Two Stroke Goodness:  1992 Yamaha TZR2503XV

I think we’ve had a pretty steady stream of strokers this spring and summer but later model TZR’s are far and few between.  In my opinion late model TZR’s are the rarest 250cc two strokes here in the good ole USA.  This is sure a good looking example of one.  From the sound of it this bike has had a ground up restoration.  During that time they sprinkled in some SP suspension parts for a nice upgrade.  Nonadjustable suspension was common on all home market standard 250′s.   Since they were home market bikes they were generally softly sprung thus causing problems for our more, emmmm,  robust frames.  It looks like they’ve taken the time to match paint and stick with Yamaha parts.  Only the end cans stick out as aftermarket.

Here she is:

And from the CL ad:

This machine has been completely restored from the frame up by a professional motorcycle technician.
The frame, swingarm and wheels were all stripped down and powder coated in a semi gloss black.
Chassis assembled with a TZR250 SP swingarm, SP suspension linkage and SP adjustable shock absorber.
TZR250 SP triple clamps and adjustable forks replace the ‘pre load only’ standard TZR250R forks.
New swingarm bearings and steering head bearings were installed, any worn hardware replaced with OE Yamaha parts.
All hand and foot controls are OE Yamaha, in very good condition.

I know what you are thinking:  what about a title?  There is no mention of one but the bike has plates on it, so maybe.  How about price?  They are asking $9,950.  Hmmmmmmm.  That seems really high in today’s market.  Generally only bikes that have incredibly low miles, are bone stock, have a title  and maybe an SP model are fetching those prices.  As I said though, late model TZR’s are rare.   Almost $10,000 rare, I’m not sure.  If it was a true SP then I think the price is in the ballpark.   I know they’ve spent a lot of time and effort rebuilding the bike but price wise that is a bit of a knock on it in my opinion.  Any of us who have rebuilt a bike from the ground up know it is never quite exactly the same.  Nothing wrong with it but it’s just not that factory fresh anymore. 

One other factor to consider with the price is derestriction of the bike.  Home market bikes were restricted to 45hp in Japan.  Each brand has it’s own  little tricks to extract the extra hp.  I’ve heard the TZR’s can be a bit expensive to derestrict.  They don’t mention any of this with this bike other than it has an M Max derestirction box.  I have to be honest,  I’ve never heard a good thing about these things on any brand of bike.  I’ve seen a couple of discussions were guys have said SP barrels, a CDI (such as Sugo) and a set of pipes are needed to gain the extra ponies.  I’m sure some rejetting would be required somewhere in there as well.  That could easily run you another $2000.  I’ve gone through this process with my RGV.  Here is some advice.  If you want to hop on and ride on the street and not worry about things like jetting, premix etc.  keep it stock and enjoy the 45hp.  If you like to tinker and don’t mind being frustrated every now and then,  then open her up.  The extra hp is fun but comes with a price.  Expensive or not, there is no denying it is one pretty bike.

Check out the bike on Craigslist here.

IK

Clean 1989 TZR250 in California

Clean and modded 1989 TZR 250 in the Sacramento area.  The owner is asking $7000.  He states the bike is loaded with extras and he has other bikes available:  phone call time!  No mention of a title so put that on the list of questions.  I’ll take a guess that those might be some Jolly Moto mild steel pipes.  Nice pipes if they are.

Hopefully the seller will negotiate a bit as the price tag is pretty big for that year TZR.  Any well taken care of two stroke is worth checking into though in my opinion.   Check it out here.

IK

This TZ250RS is perfect for the Yamaha aficionado or, any two stroke nut who thinks NSR’s are too plentiful!

Make: Yamaha
Model: TZ250 RS
Mileage: 3,700
Price: $9,000 Plus Tax

This is another bike from Ozzie’s mouth-watering collection, and doesn’t disappoint even when compared to it’s gorgeous stablemates!  These 250RS’ are the homologation bikes for the production run TZR250R’s and feature, most importantly, a 6-speed transmission with dry-clutch, adjustable 39mm USD forks with an adjustable shock out back, two brake rotors up front with four-piston calipers, a dry weight of 126kg and a power out put of 45hp.  This bike is the epitome of homologation specials; could you imagine a lightweight Ninja 250 with a dry clutch?  No, because it’s economically unfeasible and there is no way the big-four would do it now!  This bike looks to be in showroom new condition while being finished in the, somewhat, traditional Yamaha red & white color scheme with the yellow number plates.  If you like your ring-ding’s with some rocks in a coffee can, this bike is for you!

1993 RS (dry clutch) and really in even cleaner condition than my KR replica. Has 6000KM (3700miles)

Best of luck with the sale Ozzie!

AG

This is a very nice, original, looking TZR250 with less than 1,000 miles on it!  Located in Orange County, California is a Yamaha TZR250.  The seller doesn’t state much other than that the bike “1kt low miles almsot perfect condition(sic)”.  The seller does include “1KT” which indicates that this is the Japanese domestic version and not the U.K. market bike (2MA).  The bike does look to be in very good condition and completely original as per what the seller is claiming.  The seller makes no mention of a title or registration but, with the asking price of $6,500; I would imagine it is titled/registered.

These early TZR250s are 249cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin,  tw0-strokes producing 50hp driving around 308lbs!  This is the beginning of the TZR line that was very expensive for a 250 of the time but was race bred from Yamaha’s TZ experience.  If you’re a collector looking to fill out your Yamaha or two-stroke collection, I wouldn’t hesitate to have a look at this one!  See the bike on Craigslist here.

