I had a fs1edx new in 1977 I was 16. It was great to start but my mates were moving on to bigger bikes and I was stuck with my fizzy for two years. Dad had stood as my guarantor for my fzzy and he said you pay off what you owe or it comes back on me. UFJ126R does anyone know where that fs1e is now?
I believe the Suzuki T250 Hustler was the first 250cc production motorcycle with a top speed of 100 miles per hour (160 kph). Quite an achievement back in the early 1970’s.
@@malibu188 I’m not so sure they actually did if I’m honest Their clocks said they did but with 30hp and no fairing physics seems to say Unlikely in all honesty the 250lc could and maybe an X7 with a fair wind I find the top speeds quoted for many late 60s Japanese bikes some what optimistic especially when you consider the Japanese tendency to quote hp at crank rather than at the back wheel, Honda cb750 in reality was measured at just 56hp at the rear wheel, It’s interesting to not that bikes like the Cagiva Moto made very similar top end power to the Hustler, had more gears, far less weight and even more importantly a full fairing struggle to get over a tonne when accurately measured
I had a TS 250 mz in 1980 we would visit all the race tracks up and down the motorway my mates had 250 Honda super dreams and really struggled to keep up with the mz even with there six speed gearbox you could ride it flat out all day l did a lot of miles on that machine very underrated but getting popular now , at the time it cost me £508 and the super dream £825 so it really was a bargain at the time . Great video thank you for including the well deserved MZ 😊
I had a ETZ 250 and ETZ 300e I was surprised how well it was put together how easy it was to look after, and how well it put up with English salty roads, not quick but as mentioned a real hot to ride it was light and you could throw it around easily, and in traffic it was easy to filter due to its size. Som friends of mine were stopped of one evening looking up the road they could see an on coming head light and a red glow, it was a German couple full loaded with touring kit throttle as wide open as I think it would g hammering down the M2 to make the ferry. These things would sure put up with a lot of abuse.
I had two 250 MZs. a TS250 5 speed and the later ETZ250. The TS was crude but tough as old boots. The ETZ was more modern (for an MZ) with autolube and a front disc.
I had one also didn’t mind that it wasn’t the prettiest,can’t see it when you’re ridding so who gives a toss, brilliant commuting bike, very thoughtfully designed
i have a brand new kh250 b4 in 1979, i thrashed that bike unmercifully everywhere, mine never smoked, i never gave it chance.!!! 35000 miles on it when i got rid and apart from burning spark plugs out it never gave me any trouble....i wish i could find it if its still around so i could buy it back and restore it. I was the local lunatic riding around like a madman, wheelies, scraping the side stand and the centre pipe on the opposite side round every corner i could, hardly anyone could get close to me.....crazy times....lol but i loved every minute.....
I think the RD250 in white with the red speed blocks looked the best in ‘77/78, but I couldn’t afford the extra 50 quid or so and bought a KH250 instead, (exactly the same as the one at 7:59). I loved that bike and had a 400 next with Micron 3 into 3 expansion chamber pipes. It sounded fantastic and would power-wheely in second. I’d have loved an 350LC too, the original not the power-valve, but went down the GPZ route. Happy days.
I had a Gt250, and I always thought the gearing wasn't quite right, it seamed to struggle in top gear, I should have had an Rg250, and I'm still bitter. 😂
Classics from any era and any displacement. I just got my learners, I'll be 60 in August. My Dad had bikes when I was very young and this all brings me back to the late 60s and early 70s when we used to go bike shops and meets. Awesome, keep doing it!
My first 250 was the Suzuki T250J Hustler, next was a second hand S2 Kawasaki 350 which handled like a pig so I traded it in for a Yamaha RD250E, the first bike I owned that handled pretty well and I had the Yamaha two stroke bug, next came the RD400E, followed by the marvellous RD350LC, the 350F power valve and finally the RD500LC before I Moved on to four strokes, the first of many being the GSX-R750, these days I've got the 2023 Street Triple RS which is probably the best bike I've ever owned but must admit the 350LC was hard to beat even the smell of two stroke takes me back to my youth lol. incidentally a mate bought a CZ250 in the late 70s and we ripped the piss out of him but he's still got the little CZ in his garage with well over 100,000 miles on it while our strokers were long gone decades ago.
Wow, frightening nostalgia. Great upload, mate. Priceless memories of carefree days avoiding the close attention of police ford granada 'jam sandwiches'. Although I am deducting serious points for your glaring omission of the nimbler, faster Kawasaki answer to the Honda super dream......the four stroke Z250, styled like the big Kawasaki Z's, complete with machined alloy wheels. Indeed, Kork Ballington had won the 250cc world championship for Kawasaki, and the very first A1's had a replica Ballington option. Marvellous machine, though the later A2 version didn't seem quite as fast to me and my A1.
I had the 1976 GT250.. rode that miles, loved it. I rode that back and forth to my army barracks when I first joined back in 1985 ❤ It was 19 years old then and was so much fun!
I had a 250cc Ariel Golden Arrow 2 stroke went quite well , road holding was exceptional you could ground your pegs on every bend, also had a Suzuki 200cc , and many others in the day , Happy days , I starred in 1965 at 16 and am still riding bikes, at the moment a B M 750 flying brick . Great video thanks for the memories 😀
Lovely seeing these bikes again, thank you for putting up this video. In 1974 I bought a '71 T250 Hustler. Quite a change from a couple of years previously, when I had a '62 BSA C15. I remember the Hustler as an absolute screamer. Specs looked great, but really, rather tiring to ride a distance. You needed those 6 gears to keep the thing .., not so much on the boil, but to have any chance of progress on the ups and downs of English roads. I was always rather wary of the handling. I'll leave it at that. Within it's limitations, looking back, I view the old BSA C15 as a more practical and relaxing ride. I could never understand why the Honda Superdream 250 was so popular. To me it defined the terms..., bland, middle of the road, older mans bike...completely uninteresting. It stil looks that way to me. I really liked the '60's Hondas, CB72, CB77 ( quite rare here in the UK, as I recall )..., and the little 125cc CB92. Thank you again for putting up this video. Really enjoyable.
My main interest is classic Bitish bikes,, but I have always liked the styling of the Suzuki T250 Hustler. Also the KH250 takes second place in my book. The boxy RD and the Quirky MZ are ugly duckings in my eyes. I do think they were good motorcycles ,however.
I think Honda's head designer at some point became 'Mr time and motion theory' for mass production, you put all the ideal parameters in one end and a Honda pops out the other made of twelve pieces, add some paint and graphics jobs a good'n. Those early models are before the theory and graphics, CB160 was another worth a mention, built like a swiss watch and went like a rocket.
I had a 250 hustler in 1981, I paid £140 for it and it really hadn't been looked after. The guy I bought it from used it to go to work on in all weathers, I don't think he'd ever cleaned it. It had a footrest missing, the seat wasn't held on properly and the front brake used to stick on but it was so bloody fast, I used to ride with a group of about 6 mates, mostly RDs and X7s but none of them could keep up with my old hustler, it wasn't just a bit quicker, it was embarrassingly quicker, even my mate with his 400/4 couldn't keep up unless it was head wind and he was about 3 stone lighter than me! I've always wanted to get another one but 40 years later I think I would be disappointed so I'd rather keep the memories.
Great video - reliving the 70s all over again. Had one of each of these over the years apart from the MZ. The KH was temperamental and was terrible at low speeds, the Honda was far too heavy but very well made, the Suzuki look great but unfortunately a little ponderous around corners, my favourite was the RD which always started easily and was great fun to ride even at relatively low speed through town. A friend had an MZ which kept on going despite infrequent maintenance and was surprisingly sprightly.
I owned most of the above in the 70's and the Honda 250 Dream/SuperDream were my favourites. Not as fast as the 2 strokes but a feeling of quality about them. Forget the MZ or CZ alternatives, they were Ugly. One guy described the MZ as a "Collection of mismatched parts" which I agree with totally. Although, if I had to choose, I would go for the CZ250 twin, with its less quirky looks, even though it had that dreaded clunckro- mesh gear lever that doubled up as a kick start.
I have a cousin who still rides an M Z uses for green laning, I believe they go forever , even though they look a bit agricultural, but I suppose that's part of the Fun .
Richard here not Barbara! My first bike was a 1967 YDS5E Yamaha - Chris Horsfield (scrambler), who worked at Bert Stowe's garage in Wellesbourne, serviced it and declared it a 'blueprint' engine with a genuine 100mph top speed - I absolutely loved it - how I regret selling it, but hey I was young and wanted a car! I still miss that bike.
Apart from the Trophy, our little gang at one point or another owned everyone of these bikes, all second hand of course. This brought back great memories, mine was like the CB 250 you showed at the start.
Another nice collection, thanks. My first streetbike was a Suzuki GT250, one of the first bikes with CCI lubrication. All fine and well, untill one day I was screaming down a long hill at 160 km/t (100 mph) and i suddently stopped making noises, exept from the rear wheel... The litle stud that connected the oiltank with the pump broke of, and the needlebearings in the bigends got weldet together in 2 single rings. Ups..
I had a 1968 Suzuki T20 Super Six WNU242G, in those days it was a revelation. Frightning many 500 bikes. I sold it in 1970 and bought a Kawasaki 500 H1 triple FCH9911J and lived to tell the tale.
They really offered something different I’ve always been a lazy so and so so I soon get pissed of changing gear constantly I found two strokes great for a blast but a chore otherwise Usable over peak ever time for me
I learnt on a 250N. I'm 6'2'' and was around 200lb at the time so it's larger size was appealing and I didn't see the relative lack of performance as a hinderence. I figured there would be lots of time for bigger and faster bikes when it was time to move on. It was a decent enough workhorse for my daily commute, but TBH I don't ever get dewy eyed about it. I now ride a Z900RS for Sunday morning fun.
