progression, Wait and see 😄

Yes sir , The Rd was a big improvement and to put the work you did into the Rz it had to have been a scorcher , I was into 4 strokes by then and survived with all the big body parts my 2stroke dayas . (3 R5's ,70,71,72 models , the 70 I put a little work into just ports ,heads .and jets , and exp. chambers . But was consistently cutting mid mid to high 13's with that old machine i bought for $200 ......Then something went wrong with the oil injection not knowing and seized it ...lol . Awwww them memories of sitting in 9th or 10th grade classes with the mind only on that motorcycle .I would guess with the work you put into your RZ which was a low 13 bike out the crate should have put you in high 11's lower 12's 1/4 miles . The RD was such a big improvement in perf ,handling and everything over the R5's , I think the RD's had a 6 spd tranny which was badly needed ,Id still be trying to shift from 5th to a non existent 6th on my R5's I ve owned so many bikes since age 7 I cant count them from memory , but the R5's and xs650's always hold a place in my heart .my 1953 panhead along with my 79 shovel Ive had both since 1980 and a 2002 HD springer heritage sit in the shop unridden in years ....just lost interests and got too old to deal with the crazies on the streets here in LV . What was once thought to be tree top tall and bullet proof , slowly the years (if you survive that long ) the years teaches you the real truth that your about as bullet proof as Jello pudding ....

@@eddgong Time to let a younger man enjoy the bikes before they are useless.

@@MartinSage genau ! Ich bin mittlerweile auch schon fast 58 Jahre alt, und an seiner Stelle wäre es schön , eine zu behalten und die anderen zu verkaufen, vielleicht sogar günstig , dass ein junger Mann damit Freude findet , vielleicht bekommst Er dann noch nette Rückmeldungen von ihm , was doch auch sehr schön sein kann

I stillhave my RD..200 IN CANADA THEY MADE THESE IN THE US THEY STARTED AT 250 CC MINES HAS JUST UNDER 800 KLMS ON IT MOTER NEVER BEN OPENED UP EVEREVERY THIG IS STILL.DAY 1 BONE STOCK NOTHING HAS NEVER BEN.MODIFYED EVER ALL ORIGIONAL RIGHT DOWN TO THE CARBS AND IT WILL STAY THAT WAY IT STILL HAS 150 COMPRESION I EVEN STILL HACE THE ORIGIONAL KEY FOB FROM THE DEALER I LIKE IT JUST THE WAY IT IS WHEN THE BLUE SMOKE COMES I M GONE

@@eddgong never happen ever I've never touched my .oil injection ever only 2 things may of went wrong if the 2 stroke oil gets old the gets lumpy or cloty or the injector cabel starts to frey on 2 stoke oil for the injecter You can smell it fresh oil should smell like plastic old oil should smell stayell with no cent at all if there's not a plastic smell in the injecter bottle dump the old oil out completly . I've never had any issues with yamaha oil injection systems ever motercycles snowmobiles nothing it's agrste thing to have mixtures always right on everything and no more pte mix gas cans no more hanging around

You're very welcome :-) Glad you enjoyed it so much. Feel free to subscribe if you like. Our next film will be about a very special two-stroke...

yamaha. FS 1 50 cc roterende inlaat ,no chroom cilinder? 350 cc is maximale cc for me.but if you get your motor licentie its somuche p/k per kilo motor weight,so you are not alowed to drive an Aprilia 125 cc,like races i dont look no more 4 stroke

@@ariari4133 Je klinkt Nederlands :)

The Yamaha RD250 also had a 6-speed gearbox but the early model RD250A had sixth gear disabled by a little thingy that disengaged the selector hook at the point where it would have pulled the selector drum from fifth to sixth. If you look carefully at how it works you can see how to get sixth gear into use. There were rumours that on some examples doing this created a danger that you could change straight from sixth gear into first, but the examples that I worked on had closed ends to the grooves in the selector drum and so the drum could not turn straight from sixth to first or vice versa. The early RD250 had two reliability issues that I am aware of: the crankshaft webs have inserts made of lead for balance purposes and it is not unknown for one to come loose and fall out, jamming the engine. Also if the battery was flat it was impossible to start the engine, because current from the battery was needed to magnetise the alternator rotor in order that the alternator could generate any electricity. Later models do not have the lead inserts, and also have a permanent-magnet alternator that does not depend on the battery already having some charge in order to work. There is an advantage you do not mention that the Suzuki GT250 has: if you ride gently you can get as much as 80 miles per gallon. Neither the RD250 nor the KH250 can get near this however gentle you are.

