Got a note from Stephen Rothwell and Wayne Wright of the Two Stroke Shop in Australia that things are pretty much ready to go. When we mentioned them a couple of months ago, prices weren’t set but now they have things all arranged into parts lists and kits with the appropriate pricing. Shipping of the first TSS500GP engine kits and complete engines will begin in February and customer builds of complete bikes are already underway.
Two strokes are far from dead, in fact, if these guys have anything to say about it, a lot of folks may once again get a chance to see what all this fuss is about when people mention 2 stroke engines. If you think the sound of a 2 stroke with crazy power in a nice light road or track bike is just the thing to make you smile, get in touch with Stephen or Wayne and they’ll set you up with just what you need. They are also looking for the best way to scale up their operations for higher volume because interest was high, even before they were able to begin building the kits, it could be an opportunity for the right company. Pretty neat!
Link: The Two Stroke Shop
PaulN says
A buddy of mine has a RS250 track bike. He brought it into work and let me ride it around the parking lot. I’ve never ridden a bike that I could push start with my feet still on the ground. It weighed about twekve pounds, and made more power than a tornado. I can’t imagine that same bike with a 500 cc power plant. Cool!
Maybe NASA should look into these as a replacement for the shuttle.
taxman says
i admit i know very little about engines. i just like to ride the bikes. don’t two strokes require a bit more maintenance? i realize some people like to wrench there own, but i take mine to the dealer for maintenance. i really like the look of the aprilia, and i like small displacement bikes. i’ve often thought of getting an rs250 but my lack of knowledge regarding two stroke engines (and where to take them to be worked on)has kept me from taking the next step (purchase).
i’d love clarification, especially if i’m wrong. could i take this to my local jack of all trades dealer (who sells no two stroke bikes) and feel confident that they can do the occasional tune up?
todd says
It all depends on the state of tune. As with any bike that is putting out 200hp + /liter there’s going to be some maintenance required. If a two stroke is set to a more reasonable state of tune (say 100hp/liter) they’re actually more reliable than a four stroke. No cams, valves, or seats, no timing chains or tensioners, full roller bottom ends, not even an oil pump in most cases, ignition timing taken from the crank instead of the cam is more consistent too.
The Aprilia RS125 that is coming to the US as a “track only” bike for under $6000, complete with license plate mounts, turn signals and mirrors. It’s only a matter of time before they’re all running around San Francisco with license plates pulled from the CBR in the garage.
http://www.race-aprilia.com/pages/custompages/viewcustompage/1540/Aprilia_RS125.aspx
-todd
Mike says
Taxman, 2 strokes are very simple in execution, very complex in design. There are far fewer parts going around, (than a 4 stroke) but they still require knowledge to keep alive. Most simple 2 strokes require very little maintenance (aka Piaggio scooters) other that topping up the 2 stroke oil tank. THIS bike, however does not fit into that category. The engine is an RD/RZ 350/Banshee derivative, so if you have a good Yamaha ATV dealer close, then that would be your best bet for engine/tuning work. Most new age dealers will not know what you have, and they certainly would not know how to tune it once they did anything. THIS engine as presented is very high strung, and requires significant tuning/tweaking to keep it at its best. I have 6 RZ’s in various states of tune, and if I ride them daily, the stock ones need nothing, other than oil top ups. The mod ones, need daily work such as plugs, tuning, pre-mix, etc. That is the price you pay for 80+ hp out of 350 cc’s. The RS 250, in stock tune for markets outside N/A is quite reliable, and performs well. Needs very little maintenance, and should last about 8-10000 kms without major work needed such as rings/pistons/bearings etc to keep it on the top of its game. If you can get one in N/A, it will be a race only, and who knows what has been done to it.
Steve says
I’m off to Melbourne Australia on 22nd December, i’ve arlready booked my internal flight up to Cairns on the 3rd Jan to go and check out this bike engine, it’s what the world has been waiting for, and hopefully i’ll have the first in the UK :-).