Compared to a modern 125 it would have made a much better learner bike for a tall guy, well anyone really. Trying to maintain a reasonable speed on a modern 125 is surprisingly difficult
I bought a new blue KH250 in 1977 just like the one featured. Middle cylinder would overheat and screw up the plug, but the plugs needed changing often anyway. Great fun! You could literally disappear with a howl in a cloud of smoke...
I had a 1975 250 TNT Can am and Still have it with 2956 miles. I was 30 yrs old, 1 lunger, 2 stroke and lt is fast. i am 78 years now and on a full Moon i have been known 2 give her a Rip, if only a small one. Most Bikes in 1975 could not touch it...check it out...eh. i now reg. ride a 2012 900 Vulcan. Nice but not as much Fun.
My first bike in late 77 was the Benelli 250 2c. I still remember the joy of the 6 volt system and carrying around a box of VW beetle headlight and tail light globes for when (as a learner) I would hit a false neutral and blow one or the other.
I had a s/h one from 1977 to 1979 as my 2nd proper motorcycle. I think the plus points of the design were the chassis and suspension, also there was electronic ignition so the engine stayed in tune. The negatives were pretty much everything else....
@@bikerdood1100 Absolutely. The 250 2C had a great frame, decent suspension and adequate brakes. The engine was more advanced than a lot of competing Japanese two strokes, thanks to the inclusion of CDI. But, as an enlarged version of a 125cc twin, the crankshaft wasn't really up to the duty of working with 230cc rods and pistons for more than about 20,000 miles between rebuilds. That wasn't helped by the lack of oil injection - the use of petrol was smoky and inefficient. Electrics were cheap and nasty, with no indicators as standard and only direct lighting for head and tail lamps. Switch gear was the cheapest possible 'snuffbox' kind. The petrol tank was reasonably well finished but there was only very poor quality rust prone paint on the side panels. The seat padding was insufficiently supportive and tended to just get squashed flat on long rides. Engine shortcomings aside, most of the deficiencies could be improved by keen rider/mechanics. Good overall handling made it fun to ride. Nonetheless, overall, mine was definitely the worst motorcycle I ever owned. For the kind of riding I did back then, the Yamaha SR500 I traded up to in 1979 was a huge improvement, even though it was far from perfect overall.
My neighbor had a Kawasaki 250cc A1 Samurai back in 1970. It used rotary valve induction to produce 31 horsepower. I learned how to ride on his bike, and to me that thing was really fast.
@@Mbartel500 must have been a grey import,i do'nt think they were exported here in bulk. Tried to buy one in '74 but dealer would'nt part with it so i bought a blue Hustler
In Jan 1971 I bought a CB250 K2 in blue and white. Exactly the same as the one shown during the opening titles of that James May series where he rebuilds small machines. Mine did 103mph tops and had 32bhp. Wow! I loved that bike. I’m 68 years young now.
As a young man I had a Yamaha RD250 to get me away from my 1.3 two door Morris Marina company car at weekends. I loved it and travelled all over the West of Scotland. As an old man I have a 1700 crossflow Caterham7 to get me away from my wifes Hyundai i10 at the weekends. Nothing changes!
Good video. Certainly took me back. School of thought that with the Yamaha that RD actually stood simply for road. Coffin tank as it was known unfortunately had real life implications for some. Whatever your views you simply bought the bike put on your L plates and off you went! With the dream the 400 only weighed 10 pounds more and I bought one after I passed my test on an RD125. Great days and thanks again for the upload.
You are correct in believing the ‘R’ stood for road. I had a Yamaha wall poster that had every bike they sold to the public in the UK. Possibly 1975. RD, was short for Road Dual. Dual as in a pair or twin. The single range RS was Road Single.
I had the T250J Suzuki, a new 250N Superdream, and for nearly 20 years I owned a Kawasaki KH250B5 in lime green/black & white which I completely restored in the mid 80s (at great expense!) along with the latest Piper 3-1 exhaust system (which only came from the factory in bare steel and required chrome plating). The soundtrack between 5 & 7000 rpm was fantastic!
The CZ 250 twin was a good design with some very ingenious features, but there were sometimes problems with the quality of the workmanship. It was not as fast as the Japanese models or the MZ, but it was quite economical on fuel. I think the CZ twin is one of the nicest-sounding motorcycles.
It was a well designed bike let down by build quality and some dodgy electrical components The fact that they are still in production, well the 350 at least
When I was about 14 a lad I knew bought a cz 250 brand new and you're right, it wasn't very fast and he had terrible reliability issues with it but I always loved the sound (when he could start it).
@@sambrooks7862 I remember being told by the owner of a motorcycle shop that sold CZs that the best thing you could do to ensure that a new CZ would be reliable was to dismantle it completely and carefully reassemble it. I also remember investigating why the brakes hardly worked on a CZ, and finding that the wheel bearings were filled with some strange grease that melted at just over ambient temperature and had flooded out into the brake drums.
@@cedriclynch yeah I would say that what that guy told you was 100% spot on. All the components were there they just weren't put together very well, not only that they were so easy to work on as were most eastern bloc machines, however I suppose that falls down if you buy one and you're not handy with a spanner? Also a good idea to sort the wiring. Even today you can buy a new one for less than the price of a Chinese 125.
The Cz 250 was junk, it looked like Xmas under the tank after even the lightest rain shower. The body work fell apart. I renamed mine the cornflake flyer. I still can't believe I traded in a T20 tiger cub to buy it.😢
A mate in the 1970s had three RD250s (coffin-tanked). Even after he passed his test and could have something bigger he stuck with RD250s. He obviously liked them! The Kawasaki triples - I don't know about the 250 but the 400 had a reputation for eating spark plugs in the middle cylinder due to lack of cooling. That two-stroke triple sound though! I think it was this and the fact they had three cylinders when others had two that made them sell so well.
I used to maintain a couple of KH250s including one belonging to someone who used to ride like a nutcase. Nothing ever went wrong mechanically. The KH250 had quite a reputation in the 1970s for acquiring nutcase riders; try entering just the words "six brain cells" on an Internet search engine.
Had a Triumph 250 that I chopped in 1975 as a 16 year old kid trying to fit in with all the 60s and 70s choppers. In those days they were chopping all makes and models.
You missed the best 250 of them all...the 1972 Yamaha DS-7. Not only VERY fast but the most beautiful of the lot, with it's gold and black paint scheme. Classic piston/port 250 twin like its big brother, the R5. A great machine. Thanks for the memories...
Recently picked up a yds7 in gold and black, the exact bike and colour as the one I had as a 17 year old back in 1972, your comment about them I totally agree with, the best looking 250 of its time.👍
I had that Suzuki 250 hustler. It was really a good bike. I so very wish I hadn't gotten rid of it. I have had many other bigger and more expensive bikes but I really wish I still had that one.
The first brand-new bike I owned was an RD400 white with red speed blocks and colour-coded wheels, I absolutely loved that bike, and only sold it when I got married. the only disappointment was the RD200 had an electric start using the generator as a starter motor which would have been great if they had implemented it on the 250 &400.
@@bikerdood1100 Yes, the worst decision of my life, at the time I had a very stressful job, but when I got on that bike all my stress just disappeared.
My first adventure on a motorcycle was in 1971, when my stepfather took me along on a several hundred mile journey, as the 12 year old passenger, to participate in a scavenger hunt. We rode about 80 miles of highway, the entire day of the event, and back home, on a Suzuki 250 two-stroke twin. Still riding, now on a drz400s.
"RZ" did not come o America until 1983 with the RZ350 which was a follow-on to the RD350LC and that only hit these shores in 1981. Over here there was never an RD-LC or an RZ under 350cc. You folks were lucky in this respect. In general the Americas got 1/3 the models you lot got back over the pond.
From what I've seen, that's probably because US licensing laws didn't restrict new riders to smaller capacity machines like they did here (and still do, even more so now).
@@rickconstant6106 Yep, that makes sense. But even still. I had a Suzuki GS1000 but at the same time had a Yamaha RD250 and an RD125. It was sometimes just a joy to ride something small, light and fast. The big bike was nice, but nothing I ever owned handled better than that RD125.
I passed my test on a Suzi GT250 at the age of 17. I waited for a year and then got myself a Honda CB750. I rode that until I was 25 and then gave up biking for 35 years. I’m now back on the road with my Triumph 865 America.
my dad has had many bikes in his life, his favourite was he Gt380, but i was young when he had a red and blue superdream 250 and his silver and blue one, both at the same time, good memories and i wouldnt mind getting one for sunday rides and for him to re live some memories
@@bikerdood1100 I had a YDS7 they came out in 1971, mine was a 72 model it superceded the RD250 so was in fact a 70s bike the YDS6 was I grant you the 60s though it may have just snuck in if it was still made in 1970.
I had a single cylinder Kawasaki 250 LTD while still living in Southeast Asia in the early 1980s. It was a semi cruiser bike with the special mag wheels and low seat height. Power was good enough cruising down narrow and congested Asian city streets and had no problem hauling me and my then girl friend, who was about 5'8" and almost on the plus size, to out of town beach resorts during weekends.
I had Honda 2 50 in 1974 road bike can't remember the model it was near a 1973 74 was in good Nick yellow or Gold in colour had some great trips on it ended up with second hand Honda 750 or they used to call them Honda 4s great touring bike bit low to the ground for high speed cornering it was dark blue in colour great period in time for every thing thanks mate for the memories and interesting story all round from down under ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Yep, the Superdream 250N was a decent little commuter and touring bike for a new biker at the time. My first new bike, and the one that I passed my test on. My 1979 bike cost £795, and I took it around Ireland and to Paris, completely reliable and very pleasant to ride, but, of course, a bit underpowered especially against headwinds. I only had it a year, and bought a new 750K when I worked in the Middle East in 1980. Had that for a decade, then a BMW K75. These days I ride a Transalp XL650V.