Got a 93rd 350 back in 72 I believe. Got in a wreck and totaled it. Went out the same day I got the insurance check and bought another new one. Those were great bikes.

the x7 made the GT250 ram air a shed ! ok for its year , however that x7 could really go .

@henree simp No, definitely no... You like the tdr 249cc

Good luck!

I always loved the original S2 350 in red. Fab !!! Little Bro to the mighty H1 and H2. happy memories here too from that era. I currently have a ZRX1200, so at least I am still riding Kawas !!!!

Tanishq Aurangabadkar Bloody lucky, I used to have an air cooled RD350, loved it.

Maverickthebastard. Yes the Elsies were looney machines, especially with the "power valve" but to say there were no 350's before that is wrong. Yamaha came out with reed valve induction in 1973. Fitted to the RD200, RD250 and RD350 all air cooled. I bought an RD350a brand new in March 1974 from Len Manchester in Melton Mowbray. Before then there was a 200cc, YPV7(?) 250cc and the YR5 which was a 350

I had a red 75 gt750. Handled like a ponderous beast. At 100 mph it would completely fill a 2 Lane road with impenetrable smoke.

aah those good old 2 strokes that the Yanks killed off with their exhaust emission laws. Yet they continued to put big gas guzzlingV8's in their cars. I personally saw the LA smog back in 1981.

Gary Dunn I first arrived in LA in Nov 1981. The smog was so bad I never even saw the mountains for a month. Smog was atrocious.

Gary Dunn oh and I forgot to say my 75 water buffalo was not making it any better.

We were in LA back in October of 1981 on holiday. It was when up inthe hills looking down on the city, that the smog was very noticeable.I live in the UK and smog is not a problem, we get very strong windsmost of the year round, so that keeps the air clear. Incidently, yeah,I can see your point about your 75 Water buffalo not making the airany better in LA. I loved the climate there though, it was like a perfectSummer day, every day. Perfect for riding a motorcycle such as your Suzuki. Cheers.

Did the two-stroke Suzukis all have left side kick-starters? Perhaps non-US did. I'm pretty sure that the Yank feds mandated right side kick around 1973. I've never owned a Suzuki with a kickstarter (only an early GSXR-750).

I love the 2 strokes, but my 78 Z1000 Kawasaki is like it came from a different planet in terms of refinement and flexibility,

the kawa whis the best sound.

I remember a 250cc Yamahammer, 2-cylinder, not exactly like the one here, maybe a couple yrs newer, but it was a screamer!

@flip inheck you must have had a bad one. my 1974 S1B handled perfectly ok plug fouling was the main problem especially if you used crappy champion spark plugs and castrol TT oil.otherwise nothing to report. you had to make sure the contact breakers were in good nick .this though is basic servicing on any 70s bike

That's just silly. They were all good in their day, albeit the Yamaha's from the RD350A on through the early 80's and advent of LC were arguably pick of the two stroke handling crop of the day.

@@theblytonian3906 Someone abandoned an RD400 in front of my office. After a few months I pulled it into my studio and had a title search. No owner . . . got a new title and started working on it, but my landlord forbade me to keep it in the building! So, after storing it in my van for a while, driving everywhere with it, sold it and at least got my money back . . . now I see how much they are worth . . . and I love 2-strokes. My first car was a 2-stroke sports car.

What an Rd bruh mean road

Yeah, and to think back then in the mid 70's you could buy a new Suzuki 250for around £500. Even the much bigger 750 Kettle could be had new for justunder £1000. or a 900 Z1 Kawasaki for around £1200. You could barely getone of those pathetic plastic Scooter things for that these days.

CPGB stalinist the Honda super dream 250 I remember seeing one as a kid in 70 sumtime I think. that was Wat I wanted then . never did get one . but now I'm 48 had the Honda care derogatory 125 then thart I now, I will sell this and get the transalp 650 witch i drove on a cbt. I now it was Rong. now I got the varedero 1000 so got to do test as the bastards would not insure me for theft no more so I cud then tax it

Abe Lowther Dude you didn't miss out the Super Dream was nicknamed the 'wet dream' because it was a gutless wonder 🤓

Uncle joe. Abolish the Wages System.

honda chicken chaser could blow a 250 super dream with a few tweeks i had one a few year back relivin the dream of seeing o silver one back in the day stunning lookin bk then not much differant than the varadero today

Glad we could bring back some good memories for you :-)

2 stroke bikes today are not my Favorites.. but this Report is hot anyway

Nice, the RD400 was one that got away from me. I had a Bob Farnham (remember him?) tuned 250 with 400 barrels (and a twin front disk conversion) but that only made it a 350 :-( I always wanted an RD500 too

The smell of freedom !

