I know it's not an adv bike...

[XF650]

......but it was last used as a paddock bike - a real barn find?
I took the pics cause I hadn't seen one before - Honda V3 2 stroke road bike.
Interweb info reveals they weren't made for long (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_MVX250F) & I'v since heard they were a bit of a grenade:

[XF650]

here's some pics I took last night of ash infused sun set near Punakaiki. One of the many times where I wish I had a decent camera:

[avgas]

Oh lord another MVX250........here we go again.

[White trash]

Oh lord another MVX250........here we go again.

Hey wanker, MVX's rule!!!!

This is what they're supposed to look like. Not much is salvagable off that one.

[Padmei]

Looks likethat one was a supermoto conversion. Nice sunset shots Struan

[young1]

I remember when those Hondas came out. All four of the jap manufacturers had 250 2 strokes (RDs, RGs, MVX, K?) sure made the 250 production class exciting. On top of that Yamaha and Suzuki had 4 cylinder 500cc 2 strokes and Honda had a 400 (fairly sure that was a 4 cylinder).

[avgas]

I remember when those Hondas came out. All four of the jap manufacturers had 250 2 strokes (RDs, RGs, MVX, K?) sure made the 250 production class exciting. On top of that Yamaha and Suzuki had 4 cylinder 500cc 2 strokes and Honda had a 400 (fairly sure that was a 4 cylinder).
Suzuki also had RG400.....

But sorry trash, MVX's were the CX's of the 2 stroke world :P

[White trash]

Honda had a 400 (fairly sure that was a 4 cylinder).

Almost. V-3, like the MVX only reliable. Billed as a replica to Fast Freddy Spencers GP championship machine, but interestingly the opposit layout to the GP bike. (2 cyl front, 1 rear for the road going NS400)

[White trash]

Suzuki also had RG400.....

But sorry trash, MVX's were the CX's of the 2 stroke world :P

Bullshit. CXs were far more reliable.

[avgas]

Bullshit. CXs were far more reliable.
Yeah but MVX and CX's are like a trip to the dentist.

Do you really want that dentist visit to keep going on and on :)

[cold comfort]

here's some pics I took last night of ash infused sun set near Punakaiki. One of the many times where I wish I had a decent camera:

Nice glimpse of the West Coast sunset there -inducing a bit of nostalgia for surf trips as a 17 yr old. Sadly the old bod doesn't look or perform like it did then. :weep: Sent the link re the CX offroad conversion to an old friend in Aussie (ex bike courier, and mechanic) he was quite impressed as he still has one.

[pete-blen]

I remember when those Hondas came out. All four of the jap manufacturers had 250 2 strokes (RDs, RGs, MVX, K?) sure made the 250 production class exciting. On top of that Yamaha and Suzuki had 4 cylinder 500cc 2 strokes and Honda had a 400 (fairly sure that was a 4 cylinder).

the Honda was the NSR400.. Vee 3

Back in the good old days when small bikes
had power... And the sweetest exhaust note..
nothing like a multi 2 stroke with a set of chambers..

[young1]

Didn't the Kawasaki also have a strange engine arrangement, an inline twin or something like that?

Yep those were the days, banana swing arm RGs, Yamaha's with power valves etc etc.

Still nothing beats; the sound of a big two stroke, un water cooled, single, YZ500 etc, and the smell of two stroke smoke on a cold frosty morning.

[White trash]

Didn't the Kawasaki also have a strange engine arrangement, an inline twin or something like that?

KR250. Tandem twin, two crankshafts. Fucken cool just for the coolness.

[young1]

Rg500, rz500, ns400241949241950241951

Which one would you like to have in your garage now?

[White trash]

Rg500, rz500, ns400241949241950241951

Which one would you like to have in your garage now?

Out of those three, the NS400R. However an RZV500 would be the ducks nuts.

[Eddieb]

Rg500, rz500, ns400241949241950241951

Which one would you like to have in your garage now?

