Here's a quick start for you 2 stroke guys.
Old Smoky, 1988 Yamaha TDR 250
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Love it! My first motorcycle was a Suzuki x6 Hustler 250. A real screaming machine. Worth a small fortune today. I'm a big two cycle fan. Want to get another one while I can still ride. Maybe the best thing about two stokes is how the green mosquitoes become apoplectic at the whiff of one.
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I had a '67 X6 Scrambler which had the pipes upswept. 6 speeds and could touch 100mph if no headwind. I generally did 130 mile highway trips at 70 mph. I rarely saw another M/C back then on those trips. It was very quick up to that speed. I sold it in 1971 for close to what I'd paid for it.
IMO, the Kawasaki 500 H1 and 750 H2 triples were the kings of the two stroke bikes!
Suzuki Titans, i.e. T500, they were very good bikes. I admire Suzuki two stroke engineering prowess.
I had a 1970 red/white stripe H1. FUN BIKE! Wailed like a banshee on the freeway on ramps, and left a smoke trail like a Phantom jet fighter on takeoff.
I always wanted a TDR250 - but when we had a 250 learners restriction here they were way overpriced. Old clapped out 250 sports bikes were worth more than a nice litre bike. I did have a DT230 though, that was something special too.
Nice! lives up to its name, that's for sure 
They were,, I owned 1971 Mach III bought new. I loved that engine more that any motorcycle engine I have ever owned even the later bikes were faster and did everything better there was nothing like the engine hitting the power band . That bike spent as much time over 100 mph as it did under 100 mph. That bike took a licking and it kept on ticking.
Reminds me of way back when I did a tune-up for a guy with a Kawasaki 750 H2. The auto oil injection pump was overly rich on those things even when set per the service manual, and would foul plugs. I cut back the pump setting a little bit, installed new plugs and points, set the timing, synced the carbs, etc. Took it out for a test ride on the highway. I came up on a convertible with the top down and downshifted a couple of gears and hit it WOT to pass at near redline. The thing was loaded up with excess oil in the crank and pipes and doing the WOT high RPM pass was blowing some of it out. Looked in the rear view mirrors and all I saw was a thick blue cloud ... I couldn't even see the car at all.
I'm sure they were swearing up a storm.
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A couple of evenings ago I saw (and heard) a 2 stoke bike ride past my house. The first one I have seen on the street in decades. I think it was a Suzuki Titan T500 twin. I remember admiring one that an uncle had in the late 60's. They were said to be one of the most reliable and well-designed 2 stroke road bikes. No glass gearboxes like some slightly older models.
A good friend had a Kawasaki Avenger 350, an A7 I think. After warming it over a bit (reeds, etc.?) he rode it the local big time dragstrip and raced nearly the entire 1969 season on Sat. nights. This was likely about the end of the era of riding your daily ride to the drags. He won nearly every week, taking what would be a substantial amount of money today for top bike. Eventually, he ran a 12.99 ET and was happy and quit. This on a bike that most said was impossible to run a 13.99.
A good friend had a Kawasaki Avenger 350, an A7 I think. After warming it over a bit (reeds, etc.?) he rode it the local big time dragstrip and raced nearly the entire 1969 season on Sat. nights. This was likely about the end of the era of riding your daily ride to the drags. He won nearly every week, taking what would be a substantial amount of money today for top bike. Eventually, he ran a 12.99 ET and was happy and quit. This on a bike that most said was impossible to run a 13.99.
In so many ways, it's kind of sad that the 2 stroke was not developed into a modern street bike engine. I'm a huge 2 stroke fan, and really enjoyed my RZ350. I rode that thing all over the place. But even that bike fell quite short of what's possible with the marvelous 2 stroke.
I own a few Yamaha RD350 and RD400 including couple Canadian Daytona Special, they are an absolutely blast to ride.
Now, imagine a Can Am 600r ETEC engine in a modern motorcycle, something like a Yamaha mt07 or R7 frame!
Suzuki RG500 Gamma Square Four
Yamaha RZ500 V4
Examples of both are still running around here. I believe they were imported from Canada when new. If you could get an MSO my state wouod pretty much register anything.
Yamaha RZ500 V4
Examples of both are still running around here. I believe they were imported from Canada when new. If you could get an MSO my state wouod pretty much register anything.
I can imagine! 125HP in a 300 pound bike!
The DT230 was high tech for a 2 stroke - it had electric start, a balance shaft, electronic power valve, traction control...it was a sweet little motorcycle.
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