I beg your pardon :) I rode my 250 superdream 2 up with luggage from Glasgow to London and back for a weekend, flat out all the way. With the mighty rickman fairing, it was the ultimate touring machine. 😀
Last time I visited my younger brother I was surprised to see he'd picked up a '73 Yamaha 250 (to go along with his several RD 350 and 400 models, even an R5). I didn't think Yamaha had it in their lineup in '73 (a friend had a '72), but from the paint scheme the year was obvious, very similar to my TX500's. Don't know where he finds these things but they're in great shape.
"Spinal Tap" 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 Mine was a B25 Starfire, either a 71 or 72, I must have had the only reliable one they made, it could hold about 75 mph on fairly level ground.
Well I ran one for a decade with little problem to be honest. Alternator gave up the ghost but I’ve have plenty of Japanese bikes that did the same, It always got home which says something
Messed around with a lot of those in the 70's and I have one of the earlier Yamahas now - a YDS6 250. It's the 250 MZ I wanted to mention though. I had the 'sport' version, where the leading link forks were changed for conventional telescopics, the headlamp nacelle was ditched and it had a large 4 gallon tank. It was nowhere near as quick as any of the Japanese stuff - even the Honda - but what it would do is go on and on and on. It was very temperamental though and sometimes it would just not start. It stranded me in Lancaster overnight one time when it would not fire yet the next morning it started up first kick. Mine ran its main bearings at a very low mileage - cheap easter bloc bearings - but after they were replaced it was pretty good. MZ did slowly iron out all of the issues and the later ones were almost everlasting. I know someone with over a quarter of a million miles on one. Even his 'new' one has 100k on the clock.
@@bikerdood1100 The journalist Dave Minton spent a long time trying to work out why the MZ was so temperamental and published a series of articles about his findings in MCI mag in '75 (roughly). His conclusion - the ignition system was badly designed. I wasn't convinced, but who was I to disagree with him.
Yours sounds like the ETS, an almost café racer looking bike with a strange swirly badge. Main bearings were a bugbear, partly aggravated by the bike's low down torque which encouraged lazy gear changes, piston slap and oiled plugs. Cured by a Japanese replacement bearing.
@@borderlands6606 Yes, the ETS, that's the one. I'd certainly appreciate an MZ more now than I did back then when they were just some quirky Eastern bloc thing and ultimately inferior to anything the Japanese were producing. I was seriously looking for one about 10yrs ago when someone gave me a B120 Suzuki that they were about to dump. That's a bike in the MZ mould - simple, everlasting etc and now fills that niche for me. The other 'downside' of MZ ownership in the 70's that I haven't seen mentioned was the state of the 'supply chain', and in particular the importers. However cranky the bikes were they were substantially 'out cranked' by Wilf Green's and Wilf himself. I often wondered how many people were put off MZ ownership by having to deal with them. The archetypal 'my way or the highway' dealer. 🤣
The KH250 and kh350 were basically the same bike, some guys in the know did a straight swap with the barrels and pistons making their 250 into a sleeper 350 but to make it go even faster add the 350 carbs... Ive still got a complete 79 kh250 in bits and a set of 350 barrels at the back of me shed..
@@bikerdood1100 The S2 350 top end would fit straight onto the kh250 bottom end without any modifications but to fit the Kh400 the crankcases of a KH250 would need to be bored out a little so much more work required...
@@briandear5354 it’s the chassis they shared Hence the weight By the later period too the companies were trying to make it more difficult to up size you engine
Yes - that was a trick that learners used to make their bike more powerful and still keep the 250 badge so the cops wouldn't know. An S1 into an S2. However some of the S1 cranks were different and not as strong. The S2 350 would do quite good wheelies. LOL
I raced a Suzuki T250 in 250 Production Class in 1971. I was an all-round excellent machine - except for the brakes, which after heating up after 3-4 laps were absolutely terrifying. But that was pretty well standard for most (not all) production machines at the time. Despite that, I could give much larger machines, as well as racing class 125's, a run for their money in open-class races and practice sessions. I should have modified it as an affordable way into the racing 250 class - something I still regret. Bullet proof and easy to work on. Moreover, they handled very well indeed on the 1.8 mile mountain racing circuit - "Westwood" in Coquitlam British Columbia.
I owed a KH 250 back in 1977 when i was 17 when 17yr olds could rise one of these on a provisional license and L plates seems crazy now , it was exactly the same as the one in the video here , passed my test on it in the same year, never had any problems with it did change from using Duckhams 2 stroke oil to Shell 2TT because the Duckhams made it smoke so much and un burned oil would run down the bottom ridges of the exhausts , used to bottom out on the exhausts sometimes if leaned to far on right handers , would wheely in first gear as well without dropping the clutch , the RD had the slight edge over Kawa from a standing start mainly because it was higher geared and lighter , i'm now 63 now and how i miss those halcyon days .
I’m not sure it was all that crazy really, the government could have limited hp instead I found with my sons bike that 125 does not do a good job of preparing you for larger bikes and they are just plain hard work to ride. A softer tuned 250 would be so much better. If the Japanese hadn’t pushed the power out put to its limits we may not b3 in the mess were in now where young people just don’t ride anymore
My first proper bike was a Yamaha DT 250. But I always wanted a Honda 400 super dream. Fantastic days. But the bikes today are brilliant. My last bike was a Gixxer thou, but Ill health forced me to stop riding. 👍👍
If I’m breathing I’m riding That’s my Moto Something a bit more comfortable than a Gixer might have been a good idea 😂 I do find a lot of the latest bikes have all the character of a toaster oven, or worst still a bloody Tesla Gadgets on bike The very idea 😂
When Honda went from the CB250T/CB400T to the CB250N/CB400N they also removed the kickstart, I had a CB400T, the bolts that held the cylinder head in place were a yard long, they also held the cylinders in place, and were very flexible. I thought that you might've done the AMF Harley Davidson/Cagiva 250 single, but keep up the good work anyway.
I think the Harley Davidson 250,which was made in Italy, aspired to be an MZ but lacked the quality, smoothness and fuel economy as well as being much more expensive. Later models had the terrible Dansi electronic ignition which was prone to sudden total failure through shorting of the generating coil inside the flywheel magneto. You can fix this if you rewind the coil keeping the wire in neat layers rather than wound at random.
Memories Brilliant. 1st bike was a KH250 bought for £500 in 79 but wasn't reliable traded it in for a brand new superdeam which I passed my test on. Then went back to the dealer for a new Kawasaki SR650. Still riding now at the age of 64.
at that time i drove the maico 250 millitary a real sledge hammer in outdoor riding.i knew all of these bikes you shown from that aera great time it was... .👍👍👍👍
I had a 1976 Honda 250 G5 which I know was good for 90mph because the police told me so! It was never spectacular and I don't imagine anyone would regard it as a classic. It was big and a bit heavy but it had a certain presence in the day and I have fond memories of it. It was the size which attracted me, as a learner. It didn't look like a learner's bike. I may even buy one if I can find one!
Oh I never trust the Rozers 😂 As what counts as a Classic For me it’s a broad field Some only count bikes that are stupid expensive I tend to regard this as snobby bullshit mostly spouted by arm chair dreamers
Great to See these bikes once again .. Point to note ... You state the Honda CB250N Super Dream was using the same engine as the Honda CB250T Dream, there was one small difference! The N had 6 speed gearbox where as the T had a 5 speed gearbox I know I had both models. Thanks for your review 👍
I had a new T250J, which was one of the last as the GT250 had arrived, but I didn’t like the design so went for the T250J and it was a very good reliable bike, I was working for a bike shop at the time.
@David-xl9cp mine was the deep red one. Saw the exact model/colour outside a chippy recently....obviously been fully restored but looked fantastic. Owner was in chippy else would have had a chat with them. Think mine was approx £450 newbury not sure...go for £6000 now. Years later bought 1980 x5 200cc suzuki. It was a great bike but not as nice as T250J.
Starting in '72 my 1st bike was a 1970 Honda CD175 then on to a 1973 Honda CB250 K4 then in '76 a 650 Bonny. So easy back then. How many of us in our 60s and 70s are having to do CBT course and DAS course in order to get a motorbike licence. Today because you can't travel more than 100 yards without being on a camera you have to be legal to ride a motorbike. 50 years ago a licence was something completely forgotten, and as for insurance and tax, well..... Was it the same in the USA back then I wonder? I shudder to think what the American Police would do to you if you didn't have a licence. 25 to life?
Well I wouldn’t defend riding unlicensed Pretty stupid thing to do I think However getting a license should be much easier and cheaper than it is though The current system is totally Crap
From South Africa now that I didn't know, as said before, I had a few T500 Titans, of differing models, and also had a GT 500 .... BTW, one of the nicest all round bikes I've had.... But a GT 250 ? Never knew about them... Wish I did.....
The 1972 Honda CB350K4 in gorgeous Gentle Maroon Metallic featured at 1:11 was my very first motorcycle. And a fabulous piece of kit it was. Must have spent near 800 hours riding it within that first 12 months. As stated, unless commuting and purelyfuel economy economics driven, why buy the 250 when the 350 hardly cost much more?
