Pity the US-based two-stroke fan. Few models were ever officially imported into the US, and those that did hit our shores only lasted for a couple of years. And while we should be happy we ever got them at all, vitally missing were the hard-edged smokers and the big bore machines. Casting eyes northward, we…
Of the plethora of loud, high-strung Japanese two strokes that have come of age to be street registered in this country over the last couple years, the Yamaha TZR250 tends to enjoy a reputation as one of the friendliest and sweet-handling bikes of the bunch. They don’t come with the same banshee wail as a…
Before we start and this gets out of hand, you *might* remember when you could buy one of these for $12. Or $1500. Or maybe even $10k. Those days are gone. The fact is this sub 10,000 mile RG500 Walter Wolf edition Gamma is on eBay for just a tad shy of $33,000. And while…
A perennial mainstay on the pages of RSBFS, the Honda NSR250R should require no major introduction. Often considered the darling of the quarter liter smoking set, the 90 degree vee twin is named similarly to – and looks quite a bit like – Honda’s race-only NSR250. However the similarities are only imagined, as the two…
The 1979 Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special made its name by tangling with a breaking wave of magnificent four strokes and excelling in the face of the bigger machines. By ’79, two strokes were supposed to be effectively dead, with emissions and the popularity of the new superbikes rendering them relics of a bygone era. But…
While the world was off building 250cc and 500cc two strokes, Honda went their own way. Sure they built 250cc repli-racers (and even 125 and 150cc varietals). But when it came to the big two stroke, Honda took a cagey direction and built a mini hot rod. Emphasizing all the great points of a 250cc…
When you mention “race replicas” the phrase tends to conjure up images of lurid colors and graphics freed from any need for subtlety or adherence to an aesthetically-pleasing color palette. Or is that just me? Maybe just me. Anyway, as much as I personally don’t tend to be a huge fan of them, there are…
For the most part, the RGV250 was a gradual evolution of the original beam-framed, two-stroke 90° v-twin machine introduced in 1987. But the VJ23 version introduced in 1995 was a significant leap forward, with an entirely new frame and engine to go with the swoopy bodywork. Unfortunately, with interest in the class waning, this final,…