AG

This is a California TZR250 that has a very good asking price!  Located in Oakland, California is a 1989 Yamaha TZR250 that has a California title and registration.  The seller states that this bike has been sitting since 2007.  The story is, the current owner aquired the bike with the purchase of a house.  The title is in the current owners name however a disk brake lock will need to be removed, it’s missing pieces and it has been sitting for some time.  Make sure to see the title and, if you have any doubt, have the VIN checked by CHP before handing over any cash.  The TZR’s are the rarer of the imported 250s but, their still fantastic machines that have all of the same qualities the Suzuki and Honda bikes have.  This bike has great potential and isn’t doesn’t have an outrageous asking price at $2,000.  See the bike on Craigslist here.

AG

Located in Torrance, California is a Yamaha TZR250 and 2001 Cagiva Mito.  These bikes are available from the same dealer of a GSX-R400R we posted earlier.  The TZR250 has 3,400km, a clean California Title, SP swingarm, fully adjustable suspension, Ohlins Damper and DID ERV2 chain.  The Cagiva Mito is unfortunately untitled but has only 65km.  These ads appear to be over a year old but they may still be available.  See these bikes on Moto-Tec’s website here.

AG

I haven’t see this website before but, Motorcycles For Sale Classic, is apparently a broker for a collection of motorcycles out of New Jersey.  It looks to have been recently updated but has some obvious errors–make sure to contact the seller by phone to confirm anything on their site.  Anyhow, these are some of the bikes that are still available that I found interesting:

• 1977 MV Agusta 850SS with 1,791 original miles.
• 1977 Ducati 900SS with 2,500 original miles.
• 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 Limited Edition with 2,358 original miles (Vance & Hines exhaust fitted).
• 1985 Suzuki RG500 with 385 original miles.
• Yamaha TZR250 with 22,245 miles.
• 1984 Yamaha RD500 with 31,600 miles.
• A second Yamaha RD500 with less miles.
• Aprilia RS250 with 610 original miles.
• 1995 Cagiva Mito.

These aren’t all the bikes listed on the site–and more appear in the background of photos–but again, I would caution anyone against acting too quickly.  The website listed features errors and older dates but, I haven’t seen these photos featured anywhere else and they all look to be correct and from the same location.  Titles and registration isn’t mentioned and only a few bikes have asking prices.  Regardless, take a look at the site as it may be an undiscovered mine!

AG

1st up is a TZR 250 on the South Florida Craigslist located in Hollywood, FL

YAMAHA TZR 250
Very Good Running Condition
2 Stroke Very Fast
Sold as is with bill of sale

The seller didn’t disclose the year, but if I had to guess I would say it is a late 80′s due to the color scheme; my 89 400 looks very similar.  I really like this little bike and I think it would look nice next to my 400 and at $2,600 it seems to be on par with previous post on RSBFS.

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Next up is an Aussie 1985 RZ 500 on the Tucson, AZ Craigslist

The pictures aren’t that detailed to see the quality, but the seller gives a very detailed description of the bike and offers more pictures if requested.  It is being offered at $7,000.  You can compare past RSBFS RZ500′s here.

The plastic is in good condition with a couple of broken corners but nothing serious for a 25 year old bike that hasn’t sat in a museum. The paint is okay with a spot on the upper cowl where it’s cracked. I’ll send more detailed photos to interested parties.  I imported this bike a number of years ago and have ridden it very little.  It has a fair number of miles on it at 50k but, it’s been well cared for and not abused. It has the original Solo Cowl and even still has the Aussie license plate on it.

This one is registered on a Canadian frame that is currently on the bike, but the owner states he has the original frame as well so it could be put back to original if you chose to do so.  I’ve never had the opportunity to ride a big 2 stroke, but they sure look fast sitting still.  There’s nothing like the smell of burnt oil in the morning!

dd

Here’s a fantastic looking TZR250 in Vancouver on Craigslist for $4850 ($4427US):

quote from seller’s ad:

Up for sale, Pure 2 stroke fun! early 90′s GP style

- screams at high rpm
- kick start
- rear under-seat exhausts
- all factory original plastics, not a rebuilt, very highly collectable
- clean BC title, ready to be insured and ride
- very low ICBC annual insurance rate, I paid $335 for a full year fun!
- 23,xxxkm

Seems like a great opportunity for a Canadian buyer, and could be worth it for a U.S. buyer even without a street title. Unless you’re one of the few that seem to be able to work magic at the DMV, why not use it as a display piece until it’s 25 years old and then get it titled as a classic? I know that works for cars, I expect it works the same for bikes. Just seems too nice to track it and would be a very cool weekend back-road warrior!

dc

Located in Florida is an expansive collection for sale from a reader named Ozzie.  See each individual bike below for what he currently has for sale, and if you’re interested his contact information can be found at the bottom.

Yamaha TZR250 in black with an original 5,000kms (3,106mi), asking $7,500.

Yamaha TZR250 in red/white with an original 6,000kms (3,728mi), the asking price is $7,800.

Honda NSR250 SE with dry clutch and 17,000kms (10,563mi) for $8,500.

Two 1996 Honda RVF400Rs supposedly identical with 11,000kms (6,835mi) for $8,600 each.

Honda NSR250 SE with dry clutch, Magtek SP wheels, and 12,000kms (7,456mi) for $8,500.

Very rare, Honda CBR400RR for $6,900.

If any of these rare, and extremely nice, bike strike your fancy, contact Ozzie at alloycars@verizon.net

Thanks Ozzie!