Absolutely, I've been lucky to have owned a number of bikes over the years, I was riding a CB500T, back in the 80s not very popular, but I loved mine, at the same time, acquired a CB350K4 as basket from a friend, rebuilt it and gave it to the missus, it was like a his & hers! great times
@@joeking1019 Ahh the venerable CB500T. I do remember it well. Lost in the shadows between the popularity of the CB350 by then the CB360, and CB750. Just as good in its own right, but middleweights hadn't yet really come to the fore in that ever competitive emerging Japanese market. And possibly outshone in the glam stakes by the Z600, the 'hooligans' choice'. I never owned one, but I did own and ride a respected by me ever faithful CB350 Four which suffered similar undeserved ' ignominy' never achieving the success and popularity of the subsequent marketing as sportier CB400 Four. I thrashed that CB350 Four motor to death and neglected its maintenance dreadfully, yet it never once failed me, nor did its frame & susoension. Only criticism, its single front disc brake. Like all those first edition discs, utterly useless in the wet. I regretted it in that parting with a loved girlfriend from the innocence of youth way when I traded it on my first Ducati.
In the very early 70`s i had a Suzuki 250 super six .A great bike i then traded it in for a Suzuki 500cc ,T500R , at £499 new ... again a great bike ,,,
When I was young one could go from a 50cc, with pedals, to a 250cc. Just before that you could have a 650. Eventually it was 125 to reduce your parents worry. Insurance seems to be a limiting factor now.
And the fact that 125s are crap to be brutally honest They really do make terrible learner bikes and just don’t prepare riders for bigger things A law created by car divers no doubt
@@bikerdood1100 it wasn't even that they were 125s, my mate had a 1979 CB125T and that thing went like hell, 80 mph all day, it was that when the law was changed the 125s were limited to 12 horsepower so not much better than a well sorted fizzy giving them a real world top speed of about 60 mph, 50 if it was head wind and I think you're right, that law was changed by people who had never ridden a bike, just like when they restricted 50s to 30 mph, slow bikes are at least as dangerous as fast bikes, if you can't keep up with the traffic you're vulnerable.
Yep, I had a Yamaha YDS7 250 at 17. No lessons, L plates and 100mph indicated, chin on the clocks, down the M27 into Portsmouth. This was 1977, peak freedom, if only we’d appreciated it for what it was. Nothing like this will happen again in so called civilised countries.
Bike restrictions never made much sense. Who thought a pair of revolving bicycle pedals made a firmer platform for changing gear than a set of foot pegs?
@@bikerdood1100 They were sold in OZ at the same time as RZs in the US I think the Emission regs kicked in at about 86. Ithink they were RZ in Japan also.
@@Blanchy10 it wasn’t a serious answer 🙄 Although judging by the comments I’m not so sure the power valve models were widely available stateside if at all
I had a 250 Suzuki Hustler but the predecessor to that was the Super six,so named for its 6 speed gear/Box,we were chugging around on things like Bsa c15 250cc and starfish,those were the days off the Nsu quickly and Francis Barnet and greeves etc,also I have to mention the arial arrow as these were ground breaking, we we thought so anyway lastly the Vellocete le,which as you no had water cooling chart drive and a boxer engine,these were known as noddybikes.rgds
The 1978 Honda Dream was a styling disaster and Honda soon dropped it for the angular euro style version which made it look much more modern and grown up. My mate had a KH250, it was horrible to ride, absolutely nothing at all below the power band then whoosh! 🙄 I always had a lot of time for the MZ, they were quirky and completely out of step with everything else but build quality was top class. CZ on the other hand was garbage in comparison.
Well not a disaster, just that the Dream was rather dull The Dream was definitely more modern looking As for the KH that’s Kawasaki triples for you really, not exactly user friendly MZ was the best of the Eastern European bikes
I started out on a Suzuki GT250 Ram Air with a John Tickle steering handle....loved the bike !!! After that a Honda CB500 and after that I had a Cagiva Freccia 125 for years and years, Then I decided that after 30 years it was enough, none of my mates were riding bikes anymore... But then I bought a Harley 800, nah not my cup of tea, stopped with a tear in my eye ..
Oh I never give a dam what my friends are doing I’ve have always ridden and won’t stop til I’m incapable. The best thing I ever did was teach the wife to ride, not only is she a very capable rider but there’s always a ridding but close by. If she ain’t in the mood then I do something on my own
These were great years for the young motorcyclist.....I wish I could do it all over again.
Well you can’t go back
Dam it 😂
I can not believe that I went from a Honda c50 moped on to a new Yamaha RD250!!. That's the 70's for you.
BEST JAP 250 !!!ps BEST 250 Even BETTER With a 350 TOP END ON 😂😂😂😂WITH All the Tricks 1974 IT STUFFED EVERYTHING !!!ON THE ROAD Lower Gearing !!!😁g
Bit mad when you think about it
@@geoffreycarson2311 350Lc Yam Was special !!!!end of 77 CAPETOWN first time for me ..
Bit of a fan boy
Definitely not the best 250 later V Twins like the NSR were GP bikes on the road
I had a fs1edx new in 1977 I was 16. It was great to start but my mates were moving on to bigger bikes and I was stuck with my fizzy for two years. Dad had stood as my guarantor for my fzzy and he said you pay off what you owe or it comes back on me. UFJ126R does anyone know where that fs1e is now?
Great piece of nostalgia. I had a GT250A from 1976. And now, 47 years later, I’m getting another one!
Hope the bikes is as remembered
I believe the Suzuki T250 Hustler was the first 250cc production motorcycle with a top speed of 100 miles per hour (160 kph). Quite an achievement back in the early 1970’s.
@@malibu188 I’m not so sure they actually did if I’m honest
Their clocks said they did but with 30hp and no fairing physics seems to say
Unlikely in all honesty the 250lc could and maybe an X7 with a fair wind
I find the top speeds quoted for many late 60s Japanese bikes some what optimistic especially when you consider the Japanese tendency to quote hp at crank rather than at the back wheel, Honda cb750 in reality was measured at just 56hp at the rear wheel,
It’s interesting to not that bikes like the Cagiva Moto made very similar top end power to the Hustler, had more gears, far less weight and even more importantly a full fairing struggle to get over a tonne when accurately measured
@@bikerdood1100 Agreed , a very compact rider , running down a steep hill with a strong tail wind might get over the ton back then on the 250 :)
In 1974 I bought a used 1971 Suzuki T250 Hustler in green. I loved that bike and had so much fun riding around with my mates. How I miss those days.
Ahh the joys of youth
Man, I could listen to these things run all day long....
just heavenly.
Glad you enjoyed it
class reply big DUKE !👍
I had a TS 250 mz in 1980 we would visit all the race tracks up and down the motorway my mates had 250 Honda super dreams and really struggled to keep up with the mz even with there six speed gearbox you could ride it flat out all day l did a lot of miles on that machine very underrated but getting popular now , at the time it cost me £508 and the super dream £825 so it really was a bargain at the time . Great video thank you for including the well deserved MZ 😊
I had a ETZ 250 and ETZ 300e I was surprised how well it was put together how easy it was to look after, and how well it put up with English salty roads, not quick but as mentioned a real hot to ride it was light and you could throw it around easily, and in traffic it was easy to filter due to its size. Som friends of mine were stopped of one evening looking up the road they could see an on coming head light and a red glow, it was a German couple full loaded with touring kit throttle as wide open as I think it would g hammering down the M2 to make the ferry. These things would sure put up with a lot of abuse.
I had two 250 MZs. a TS250 5 speed and the later ETZ250. The TS was crude but tough as old boots. The ETZ was more modern (for an MZ) with autolube and a front disc.
THE MZ CUZ Had one IT WAS UGLY !!!😂g
I had one also didn’t mind that it wasn’t the prettiest,can’t see it when you’re ridding so who gives a toss, brilliant commuting bike, very thoughtfully designed
@@geoffreycarson2311 I must admit they weren't the best looking bikes about. At least the TS was an improvement on the ES.😒
I had a Rd 250c with coffin tank in Kenny Roberts colours. A great ride and a superb looking motorbike
Nice 👍
Beautifull machines full of metal .
What a difference with todays Tupperware ! ❤
😂
i have a brand new kh250 b4 in 1979, i thrashed that bike unmercifully everywhere, mine never smoked, i never gave it chance.!!! 35000 miles on it when i got rid and apart from burning spark plugs out it never gave me any trouble....i wish i could find it if its still around so i could buy it back and restore it. I was the local lunatic riding around like a madman, wheelies, scraping the side stand and the centre pipe on the opposite side round every corner i could, hardly anyone could get close to me.....crazy times....lol but i loved every minute.....
Two strokes can be pretty robust really especially if good oils are used
I had a Suzuki GT250 in 1977 but I agree the KH250 was the most desirable, the sound was pure music !
Most desirable yes but best ? 🤔
I think the RD250 in white with the red speed blocks looked the best in ‘77/78, but I couldn’t afford the extra 50 quid or so and bought a KH250 instead, (exactly the same as the one at 7:59). I loved that bike and had a 400 next with Micron 3 into 3 expansion chamber pipes. It sounded fantastic and would power-wheely in second. I’d have loved an 350LC too, the original not the power-valve, but went down the GPZ route. Happy days.
I had a Gt250, and I always thought the gearing wasn't quite right, it seamed to struggle in top gear, I should have had an Rg250, and I'm still bitter. 😂
Classics from any era and any displacement. I just got my learners, I'll be 60 in August. My Dad had bikes when I was very young and this all brings me back to the late 60s and early 70s when we used to go bike shops and meets. Awesome, keep doing it!
Brilliant
Glad your enjoying the videos
My first 250 was the Suzuki T250J Hustler, next was a second hand S2 Kawasaki 350 which handled like a pig so I traded it in for a Yamaha RD250E, the first bike I owned that handled pretty well and I had the Yamaha two stroke bug, next came the RD400E, followed by the marvellous RD350LC, the 350F power valve and finally the RD500LC before I Moved on to four strokes, the first of many being the GSX-R750, these days I've got the 2023 Street Triple RS which is probably the best bike I've ever owned but must admit the 350LC was hard to beat even the smell of two stroke takes me back to my youth lol. incidentally a mate bought a CZ250 in the late 70s and we ripped the piss out of him but he's still got the little CZ in his garage with well over 100,000 miles on it while our strokers were long gone decades ago.
