next build a two stroke??

cbrianroll

Coast to Coast
Kinda think it would fun, curious to see what you all think a good 1st two stroke Roady would be. I like smaller bikes, but don't want to scream at cruising speed, and I also don't canyon carve as I have no canyons lol
 
Both great choices!

Any Yamaha RD350/400 would be a good choice as well.

Of course, Kawasaki Triples might be an option. The 350's are great but the 400's are generally recognized as the overall best of all of the Kawasaki Triple lineup. Best handling, smoothest and respectably quick.

In the end, it likely comes down to what's available for a reasonable price in your region. Try to get a read on what other guys might be riding in your area.

Happy hunting!!
 
Love two smokes. Seems as though the Suzuki gt series sell for less coin, around here anyways. Ive got a 76 gt250 all stock besides some chambers. I weight a pound a cc and at interstate speeds (70+) I'm working the old girl over pretty hard. It does ok at 55, until your feet can't take the buzz anymore. I've ridden an rd350 that had a few adders on it, and the gt wasn't even a comparison. That thing rips, and also led to me to my current build of an rd. I can tell you that parts for the Yamaha are far easier to find at this point. I've ridden a gt380 as well in stock bones, and the bike was no slouch and pretty fun to ride. The sound of a triple smoker is impossible to beat (that's not an opinion, that's a fact ;) ).

Never owned our ridden a kaw smoker, but it's on the bucket list.

Cheers
 
T500 or GT500, parts are readily available too! Not mine but great looking inspiration!

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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using DO THE TON mobile app
 
Yes sir that's a beauty! Not sure I'll find anything non rusty in my neck of the woods though hahaha. Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated, the only two stoke I've ridden is the kids suzuki ts185,....yard bomber. It's a blast though!! Maybe I should restore that lol.
 
I think the Yamaha Rd's have the best parts availability. I like the 350's over the 400's as they are lighter, but depending on the scope and scale of mods that might not come into play. They are pretty buzzy at highway speeds, and if you are big, they are pretty small bikes physically. They do handle quite well stock - exceptionally well if massaged. I think this is important whether you have canyons or not. The bigger bikes are MUCH more pleasant at high speeds. The Suzuki t-500 is great for this and you get pretty much all the things most people like about two strokes without going too dreadfully uncivilized.
 
cbrianroll said:
Yes sir that's a beauty! Not sure I'll find anything non rusty in my neck of the woods though hahaha. Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated, the only two stoke I've ridden is the kids suzuki ts185,....yard bomber. It's a blast though!! Maybe I should restore that lol.

Doesn't have to be "non-rusty". My T500 pictured above in lbau317's post started out as a completely rusty pile of crap. Sandblasting, polishing, vapor blasting and powder coating can do wonders! Here is what that bike started out as.
IMG_1682 by sbaugz, on Flickr
 
Man that's quite a difference!! I'm in Washington. By the beach. Hard to get anything halfway decent it seems. I don't know of a local vapor shop around here, I just sandblast or electrolysis, paint and powdercoat at home. Hopefully someday I'll step up to build a "bike of the year" lol
 
How far are you from Seattle? Not mine and doesn't say anything about a title but for $500....

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/5988451284.html
 
coyote13 said:
How far are you from Seattle? Not mine and doesn't say anything about a title but for $500....

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/5988451284.html
That's a steal these days
 
I figured even if OP passes on it somebody might go snatch it up. I don't know much about RD's except that they're a riot, but that seemed like a pretty good deal to me
 
If you are going to build a special, the ideal bike is one that is mechanically good, but cosmetically crap......that way you'll buy it cheap and maybe avoid a costly and time consuming engine rebuild. Poor paint and chrome doesn't matter, as you'll probably bin all that stuff anyway....as Steve said, blast, paint, polish gets it all looking good quickly and relatively easily.
I'm biased....it's a 500 twin for me. Plenty of usable power, and less fussy than a Yam.
 

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