I miss my GT750, I especially miss seeing the confused looks on peoples faces as they looked at the motor.
See it, here it, or smell it! A GT 750 is a perplexing, smokey animal to behold. When they see mine they are truly confused. Fun...
I miss mine too. Of all the bikes I owned in the '70s, that's the one I wish I still had. I'd like to get another one.
I took my RD200 out touring western north Carolina last weekend. Great fun but the 60-80 mile range is a bit disappointing. Expensive to cover ground at 8$ a stop. But sure fun. Last year I got a chance to tour the gas stations of the TX hill country on a GT500. Hated running all that Ethanol fuel through it.
Ah man! My first street bike was an RD200 in blue. Got any pics? That is cool to run that little bike on a tour. Nice!
<a href="http://s734.photobucket.com/user/mhaas/media/PICT0979.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.advrider.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/m/mhaas_PICT0979.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PICT0979.jpg"/></a> Camping @ Blue Ridge M/C camp.<a href="http://s734.photobucket.com/user/mhaas/media/PICT0884.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.advrider.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/m/mhaas_PICT0884.jpg" border="0" alt="award winning RD photo PICT0884.jpg"/></a> An "award" winner.
While I agree the GT750 is the tourmaster, any ol' 2T can make a capable tourer if you want it bad enough. I have done lots of 800 mi weekends on my TDR250 and TZR250 strokers without too much drama. Oil injection, reeds and watercooling made it easy. I know quite a few folks who have ridden cross country on aircooled RD350's without issue, so anything is possible.
I had a Suzuki Crystal Jet air cooled 2T RC110Y Electric start. Frame got bent up bad when truck backed over front end. Engine remained perfect! With the funds I got I built (Using DOM Tubing) a Chopper frame using NSR150 rear forks/disc brake/wheel/Shock. Assorted Honda parts for shift and rear brake levers, a Honda 125cc front fork. Kept the Suzuki Steering bracket, make frame to hold Honda, Yamaha or Suzuki. anything from 80cc to 400cc air cooled. single or twin. I added my RC110 and proceeded to figure how to gear it using my Computer Program. I ended up with 15t/35t final gears, 18"x 3.5" rear tire, Used Suzuki 125cc Exhaust tube went from 3/4"OD to 1"ID added the 125cc Expansion chamber and can... Bike still has 2T sound but at a much lower tone. Redline increased as it is still torque available @ 8000. I can cruise being a 4 speed at 6500 @ 65 mph. I have gained about 4-6mph it each gear @ shift points of 4000 RPM. I used a Honda Phantom tank so I gained about 4 Liters of Petrol over stock Tank would have been. I cannot tell you the total distance of possible ride before reserve as I have not ridden that far. Made a custom holder to hold 2T oil between rear of tank and front section of custom seat. But the point is this Don't rule out the smaller CC engines, I would not be afraid to ride this bike from Chiang Mai to Bangkok total of 654 KM and do it under 7.5 Hours... maybe on one tank Other then the Leo Beer I just openned It would be the Cheapest ride I ever had... and in comfort! How to add a picture???????
I've done some long touring on 2 strokes because that's all I've ever owned. I've done Chicago to San Francisco and back on a Yamaha Yds3 250 and now I ride a Canadian 1990 RZ350. My last tour was 2300 miles long. The RZ gets unusually good mileage of around 55 mpg which sounds crazy but it's been verified. Oddly, I don't find it uncomfortable. In fact the clip on bars and the crouch position is therapeutic for my back. I'll be 73 in a few months. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I go with the votes for the suzuki T500, strong torquey and light enough. Did a lot of miles on them back in the day, if i were to be a critic of the T500 it has to be said they do vibrate a little at some RPMs but nothing you cant live with. I like the RDs too and a vpvs 350LC would be another two stroke that would do the job well.
i am fully satisfied with my jawa 350 1991. very cheap, also in spare parts, very reliable, fully enclosed chaincase, semi automatic and good comfort. I use it for daily traffic and holidays.
I road a 72 T500 and put high mileage on a 73, than a 75 GT 550. My best riding buddy at the time had the GT 750. Put 63,000 miles on the 73, traded it in because the deal was too good to pass up. The dealer wanted to display a high mileage two stroke. For Triumph type riding the 500 is perfect. For higher speed touring the 550 and the 750 are equally good. The 750 has more top end, but the 550 was a lot lighter but both will cruise at 90-100. Unfortunately the 750 is easier to find and likely more out there now. The Suzuki CCCI oil injection to the crank used half the oil for better reliability than other two strokes of the period. For touring carrying or finding your favorite two stroke oil matters. I did point adjustments every 2,000 miles if I remember right. Took about 20 min to half hour. Hardest part getting just enough lube to keep point end from wearing without getting any on points. Changed plugs every 4,000, or possibly other way round.
+2 on all of the above. The T-500/GT500 may have been the best 2 cycle traveler of all time. I'm no expert since the only 2 stroke I have is a KE100 that I've taken a few 150 to 300 mile day rides with. Add a few more ccs, a 21 inch front wheel, and a better autolube system and you have the TS185ER. The Suzuki TS185 is light enough to lift over obstructions, yet has barely enough power for non-interstate highways. Whatever you ride finding good and cheap oil is becoming an issue. I never see it at gas stations anymore. The magic words to look for on the label are low ash, and JASO FC or FD. Ace Hardware stores in the USA often have it by the quart. Farm supply stores are a good bet as well. For those who want what might be the best ever minimal 2 stroke tourer, TS 185 ER models are still sold new in Kenya. Getting it to the USA is another matter. Perhaps a basket case 1982 TS185 ER could be bought in the US, and the new Kenya bike could be brought in one piece at a time and new parts could replace the old. Eventually you have a brand new 1982 Suzuki! With four stroke offerings like the Yamaha WR250 I do not think I will bother. The main thing is that an older 2 cycle with autolube could be a fun and light touring mount. Just remember that ash is your friend and TCW3 outboard is less than ideal.
Back in the day I went with Castrol and Spectro 2T(?) then Belray Synthetic? which all but eliminated cleaning baffles. There were rumors the Belray was no good for sitting engines, not a problem I had. Going from the T500 to the GT550 my first thoughts were this is wide and heavy. Very different bikes. The Suzukis were tuned for useful bottom end with very useable power. I remember riding a Honda CB550 four and thinking "what?"
I took my first long trips out of town on my third bike, a '67 Suzuki TC250 (X6 Hustler), the TC250 was the scrambler version of the T20. One of the first six speeds around... six transfer ports, pretty peppy little mill. Wish I had pictures of it, but that was '71, in high school with a new driver's license, and a set of wheels to get lost on. Thankfully, pics are out there
Jawa dos tiempos "touring", con 160.000 km (99.419 millas) recorridos por América del Sur, y aún funcionando Jawa two strokes "touring" with 160,000 km (99,419 miles) travels through South America, and still in use
A credit to you Miguel r . Simple basic two strokes last well, i think the high performance race and mx style two stroke engines although marvellous in their own way, have steered Adventure riders away from the two stroke camp to some extent. Yet in the eastern block and far east the basic simplicity of the two strokes were still appreciated and even with foresters hunters and farmers and the like butchering them in many cases they still seem to keep going in terrible conditions.