Lot be said for the reliable plodder rd 350 may be fun but not a commuter bike really
No bad bikes just the wrong owner
It has to be right for you
@@bikerdood1100 That's probably the wisest comment I've heard on bike ownership👍.
My 250 in the 70s was the BSA Starfire, great bike never let me down, then later moved onto another great Brit bike the Triumph.
Nice
Wow, frightening nostalgia. Great upload, mate. Priceless memories of carefree days avoiding the close attention of police ford granada 'jam sandwiches'. Although I am deducting serious points for your glaring omission of the nimbler, faster Kawasaki answer to the Honda super dream......the four stroke Z250, styled like the big Kawasaki Z's, complete with machined alloy wheels. Indeed, Kork Ballington had won the 250cc world championship for Kawasaki, and the very first A1's had a replica Ballington option. Marvellous machine, though the later A2 version didn't seem quite as fast to me and my A1.
Ahh yes the Z250 scorpion
Killed one of those commuting years round in the 80s. Needed a good thrashing to get it moving
Also Yamaha XS 250, not as fast as RD but always dependable, no need to carry a sparkplug in the jacket pocket.
That was a lovely trip down memory lane, thank you...
Glad you enjoyed it
I had the 1976 GT250.. rode that miles, loved it. I rode that back and forth to my army barracks when I first joined back in 1985 ❤ It was 19 years old then and was so much fun!
Nice
I had a 250cc Ariel Golden Arrow 2 stroke went quite well , road holding was exceptional you could ground your pegs on every bend, also had a Suzuki 200cc , and many others in the day , Happy days , I starred in 1965 at 16 and am still riding bikes, at the moment a B M 750 flying brick . Great video thanks for the memories 😀
Glad you enjoyed it
I had a 1982 RD200 , brand new.
I loved that bike 🏍 😍
Cool 😎
Lovely seeing these bikes again, thank you for putting up this video.
In 1974 I bought a '71 T250 Hustler. Quite a change from a couple of years previously, when I had a '62 BSA C15. I remember the Hustler as an absolute screamer. Specs looked great, but really, rather tiring to ride a distance. You needed those 6 gears to keep the thing .., not so much on the boil, but to have any chance of progress on the ups and downs of English roads. I was always rather wary of the handling. I'll leave it at that. Within it's limitations, looking back, I view the old BSA C15 as a more practical and relaxing ride.
I could never understand why the Honda Superdream 250 was so popular. To me it defined the terms..., bland, middle of the road, older mans bike...completely uninteresting. It stil looks that way to me. I really liked the '60's Hondas, CB72, CB77 ( quite rare here in the UK, as I recall )..., and the little 125cc CB92.
Thank you again for putting up this video. Really enjoyable.
Honda realised that bland was the way to go it seems
My main interest is classic Bitish bikes,, but I have always liked the styling of the Suzuki T250 Hustler. Also the KH250 takes second place in my book. The boxy RD and the Quirky MZ are ugly duckings in my eyes. I do think they were good motorcycles ,however.
I think Honda's head designer at some point became 'Mr time and motion theory' for mass production, you put all the ideal parameters in one end and a Honda pops out the other made of twelve pieces, add some paint and graphics jobs a good'n. Those early models are before the theory and graphics, CB160 was another worth a mention, built like a swiss watch and went like a rocket.
I had a 250 hustler in 1981, I paid £140 for it and it really hadn't been looked after. The guy I bought it from used it to go to work on in all weathers, I don't think he'd ever cleaned it. It had a footrest missing, the seat wasn't held on properly and the front brake used to stick on but it was so bloody fast, I used to ride with a group of about 6 mates, mostly RDs and X7s but none of them could keep up with my old hustler, it wasn't just a bit quicker, it was embarrassingly quicker, even my mate with his 400/4 couldn't keep up unless it was head wind and he was about 3 stone lighter than me! I've always wanted to get another one but 40 years later I think I would be disappointed so I'd rather keep the memories.
Great video - reliving the 70s all over again. Had one of each of these over the years apart from the MZ. The KH was temperamental and was terrible at low speeds, the Honda was far too heavy but very well made, the Suzuki look great but unfortunately a little ponderous around corners, my favourite was the RD which always started easily and was great fun to ride even at relatively low speed through town. A friend had an MZ which kept on going despite infrequent maintenance and was surprisingly sprightly.
The KH, so Kawasaki stroker
I used an MZ for commuting for a couple of winters, very tough
I owned most of the above in the 70's and the Honda 250 Dream/SuperDream were my
favourites. Not as fast as the 2 strokes but a feeling of quality about them. Forget the
MZ or CZ alternatives, they were Ugly. One guy described the MZ as a "Collection of
mismatched parts" which I agree with totally. Although, if I had to choose, I would go
for the CZ250 twin, with its less quirky looks, even though it had that dreaded clunckro-
mesh gear lever that doubled up as a kick start.
I have a cousin who still rides an M Z uses for green laning, I believe they go forever , even though they look a bit agricultural, but I suppose that's part of the Fun .
I had the kawasaki 250 f scorpion in 1979 surprised you didn't show one. It was a nice bike. Good vid thanks. Oh I still ride at 63 and own 2 bikes.
Only room for 5 and there’s already a Kawasaki in there
Got to hold back for another video after all
Richard here not Barbara! My first bike was a 1967 YDS5E Yamaha - Chris Horsfield (scrambler), who worked at Bert Stowe's garage in Wellesbourne, serviced it and declared it a 'blueprint' engine with a genuine 100mph top speed - I absolutely loved it - how I regret selling it, but hey I was young and wanted a car! I still miss that bike.
100 on the clock
With 30 hp at the crank you’d need a big old hill
😂😂
@@bikerdood1100 I can only quote what Chris said - sorry you felt the need to be derogatory
100 mph only if you were skinny teen of 7stone
Apart from the Trophy, our little gang at one point or another owned everyone of these bikes, all second hand of course. This brought back great memories, mine was like the CB 250 you showed at the start.
My memories are similar, I had an early CB 250, and there were examples of all the others in our group; even an MZ belonging to one of the dads!
Glad you enjoyed it
I bought the 1975 Yamaha RD350B in 1976. Right next to my machine was the 1976 RD400. No worries. The RD350B was alright.
It’s only 50cc after all
Another nice collection, thanks. My first streetbike was a Suzuki GT250, one of the first bikes with CCI lubrication. All fine and well, untill one day I was screaming down a long hill at 160 km/t (100 mph) and i suddently stopped making noises, exept from the rear wheel... The litle stud that connected the oiltank with the pump broke of, and the needlebearings in the bigends got weldet together in 2 single rings. Ups..
Oh 😟
I had a 1968 Suzuki T20 Super Six WNU242G, in those days it was a revelation. Frightning many 500 bikes. I sold it in 1970 and bought a Kawasaki 500 H1 triple FCH9911J and lived to tell the tale.
They really offered something different
I’ve always been a lazy so and so so I soon get pissed of changing gear constantly
I found two strokes great for a blast but a chore otherwise
Usable over peak ever time for me
I learnt on a 250N. I'm 6'2'' and was around 200lb at the time so it's larger size was appealing and I didn't see the relative lack of performance as a hinderence. I figured there would be lots of time for bigger and faster bikes when it was time to move on. It was a decent enough workhorse for my daily commute, but TBH I don't ever get dewy eyed about it. I now ride a Z900RS for Sunday morning fun.
Compared to a modern 125 it would have made a much better learner bike for a tall guy, well anyone really. Trying to maintain a reasonable speed on a modern 125 is surprisingly difficult
I bought a new blue KH250 in 1977 just like the one featured. Middle cylinder would overheat and screw up the plug, but the plugs needed changing often anyway. Great fun! You could literally disappear with a howl in a cloud of smoke...
Beasts indeed 😂
I had a 1975 250 TNT Can am and Still have it with 2956 miles. I was 30 yrs old, 1 lunger, 2 stroke and lt is fast. i am 78 years now and on a full Moon i have been known 2 give her a Rip, if only a small one. Most Bikes in 1975 could not touch it...check it out...eh. i now reg. ride a 2012 900 Vulcan. Nice but not as much Fun.
Like the full moon comment
Definitely added atmosphere 😂
My first bike in late 77 was the Benelli 250 2c. I still remember the joy of the 6 volt system and carrying around a box of VW beetle headlight and tail light globes for when (as a learner) I would hit a false neutral and blow one or the other.
How I wanted one of those.............
Typical Italian, drop dead gorgeous, but spoiled in the details
I had a s/h one from 1977 to 1979 as my 2nd proper motorcycle.
I think the plus points of the design were the chassis and suspension, also there was electronic ignition so the engine stayed in tune.
The negatives were pretty much everything else....
The Benelli bikes of the De Thomaso era had big ambitions but were let down by cost cutting in an effort to compete with mass produced opposition
@@bikerdood1100 Absolutely. The 250 2C had a great frame, decent suspension and adequate brakes.
The engine was more advanced than a lot of competing Japanese two strokes, thanks to the inclusion of CDI. But, as an enlarged version of a 125cc twin, the crankshaft wasn't really up to the duty of working with 230cc rods and pistons for more than about 20,000 miles between rebuilds. That wasn't helped by the lack of oil injection - the use of petrol was smoky and inefficient.
Electrics were cheap and nasty, with no indicators as standard and only direct lighting for head and tail lamps. Switch gear was the cheapest possible 'snuffbox' kind.
