Whats The Go With 2-Stroke Bikes?

[Michael]

Hey,

I'm looking at buying my 1st bike and i have come across a 2-stroke bike that i am interested in, but before i jump head 1st into something i know nothing about, i was looking for some input/general information about 2-stroke bikes.

what is maintenances like? whats the go with the oil and fuel ratio? what is power delivery like?

i was talking to a friend who said 2-stroke bikes are like vtec with a kick in the pants up high in the revs. Is this true?

any info would be great

Thanks Michael

[Tristram]

the go with two strokes is that theyre freaking awesum
freaking awesum, and a dying breed so you should buy one now while theyre still around
theres ignition every 2nd stroke as opposed to 4 strokes which means double ignitions,double emission, and double teh awesum

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Tristram

the go with two strokes is that theyre freaking awesum
freaking awesum, and a dying breed so you should buy one now while theyre still around
theres ignition every 2nd stroke as opposed to 4 strokes which means double ignitions,double emission, and double teh awesum

lol!
anything more technical?

do they like me be revved?

[Tristram]

when i wanted to know the difference between 4 and 2 stroke i checked wikipedia and howstuffworks.com

but the main thing you need to know is that a two stroke engine will be lighter and considerably more powerful than a 4 stroke engine of the same capacity.but they combust oil so you are alway refilling that,and they say they are higher maintainence but i had an nsr150 for a year and a half and i had zero troubles.
and they make the 2 stroke sound. "ning-ning"

[Tristram]

and did i say they are awesum?

[Michael]

lol yes a few times

[Tristram]

awesum

[thro]

2 strokes differ from 4 strokes because they are very simple engines.

most of the tuning is done with the exhaust, which only works well over a small rpm range (things like power valves in the exhaust help, but they are of limited effectiveness).

sports 2 strokes tune the exhaust for the upper rpm range (to get max top end power), so low rpm suffers.

they are kinda like v-tec, but with less low down.

whereas a honda v-tec has decent low down torque (compared to a non-vtec engine of the same size) because of the low speed cam, a 2 stroke has nothing much low down at all.


for example - my rgv has very little power below 8000rpm - at which point it comes on the pipe, stage one of the valves open, and starts makign decent power. the valves open second stage at 10,000 and it has another bit of a push. it hits the rev limiter at 12,000. In summary, out of 12,000rpm - only 8000-12000 are really usable if you want to get anywhere in a hurry

below 6-8k its a bit of a pig. a 250cc 4 stroke would leave it for dead below 8000rpm, and i reckon a 4 stroke 125 would do more than keep up.


they chew fuel (my RGV250 uses about the same amount of fuel as my 310rwhp 180sx). they burn oil. they're not real cheap to run.


but... as said... roughly double the power at the top end, and they are lighter than a comparable 4 stroke...

the peaky power delivery at the top end makes them entertaining to ride, but if its your first bike, they're a bit trickier to learn on than a 4 stroke, as you need to spend more time rooting around with the gearbox and clutch to keep them on the power.


edit:
a run on an rgv250:

YouTube - RGV 250 Top Speed

[Michael]

thanks for the info

keep it coming

[speed3]

Any road 2 stroke will have a oil injection system, you fill up the fuel tank as normal and every few tanks you fill up your oil reserviour too. The bike will mix the oil and fuel itself so you don't have to carry around oil with you. Maintenance is easier but more frequent, they're infinately easier to work on but require more constant attention than 4 strokes.


As far as being learner unfriendly, well... I think that they're fine but you have to respect them.

[ChildOf*RGV]

Definately make it a 2-stroke mate - if its a first bike just take it easy and if (and when) you master it, you'll be a better rider for having done so.. do it, DO IT, D O I T !

[druu]

To add to speed3's comments about oil, make sure you stick to the same brand that's currently in the bike unless you want the hassle of draining the oil and using a different brand.

Some general maintenance includes basic things like checking/cleaning air filter, spark plugs, sourcing leaks (lol) and of course chains/sprockets, etc. To get more indepth with maintenance there's de-coking the exhausts, cleaning out the powervalves and cleaning out the carbs.

These bikes also respond well to mods like chambers, etc but there's a LOT of tweaking to be done if you start messing with them. Sometimes can do your head in, lol.

Oh, and if it's fizz's bike, you're pretty much starting from a brand new bike. The bike is the smoothest RGV i've ever ridden and has been kept in great condition by the previous owner.

[Xuaxace]

Wondering, because rs and rgv are pretty much the same engine... do both use same ammount of petrol anyway?

[speed3]

all 2 stroke 250's will use 8-10L/100km if ridden properly

[druu]

Ridden properly generally means above 6kRPM anywhere. You'll find that fuel consumption will be worse if you totter along under 6k in any gear..

[Xuaxace]

Originally Posted by speed3

all 2 stroke 250's will use 8-10L/100km if ridden properly

yeah thought so. Worth for the smell of the oil anyway . rs250 in summer yey.

[thro]

Yeah by learner unfriendly i just mean that you need to try harder to keep them in the powerband.

There's a couple of places in that video where the guy drops out of powerband (8k on the tach) briefly and knocks it down a gear, see the difference in acceleration when he does?


They're much harder to launch, but much more rewarding when you get it right...

[Michael]

thanks guys,

so if im riding the bike normally will take off be ok?

and how hard is the kick when it comes into the power band? and im guessing they do like to rev?

also when it comes to modding the bike, if i change the exhaust to something like this The Tuning Works , will i need to tune up the bike? (i come from turbo import world, so my bike modding/tuning knowledge is very limited; but i do like to play with my toys and normally when i start i go alittle crazy ahaha)

[nath]

Originally Posted by Michael

thanks guys,

so if im riding the bike normally will take off be ok?

and how hard is the kick when it comes into the power band? and im guessing they do like to rev?

Take off will be similar to any other 250 under normal riding conditions.

The bike you choose will depend on the kick... usually its pretty pronounced, you will learn where it is in the rev range and be aware of it when cornering (etc..) as not to get any fun surprises.

The rev range they make power is usually quite short but it does depend on the bike and how it is tuned, mine for example kicks in at ~6K RPM and will pull all the way to its 10K redline (its actually more like 11.5K but thats not recommended).

[thro]

If you're riding it sedately, the take off will be "ok" as in you won't stall it, but yeah... a 4 stroke will leave you for dead.

If you're at the traffic light GP and someone launches normally then you both decide "it's fucking on!" - after you've pulled away normally - you'll need to pump the clutch to get the revs up to the sweet spot - way more so than with a 4 stroke.

Opening the throttle wide on my RGV at 3000-6000rpm for example just results in a different sound - you don't really accelerate any faster.

The pipe on a 2 stroke can make a dramatic difference - depending on the particular pipe and how different it is from stock, you may get away without much in the way of tuning, but its certainly recommended to avoid running lean, because that will sieze it...