Oh yes here in the home town of KFC Corbin Kentucky growing up i started out with 1986 CR80 I used that belray MC +1 two stroke oil later i had 1988 CR250 still used same MC+1

I had a Suzuki GT250 with a red metallic tank...seem to remember it was quite nippy!

my 250 hustler was the scrambler..after a few months i went with down swept expansion chambers with silencers...it was a royal blue ...nice bike www.suzukicycles.org/photos/suzuki-history/1970/1970_T250II_Hustler_450.jpg

Thanks 😊 glad you liked it. That was the path of many at the time. Well done on the ‘graduation’ to the GT750 and beyond 👍😎

Haha, great story. And a great bike, no question :-) We can still smell you flying by now ;-)

I had an S1 250 2 cycle. It was a rocket but Kawasaki did not support it. The carburetor cable broke when it was 4 years old and Kawasaki today me I would have to make one myself they didn't have repair parts for that old ,4 year old, bike. Last and only Kawasaki motor I bought

My 250 tripple got slower and slower when thrashed. Turned out the middle cylinder would get hot and gradually seize up!.. Good as after cooling down.

@@patbutete1722 No

im 73 ,at age 16 i got a job working for a BMW Norton Ducati and Suzuki..and the suzuki 250 X6 Hustler was my favorite as it was exactly the opposite of what you are saying ..keeping it in the power ban was too easy that could land you in jail in 13 seconds for doing 100 miles per hour ..they were as advertised faster than a 650 cc Triumph Bonneville in the standing start 1/4 mile ..as americans shifting gears is our addiction and the little X6 filled the craving with a 6 speed transmission , finally a gear for every turn ..and to this british person doing all the talking in this video, claiming in the 70's suzuki 380 were b.s. by attacking the design of the looks of the cylinder head suggesting that the performance was b.s. also is coming from a snake oil salesman who doesnt know how to ride motorcycles

Todd Sadler Yeah I had a PE175 had to mix the oil in the tank but worth the effort because from a standing start to 70 I beat a Suziki gt550 triple, a Honda 550 four and a Kawasaki Z650b. That smell of a 2 stroke on a warm summer day happy 😄.dayz long gone

Todd Sadler Yeah awesome machines. Knew a guy that had a z900 who looked down on anyone that had anything less his favourite line being "when you going to trade in your hair dryers for a real bike?" So, one of the guys said "I've got a cr250 that you couldn't handle😀" We all sniggered as he accepted. the challenge. Watching him trying to keep the front end down was poetic but his ashen white face when he got back was even better. A lesson in respect was learnt that day 😀

smell of 2 stroke long gone ?not for ktms apparently

I remember the Z1 hype and how everyone thought the Z1 was such a superior bike over anything else. I also remember making a lot of money destroying them with my 72 Kawi H2. The Z1 was a quick bike but the H2 was much faster.

true that ..and 2st dont smell like the did anymore

Hmmm... Are you sure? 🤔

here!here!,I agree!

Hahaha fuk yeh

Absolutely!

ANY WOMAN? OK, you're ON!

There's cool bikes and some cool muscle cars too

A mate of mine had one - 23 mpg!

So right

I suspect rose tinted glasses with you description there, but it probably seemed like it back in the day. It was slower than a R5 or RD 350 as it was heavy. Lovely sound and looks though.

My buddy years ago had a 1969 kawasaki 350 3 cylinder totally difersnt bike then front wheel always wanted to lift and it was stock must.of had differant gearing the

But the Hustler was delicate unlike the Kawasakis.

It was the 6spd wheelie machine !

The Suzuki T20 Super Six was better than all of them.

I had the 71 Suzuki 350 Rebel big brother to the Hustler same 6 sp tranny but 40HP..the eninge was exactly 305cc but was classified as a 350..at 315lbs wet it was faster off the line than the Kawa 500 triple until 60mph then the Kawa lit up and was gone.. wish I still had it

Unless it's a four stroke single; they kick back!