The petrol tank was reasonably well finished but there was only very poor quality rust prone paint on the side panels.
The seat padding was insufficiently supportive and tended to just get squashed flat on long rides.
Engine shortcomings aside, most of the deficiencies could be improved by keen rider/mechanics. Good overall handling made it fun to ride.
Nonetheless, overall, mine was definitely the worst motorcycle I ever owned. For the kind of riding I did back then, the Yamaha SR500 I traded up to in 1979 was a huge improvement, even though it was far from perfect overall.
My neighbor had a Kawasaki 250cc A1 Samurai back in 1970. It used rotary valve induction to produce 31 horsepower. I learned how to ride on his bike, and to me that thing was really fast.
Nice 👍🏻
30hp can feel pretty good in a light bike
I had one in the 70's . And have just got it back. It still feels QUICK
@@Mbartel500 must have been a grey import,i do'nt think they were exported here in bulk. Tried to buy one in '74 but dealer would'nt part with it so i bought a blue Hustler
In Jan 1971 I bought a CB250 K2 in blue and white. Exactly the same as the one shown during the opening titles of that James May series where he rebuilds small machines. Mine did 103mph tops and had 32bhp. Wow! I loved that bike. I’m 68 years young now.
Oh those Japanese speedos
I bought a new k2 in 71 too. A gold and white one...
Lovely bike...think was around £330. Traded in for a bond bug 70es.
.death trap 😂
As a young man I had a Yamaha RD250 to get me away from my 1.3 two door Morris Marina company car at weekends. I loved it and travelled all over the West of Scotland. As an old man I have a 1700 crossflow Caterham7 to get me away from my wifes Hyundai i10 at the weekends. Nothing changes!
My Andy
Dump the Caterham and get an actual bike 😂
@@bikerdood1100 At 73 the Caterham is going to have to go soon never mind a bike😁
@@ianscott3180 73
That’s not old
Good video. Certainly took me back. School of thought that with the Yamaha that RD actually stood simply for road. Coffin tank as it was known unfortunately had real life implications for some. Whatever your views you simply bought the bike put on your L plates and off you went! With the dream the 400 only weighed 10 pounds more and I bought one after I passed my test on an RD125. Great days and thanks again for the upload.
Well the 400 is essentially the same bike with bigger pistons after all
You are correct in believing the ‘R’ stood for road. I had a Yamaha wall poster that had every bike they sold to the public in the UK. Possibly 1975. RD, was short for Road Dual. Dual as in a pair or twin. The single range RS was Road Single.
Suzuki T;250 and hustler bikes were brilliant bikes even though these bike’s was the early 1970s
As I say in the video, surprisingly short lived
Yes they were, lighter, faster and more powerful than the GT that replaced it.
I had the T250J Suzuki, a new 250N Superdream, and for nearly 20 years I owned a Kawasaki KH250B5 in lime green/black & white which I completely restored in the mid 80s (at great expense!) along with the latest Piper 3-1 exhaust system (which only came from the factory in bare steel and required chrome plating). The soundtrack between 5 & 7000 rpm was fantastic!
Those Kawasakis can scream
The CZ 250 twin was a good design with some very ingenious features, but there were sometimes problems with the quality of the workmanship. It was not as fast as the Japanese models or the MZ, but it was quite economical on fuel. I think the CZ twin is one of the nicest-sounding motorcycles.
It was a well designed bike let down by build quality and some dodgy electrical components
The fact that they are still in production, well the 350 at least
When I was about 14 a lad I knew bought a cz 250 brand new and you're right, it wasn't very fast and he had terrible reliability issues with it but I always loved the sound (when he could start it).
@@sambrooks7862 I remember being told by the owner of a motorcycle shop that sold CZs that the best thing you could do to ensure that a new CZ would be reliable was to dismantle it completely and carefully reassemble it. I also remember investigating why the brakes hardly worked on a CZ, and finding that the wheel bearings were filled with some strange grease that melted at just over ambient temperature and had flooded out into the brake drums.
@@cedriclynch yeah I would say that what that guy told you was 100% spot on. All the components were there they just weren't put together very well, not only that they were so easy to work on as were most eastern bloc machines, however I suppose that falls down if you buy one and you're not handy with a spanner? Also a good idea to sort the wiring. Even today you can buy a new one for less than the price of a Chinese 125.
The Cz 250 was junk, it looked like Xmas under the tank after even the lightest rain shower. The body work fell apart. I renamed mine the cornflake flyer. I still can't believe I traded in a T20 tiger cub to buy it.😢
I never had a 250, but I miss my crazy Kawa 350 Avenger 1968 that I owned in 1970! That was so fun to drive!
In the UK as a learner in the 60s ghat was the only option
@@bikerdood1100 Well, I am in Norway, and we did not have any limits! After 18 you could go with anything you wanted!
@@harryviking6347 can’t decide it that’s a good or a bad thing 🤔
@@bikerdood1100 hmmm.....agree..
A mate in the 1970s had three RD250s (coffin-tanked). Even after he passed his test and could have something bigger he stuck with RD250s. He obviously liked them! The Kawasaki triples - I don't know about the 250 but the 400 had a reputation for eating spark plugs in the middle cylinder due to lack of cooling. That two-stroke triple sound though! I think it was this and the fact they had three cylinders when others had two that made them sell so well.
Spark plug eating was a common stroker trait
Our 80s NSR was the same
I used to maintain a couple of KH250s including one belonging to someone who used to ride like a nutcase. Nothing ever went wrong mechanically. The KH250 had quite a reputation in the 1970s for acquiring nutcase riders; try entering just the words "six brain cells" on an Internet search engine.
That’s my little blue Suzuki T250J you filmed at the Boat Bike Show! Freshly rolled out of the garage after it’s restoration 😁
Looks V nice 👍
Adorable little maneaters . Their bite was much bigger than their bark .
Only if you let them
I’d reverse the statement to be honest
The reputation is much bigger than 5heir bite
Had a Triumph 250 that I chopped in 1975 as a 16 year old kid trying to fit in with all the 60s and 70s choppers. In those days they were chopping all makes and models.
Ohhh 😮
Loving the 250cc motor bikes!😊
That good because I have more planned
Nice review, glad the show I ran at the Boat provided some of the 'stars'!
I must do a video about that show
You missed the best 250 of them all...the 1972 Yamaha DS-7. Not only VERY fast but the most beautiful of the lot, with it's gold and black paint scheme. Classic piston/port 250 twin like its big brother, the R5. A great machine. Thanks for the memories...
Well can’t fit em all in a single video
Recently picked up a yds7 in gold and black, the exact bike and colour as the one I had as a 17 year old back in 1972, your comment about them I totally agree with, the best looking 250 of its time.👍
If only the current bikes were as stylish. The KH and GT there are stunning.
You can wish
I had that Suzuki 250 hustler. It was really a good bike. I so very wish I hadn't gotten rid of it. I have had many other bigger and more expensive bikes but I really wish I still had that one.
Often the bikes you have earlier in your biking life really stay with you
@@bikerdood1100 So true....
The first brand-new bike I owned was an RD400 white with red speed blocks and colour-coded wheels, I absolutely loved that bike, and only sold it when I got married. the only disappointment was the RD200 had an electric start using the generator as a starter motor which would have been great if they had implemented it on the 250 &400.
Sold to get married 😱
@@bikerdood1100
Yes, the worst decision of my life, at the time I had a very stressful job, but when I got on that bike all my stress just disappeared.
Had TS on the field's back in the 80's , really enjoyed the low down pull .
For the smiles per pound they were great 😊
A lot more sensible choice than the mad TM that’s for sure
My first adventure on a motorcycle was in 1971, when my stepfather took me along on a several hundred mile journey, as the 12 year old passenger, to participate in a scavenger hunt. We rode about 80 miles of highway, the entire day of the event, and back home, on a Suzuki 250 two-stroke twin. Still riding, now on a drz400s.
Good way to bond I find
I had an orange MZ ETZ 250, that I bought fire damaged, fixed & rode as a bad weather rat bike. Hilarious fun!
Similar story got one for £124
Used as bad weather commuter bike
It was surprisingly fun
"RZ" did not come o America until 1983 with the RZ350 which was a follow-on to the RD350LC and that only hit these shores in 1981. Over here there was never an RD-LC or an RZ under 350cc. You folks were lucky in this respect. In general the Americas got 1/3 the models you lot got back over the pond.
That would have been the water cooled version
From what I've seen, that's probably because US licensing laws didn't restrict new riders to smaller capacity machines like they did here (and still do, even more so now).
@@bikerdood1100 Yes. Both the RZ and the RD-LC were water cooled.
@@rickconstant6106 Yep, that makes sense. But even still. I had a Suzuki GS1000 but at the same time had a Yamaha RD250 and an RD125. It was sometimes just a joy to ride something small, light and fast. The big bike was nice, but nothing I ever owned handled better than that RD125.
I had a Yamaha RD 350 LC loved it.😢
Not a 250 though 😂
Good bikes all the same
Went well that’s for sure
I passed my test on a Suzi GT250 at the age of 17. I waited for a year and then got myself a Honda CB750. I rode that until I was 25 and then gave up biking for 35 years.
I’m now back on the road with my Triumph 865 America.
Gave up ? 😱
my dad has had many bikes in his life, his favourite was he Gt380, but i was young when he had a red and blue superdream 250 and his silver and blue one, both at the same time, good memories and i wouldnt mind getting one for sunday rides and for him to re live some memories
Friend of mine had a GT 380 for some years
Great fun to ride, not so great to follow though
Well apart from the glorious 2 stroke odour
I had a yamah yds 5 in the very early 70s my mate had a susuki invader great times
Glad it brought back good memories
@bikerdood1100 I've got a old yammy xs750 now
Before Yamaha came out with the RD series, they had the DS6 & DS7 twin-cylinder machines.