I had a mildly worked RG400 back in the day, clutchless wheelies in first, only a whiff of clutch required in 2nd. I drag raced it at Meremere once, think I still have the timing slips somewhere.

The RZ500 is pretty fricken cool however.

[Padmei]

I remember really really liking the RZ500 whenI was a young fella- never had one- could barely afford tokeep the DT175 on the road (yes I dropped bikes back then too) . Wasn't the 350 the business back then tho? I seem to recall the middle cylinder used to seize up

[CrazyFrog]

My bro had a RG500 for 3 years before oil pump shat itself and the motor siezed.:bye: Fuck that thing was fun, would wheelie at over 100mph no worries, just by downshifting on the highway, as I found out. Scary, but fun! It would give the early GSXR-750 I had in 1987 a good run for it's money.

The RZ500's were slow, thirsty pieces of shit in comparison, but they did look cool.
Same with the Honda MVX in the 250 market, bit unreliable, and slowest of the bunch compared to the RG250's, TZR250's, and KR250.
Ahhhh, the good ol' strokers of the late eighties, I can fondly remember the smell of Castrol R in the air :love:

[young1]

I remember someone (surname Scott?) on the Yamaha 500 at the Castrol 6 hour. That year it was really windy and from memory the wind affected it more than the tourqy big 4 strokes down the straights.

[young1]

I remember someone (surname Scott?) on the Yamaha 500 at the Castrol 6 hour. That year it was really windy and from memory the wind affected it more than the tourqy big 4 strokes down the straights.

And for me the Yamaha in the garage please.

[pete-blen]

[QUOTE=CrazyFrog;113009925I can fondly remember the smell of Castrol R in the air :love:[/QUOTE]

Just put a couple of tea spoons of caster oil in yer fuel tank...
Yer swear to god its on methanol...

thats where 90% of the smell of a speedway bike comes from...
but they have gone away from a castor based oil.. so speedway bikes
just don't smell like they use to..

I worked as a bike spanner for Frampton Honda in Nelson for a while..
Dave Frampton had a NSR400 that he rode in the 6hour..
We bored the inlets to the ATAC chambers from 6mm to 10mm..
that bike took on a whole new life..
Power was useable from 3000..6500/7000 fun starts.. 8000 it went into a little world
of its own.. but yer left foot had to tap a tune on the gear lever to keep
it in the power band... just the way a bike should be.....

Pete

[CrazyFrog]

I remember someone (surname Scott?) on the Yamaha 500 at the Castrol 6 hour. That year it was really windy and from memory the wind affected it more than the tourqy big 4 strokes down the straights.

That'll be Richard Scott, I remember him racing mostly Yammy's at Manfield, Wanganui, Bay Park, Pukekohe etc. Used to ride the tits off the RZ500, and FZ750.
He also did a season on the World 500cc GP circuit in 1987, riding a Lucky Strike YZR500. Unfortunately he crashed a bit, so only did the one season. Mind you, he was up against Eddie Lawson, Kenny Roberts, Wayne Gardner, Kevin Schwantz etc, so the competion was pretty fierce.
He owned a bike shop in Taupo in the early 90's as well.

For all those 2-stroke Castor oil fans out there.........
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/parts-for-sale/other/auction-387188897.htm

or http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/Castrol-R30-4-Stroke-Engine-Oil-1-Litre.aspx?pid=66667#Description

Like Pete-Blen says, a couple of spoons in the tank and you too can replicate that lovely methanol aroma

[warewolf]

When I was at uni, for a while I used to see a rat bike MVX quite regularly. Had a chat to the rider and he said it was a P.O.S. always breaking down and costing a fortune. he bought it because a mate had a good one, which ran well and reliably.

Some of my mates at the time had KR-1s (-1Ss?) and RG250s and there were lots of TZR250s around... I seriously lusted after the latter, still do. Although the Aprilia RS250 is more likely to get my money these days, head over-ruling heart.