Trinidad & Tobago.
West Indies.
Ah but that was the 1960s so not here
@@bikerdood1100 I had a YDS7 they came out in 1971, mine was a 72 model it superceded the RD250 so was in fact a 70s bike the YDS6 was I grant you the 60s though it may have just snuck in if it was still made in 1970.
I had a single cylinder Kawasaki 250 LTD while still living in Southeast Asia in the early 1980s. It was a semi cruiser bike with the special mag wheels and low seat height. Power was good enough cruising down narrow and congested Asian city streets and had no problem hauling me and my then girl friend, who was about 5'8" and almost on the plus size, to out of town beach resorts during weekends.
Remember that engine sold as a 200 in the Uk
Handy commuter, no LTD version here as far as I’m aware
Llways a like before even watching your vids there always great.hi from New Zealand ☠️🇳🇿
Thanks
Aaaah, Bisto..............thank you 🙂
Okee dokey 😂
Loved my KH250 put allspeeds k&n filters and new sized sprockets on it , went like s*** off a shovel , Oh Happy days😂😂
Ahh
Strokers
I had a 1972 T250R which I rode across Australia 🇦🇺 from Perth to Melbourne in 3 and a half days. It was the last drum brake bike I owned.
Never mind the breaks, I just hope it had a comfortable seat
@@bikerdood1100 it felt like a slab of granite. Definitely not made for touting on.
@@MrAndrew1953 ouch
I had Honda 2 50 in 1974 road bike can't remember the model it was near a 1973 74 was in good Nick yellow or Gold in colour had some great trips on it ended up with second hand Honda 750 or they used to call them Honda 4s great touring bike bit low to the ground for high speed cornering it was dark blue in colour great period in time for every thing thanks mate for the memories and interesting story all round from down under ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Glad you enjoyed it
Yep, the Superdream 250N was a decent little commuter and touring bike for a new biker at the time. My first new bike, and the one that I passed my test on. My 1979 bike cost £795, and I took it around Ireland and to Paris, completely reliable and very pleasant to ride, but, of course, a bit underpowered especially against headwinds. I only had it a year, and bought a new 750K when I worked in the Middle East in 1980. Had that for a decade, then a BMW K75. These days I ride a Transalp XL650V.
Touring on a sub litre bike
Modern riders wouldn’t believe it possible
I beg your pardon :) I rode my 250 superdream 2 up with luggage from Glasgow to London and back for a weekend, flat out all the way. With the mighty rickman fairing, it was the ultimate touring machine. 😀
I said it could did I not ?
Still a lardy old girl
@@bikerdood1100 Aye, I must admit I picked it up a few times (thats how you learned how to ride after all).
Last time I visited my younger brother I was surprised to see he'd picked up a '73 Yamaha 250 (to go along with his several RD 350 and 400 models, even an R5). I didn't think Yamaha had it in their lineup in '73 (a friend had a '72), but from the paint scheme the year was obvious, very similar to my TX500's. Don't know where he finds these things but they're in great shape.
Persistence
"Spinal Tap" 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Mine was a B25 Starfire, either a 71 or 72, I must have had the only reliable one they made, it could hold about 75 mph on fairly level ground.
A friend of mine had one and it broke down every time he went out.
Well I ran one for a decade with little problem to be honest. Alternator gave up the ghost but I’ve have plenty of Japanese bikes that did the same, It always got home which says something
Messed around with a lot of those in the 70's and I have one of the earlier Yamahas now - a YDS6 250. It's the 250 MZ I wanted to mention though. I had the 'sport' version, where the leading link forks were changed for conventional telescopics, the headlamp nacelle was ditched and it had a large 4 gallon tank. It was nowhere near as quick as any of the Japanese stuff - even the Honda - but what it would do is go on and on and on. It was very temperamental though and sometimes it would just not start. It stranded me in Lancaster overnight one time when it would not fire yet the next morning it started up first kick. Mine ran its main bearings at a very low mileage - cheap easter bloc bearings - but after they were replaced it was pretty good. MZ did slowly iron out all of the issues and the later ones were almost everlasting. I know someone with over a quarter of a million miles on one. Even his 'new' one has 100k on the clock.
In the early days crappy electrics was a bit of a theme
@@bikerdood1100 The journalist Dave Minton spent a long time trying to work out why the MZ was so temperamental and published a series of articles about his findings in MCI mag in '75 (roughly). His conclusion - the ignition system was badly designed. I wasn't convinced, but who was I to disagree with him.
Yours sounds like the ETS, an almost café racer looking bike with a strange swirly badge. Main bearings were a bugbear, partly aggravated by the bike's low down torque which encouraged lazy gear changes, piston slap and oiled plugs. Cured by a Japanese replacement bearing.
@@borderlands6606 seen those models
I always wondered what the graphic designer was on
Very psychedelic 😂
@@borderlands6606 Yes, the ETS, that's the one. I'd certainly appreciate an MZ more now than I did back then when they were just some quirky Eastern bloc thing and ultimately inferior to anything the Japanese were producing. I was seriously looking for one about 10yrs ago when someone gave me a B120 Suzuki that they were about to dump. That's a bike in the MZ mould - simple, everlasting etc and now fills that niche for me. The other 'downside' of MZ ownership in the 70's that I haven't seen mentioned was the state of the 'supply chain', and in particular the importers. However cranky the bikes were they were substantially 'out cranked' by Wilf Green's and Wilf himself. I often wondered how many people were put off MZ ownership by having to deal with them. The archetypal 'my way or the highway' dealer. 🤣
The KH250 and kh350 were basically the same bike, some guys in the know did a straight swap with the barrels and pistons making their 250 into a sleeper 350 but to make it go even faster add the 350 carbs...
Ive still got a complete 79 kh250 in bits and a set of 350 barrels at the back of me shed..
Kh400 and 250 were the same bike 350 was earlier and had some chasis differences I believe
@@bikerdood1100 The S2 350 top end would fit straight onto the kh250 bottom end without any modifications but to fit the Kh400 the crankcases of a KH250 would need to be bored out a little so much more work required...
@@briandear5354 it’s the chassis they shared
Hence the weight
By the later period too the companies were trying to make it more difficult to up size you engine
Yes - that was a trick that learners used to make their bike more powerful
and still keep the 250 badge so the cops wouldn't know. An S1 into an S2.
However some of the S1 cranks were different and not as strong.
The S2 350 would do quite good wheelies. LOL
Had an X7- RLV196T !👍 also had a soft spot for an MZ ! don't know why !🙂
There a Iron curtain style about them
Or something
I raced a Suzuki T250 in 250 Production Class in 1971. I was an all-round excellent machine - except for the brakes, which after heating up after 3-4 laps were absolutely terrifying. But that was pretty well standard for most (not all) production machines at the time. Despite that, I could give much larger machines, as well as racing class 125's, a run for their money in open-class races and practice sessions. I should have modified it as an affordable way into the racing 250 class - something I still regret. Bullet proof and easy to work on. Moreover, they handled very well indeed on the 1.8 mile mountain racing circuit - "Westwood" in Coquitlam British Columbia.
Cool 😎
I owed a KH 250 back in 1977 when i was 17 when 17yr olds could rise one of these on a provisional license and L plates seems crazy now , it was exactly the same as the one in the video here , passed my test on it in the same year, never had any problems with it did change from using Duckhams 2 stroke oil to Shell 2TT because the Duckhams made it smoke so much and un burned oil would run down the bottom ridges of the exhausts , used to bottom out on the exhausts sometimes if leaned to far on right handers , would wheely in first gear as well without dropping the clutch , the RD had the slight edge over Kawa from a standing start mainly because it was higher geared and lighter , i'm now 63 now and how i miss those halcyon days .
I’m not sure it was all that crazy really, the government could have limited hp instead
I found with my sons bike that 125 does not do a good job of preparing you for larger bikes and they are just plain hard work to ride. A softer tuned 250 would be so much better. If the Japanese hadn’t pushed the power out put to its limits we may not b3 in the mess were in now where young people just don’t ride anymore
My first proper bike was a Yamaha DT 250. But I always wanted a Honda 400 super dream. Fantastic days. But the bikes today are brilliant. My last bike was a Gixxer thou, but Ill health forced me to stop riding. 👍👍
If I’m breathing I’m riding
That’s my Moto
Something a bit more comfortable than a Gixer might have been a good idea 😂
I do find a lot of the latest bikes have all the character of a toaster oven, or worst still a bloody Tesla
Gadgets on bike
The very idea 😂
I had a Wet Dream as they were disparagingly called, BRO 6T was the number plate. Being 6'2" the Honda Super Dream was a good size fit.
There were indeed
Riders do have a habit of coming up with the worst names
My first bike was the Honda CB250 in 1976 made my driving licence with, when l was 18.
Nice i
I had the S1 in May 1at 1972 it had 32 bhp the best of the lot great bike
Cool 😎
When Honda went from the CB250T/CB400T to the CB250N/CB400N they also removed the kickstart, I had a CB400T, the bolts that held the cylinder head in place were a yard long, they also held the cylinders in place, and were very flexible.
I thought that you might've done the AMF Harley Davidson/Cagiva 250 single, but keep up the good work anyway.
Saving the Harley for next brine 😉
I think the Harley Davidson 250,which was made in Italy, aspired to be an MZ but lacked the quality, smoothness and fuel economy as well as being much more expensive. Later models had the terrible Dansi electronic ignition which was prone to sudden total failure through shorting of the generating coil inside the flywheel magneto. You can fix this if you rewind the coil keeping the wire in neat layers rather than wound at random.
Iam pretty sure the Superdreams did have a kickstart until about 80-81
@@gntdriver2840 Correct. My first bike was a T reg Superdream and had a kickstart.
On the first 250na had a kick start my was ths red and blue model but the cdi was rubbish had three in 10,000 miles
Memories Brilliant.
1st bike was a KH250 bought for £500 in 79 but wasn't reliable traded it in for a brand new superdeam which I passed my test on. Then went back to the dealer for a new Kawasaki SR650. Still riding now at the age of 64.
Brilliant
at that time i drove the maico 250 millitary a real sledge hammer in outdoor riding.i knew all of these bikes you shown from that aera great time it was... .👍👍👍👍
Cool 🤙
I had a 1976 Honda 250 G5 which I know was good for 90mph because the police told me so! It was never spectacular and I don't imagine anyone would regard it as a classic. It was big and a bit heavy but it had a certain presence in the day and I have fond memories of it. It was the size which attracted me, as a learner. It didn't look like a learner's bike. I may even buy one if I can find one!
Oh I never trust the Rozers 😂
As what counts as a Classic
For me it’s a broad field
Some only count bikes that are stupid expensive
I tend to regard this as snobby bullshit mostly spouted by arm chair dreamers
Great to See these bikes once again .. Point to note ... You state the Honda CB250N Super Dream was using the same engine as the Honda CB250T Dream, there was one small difference! The N had 6 speed gearbox where as the T had a 5 speed gearbox I know I had both models. Thanks for your review 👍
Well new differences were small
First 250 I rode was a Kawasaki KH250, but I always preferred the Suzuki GT250. These days I own a Honda CB900D and a CBR600 F3.
It’s true that the triple didn’t in reality perform any better than the twins
Slower in later years as the KH didn’t really evolve
😢 My old MZ ride-to-work was easy to live with and reliable. It looked old even when it was brand new!
I liked that about mine
Never worried about it getting nicked 😂
MZ was brilliant, one of the comfiest bikes to ride at the time super reliable and so plug ugly nobody would nick it.
I had a new T250J, which was one of the last as the GT250 had arrived, but I didn’t like the design so went for the T250J and it was a very good reliable bike, I was working for a bike shop at the time.
Cool 😎
I had a new T250J too.....lovely looking bike. The Bridgestone tyres were so slippy in the wet...think they were plastic 😊
@@nigel274 Yes, had TT100 fitted
@David-xl9cp mine was the deep red one. Saw the exact model/colour outside a chippy recently....obviously been fully restored but looked fantastic. Owner was in chippy else would have had a chat with them. Think mine was approx £450 newbury not sure...go for £6000 now. Years later bought 1980 x5 200cc suzuki. It was a great bike but not as nice as T250J.
Starting in '72 my 1st bike was a 1970 Honda CD175 then on to a 1973 Honda CB250 K4 then in '76 a 650 Bonny. So easy back then. How many of us in our 60s and 70s are having to do CBT course and DAS course in order to get a motorbike licence. Today because you can't travel more than 100 yards without being on a camera you have to be legal to ride a motorbike. 50 years ago a licence was something completely forgotten, and as for insurance and tax, well..... Was it the same in the USA back then I wonder? I shudder to think what the American Police would do to you if you didn't have a licence. 25 to life?
Well I wouldn’t defend riding unlicensed
Pretty stupid thing to do I think
However getting a license should be much easier and cheaper than it is though
The current system is totally Crap
@@bikerdood1100 I'm not defending it either but it was half a century ago and like it or not things were different back then.
1962年生まれの日本人ですが、空冷フィンやスポークまで磨き抜かれてコンディションを維持されたバイク達を見て驚愕しました。今までの自分のバイクへの接し方を恥じています。
Ok
Thanks for the MZ mention!
Of course
a liked the Suzuki 250 x7 great bike quite quick for it's day
Definitely a bit of a classic and quite collectible today
From South Africa now that I didn't know, as said before, I had a few T500 Titans, of differing models, and also had a GT 500 .... BTW, one of the nicest all round bikes I've had....
But a GT 250 ? Never knew about them...
Wish I did.....
The 5 hundred twin used to be a very common site in the UK
Still a few around I’m glad to say
I had many a great ride on a variety of RD’s and an X7.
Always like the X7 styling is sharp
I had a KH250 back in the day,I chose it over the faster RD250 purely because of that amazing induction howl.
Well it’s as good a reason as any
The 1972 Honda CB350K4 in gorgeous Gentle Maroon Metallic featured at 1:11 was my very first motorcycle. And a fabulous piece of kit it was. Must have spent near 800 hours riding it within that first 12 months. As stated, unless commuting and purelyfuel economy economics driven, why buy the 250 when the 350 hardly cost much more?
Because of the learner laws of the time 🙄
@@bikerdood1100 Should have made it clear you were a parochial prat referring ONLY to petty jobsworth backward Britain back when.
Absolutely, I've been lucky to have owned a number of bikes over the years, I was riding a CB500T, back in the 80s not very popular, but I loved mine, at the same time, acquired a CB350K4 as basket from a friend, rebuilt it and gave it to the missus, it was like a his & hers! great times
@@joeking1019 Ahh the venerable CB500T. I do remember it well. Lost in the shadows between the popularity of the CB350 by then the CB360, and CB750. Just as good in its own right, but middleweights hadn't yet really come to the fore in that ever competitive emerging Japanese market. And possibly outshone in the glam stakes by the Z600, the 'hooligans' choice'.
I never owned one, but I did own and ride a respected by me ever faithful CB350 Four which suffered similar undeserved ' ignominy' never achieving the success and popularity of the subsequent marketing as sportier CB400 Four. I thrashed that CB350 Four motor to death and neglected its maintenance dreadfully, yet it never once failed me, nor did its frame & susoension. Only criticism, its single front disc brake. Like all those first edition discs, utterly useless in the wet. I regretted it in that parting with a loved girlfriend from the innocence of youth way when I traded it on my first Ducati.
In the very early 70`s i had a Suzuki 250 super six .A great bike i then traded it in for a Suzuki 500cc ,T500R , at £499 new ... again a great bike ,,,
Fair amount of cash in the 70s
I remember my Suzuki T250J, in metallic green and white - and all for £330 new!
If only the were still £330
The X7 was a very good bike, especially if you ran it in for a good 2000 miles!
Always worth looking after two stroke
Use good oil and run in with care and they can be very reliable
When I was young one could go from a 50cc, with pedals, to a 250cc. Just before that you could have a 650. Eventually it was 125 to reduce your parents worry. Insurance seems to be a limiting factor now.
And the fact that 125s are crap to be brutally honest
They really do make terrible learner bikes and just don’t prepare riders for bigger things
A law created by car divers no doubt
@@bikerdood1100 it wasn't even that they were 125s, my mate had a 1979 CB125T and that thing went like hell, 80 mph all day, it was that when the law was changed the 125s were limited to 12 horsepower so not much better than a well sorted fizzy giving them a real world top speed of about 60 mph, 50 if it was head wind and I think you're right, that law was changed by people who had never ridden a bike, just like when they restricted 50s to 30 mph, slow bikes are at least as dangerous as fast bikes, if you can't keep up with the traffic you're vulnerable.
Yep, I had a Yamaha YDS7 250 at 17. No lessons, L plates and 100mph indicated, chin on the clocks, down the M27 into Portsmouth. This was 1977, peak freedom, if only we’d appreciated it for what it was. Nothing like this will happen again in so called civilised countries.
Bike restrictions never made much sense. Who thought a pair of revolving bicycle pedals made a firmer platform for changing gear than a set of foot pegs?
Yamahas were called RD in Australia until the 80s when the RD250/350 LC got power valves, it then became the RZ250/350.
Perhaps they had a bunch of RZ decals left after the US emission regulations came into force 😂😂
@@bikerdood1100 They were sold in OZ at the same time as RZs in the US I think the Emission regs kicked in at about 86. Ithink they were RZ in Japan also.
@@Blanchy10 it wasn’t a serious answer 🙄
Although judging by the comments I’m not so sure the power valve models were widely available stateside if at all
I had a 250 Suzuki Hustler but the predecessor to that was the Super six,so named for its 6 speed gear/Box,we were chugging around on things like Bsa c15 250cc and starfish,those were the days off the Nsu quickly and Francis Barnet and greeves etc,also I have to mention the arial arrow as these were ground breaking, we we thought so anyway lastly the Vellocete le,which as you no had water cooling chart drive and a boxer engine,these were known as noddybikes.rgds
Well the other side of that is of course with its power delivery it needed those 6 gears
I wonder how well they held up to long term use 🤔
The 1978 Honda Dream was a styling disaster and Honda soon dropped it for the angular euro style version which made it look much more modern and grown up.
My mate had a KH250, it was horrible to ride, absolutely nothing at all below the power band then whoosh! 🙄
I always had a lot of time for the MZ, they were quirky and completely out of step with everything else but build quality was top class. CZ on the other hand was garbage in comparison.
Well not a disaster, just that the Dream was rather dull
The Dream was definitely more modern looking
As for the KH that’s Kawasaki triples for you really, not exactly user friendly
MZ was the best of the Eastern European bikes
I started out on a Suzuki GT250 Ram Air with a John Tickle steering handle....loved the bike !!! After that a Honda CB500 and after that I had a Cagiva Freccia 125 for years and years, Then I decided that after 30 years it was enough, none of my mates were riding bikes anymore... But then I bought a Harley 800, nah not my cup of tea, stopped with a tear in my eye ..
Oh I never give a dam what my friends are doing
I’ve have always ridden and won’t stop til I’m incapable. The best thing I ever did was teach the wife to ride, not only is she a very capable rider but there’s always a ridding but close by. If she ain’t in the mood then I do something on my own