Considered to be least successful of the four Japanese 250cc Race Replicas (in terms of sales), the KR-1 series was notable for excellent/'lively' handling, due to its light weight and steering geometry and least difficult to modify and increase the power output of the engine. Proven to be fastest of all 250cc models (RGV250Γ, TZR250, NSR250, Aprilia RS250) with a top speed of 139 mph (225 km/h) - tested by Performance Bikes Magazine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_Bikes_Magazine) and subsequently at Bonneville (World's Fastest Production 250cc)

There were also a heap of GSX-R400s brought in to Aussie, even more of an orphan capacity than it is here - virutally no other sporty 400s officially imported then or since. (You did your time on 250 then went to 600+.) 4 or 5 of my mates pretty much used up all of them over a period of years until there were no good cheap ones left.

[pete-blen]

Here yer go... twin cylinder 2 stroke adventure bike..
took me a while to fined it..begining to think my memory was
paying tricks...
But here it is... only ever seen one , never got a chance to
ride it... TZR250 motor in a dirt type bike.. 50hp
late 80s vintage.. YAMAHA TDR250..

[NordieBoy]

Here yer go... twin cylinder 2 stroke adventure bike..
took me a while to fined it..begining to think my memory was
paying tricks...
But here it is... only ever seen one , never got a chance to
ride it... TZR250 motor in a dirt type bike.. 50hp
late 80s vintage.. YAMAHA TDR250..

Yellow and black one in Cycletreads once.
Took a photo of it with my Nordwest and a Duke II.

All yellow and black...

[pete-blen]

Yellow and black one in Cycletreads once.
Took a photo of it with my Nordwest and a Duke II.

All yellow and black...

The one I seen was a used one in the Yamaha shop
in Vanguard st when Craig Macmorland owned it just before
Dave Filer took it over...

[Skinny_Birdman]

There was an NS400 for sale at Filco's a few years ago before they moved out of town. I spent ages :drool: and trying to figure out how I could get it on my student loan, but they do say you should never meet your heroes.

[Kickaha]

Which one would you like to have in your garage now?

The RZ for sure, although I could be biased as I toured NZ on one in the early nineties



The RZ500's were slow, thirsty pieces of shit in comparison,

You wonder how they managed to win a Castrol 6 hour race then

[warewolf]

But here it is... only ever seen one , never got a chance to
ride it... TZR250 motor in a dirt type bike.. 50hp
late 80s vintage.. YAMAHA TDR250..They're about. Clint had one as his first adv mount. Coleman's in AKL used to sell TDR50 & TDR125 new, just a couple of years ago. Never saw the big one though, except used.

[Box'a'bits]

Steve H in the CDMTCI has a TDR250. He sometimes brings it up to the Kiwi. He mentioned the tank was small, & that the engine was quite peaky, no bottom end, so not a great adv bike. Loads of fund on the road though.

[young1]

The RZ for sure, although I could be biased as I toured NZ on one in the early nineties



You wonder how they managed to win a Castrol 6 hour race then

Did one win the 6 hour? What year?

We used to go down to it from New Plymouth in late 70's early 80's. Great trips away that still bring back wondeful memories; camping at the track on the Saturday night and seeing the bonfire being fueled by a stack of new wooden gates, drinking too much, driving on the track in my RX3 and nearly hitting a bike practicing their fuel stops, teams with their fuel on ice to get more in the tanks (who then found that the fuel expanded in the heat quicker than the bike could use it) etc etc.

I think if was the 3rd year that we went that we were well enough to stay and see the end of the race.

Along with the Yamaha 500 in my garage I also choose the big Honda CB1100R(?) beautiful looking bikes with their gold wheels (up against the Hamilton black piped, spoked wheels Suzukis)

[Kickaha]

Did one win the 6 hour? What year?

Australian 6 hour in 1984 with Scott/Dowson riding the Toshiba RZ500