New B.C. Member's TZR 250

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gammaguy21
Posts: 232
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:06 pm

#16 Post by gammaguy21 » Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:39 pm

Belstaff wrote:any issues with the 2ME motor I should know about?
A couple of things to watch out for... nothing major.

Needle valves probably need to be changed and you may want to invest in a new fuel tap (in Canada still available from the dealer) as there is no current rebuild kit.
Both tend to leak. Rear shock may be on it's last legs as well.

I run the clip-ons under the top tripple for a bit more aggressive riding position.

Northland on 2strokeworld.com wrote up a review on the bike, it's the 1kt but essentialy a resticted 2me/2ma (need a login to read it so posting here):
Northland wrote: The first generation of TZR's. These are the ones that brought a whole new level of 2 stroke street bike performance to the public.

The first gen have conventional forward faceing cylinders and case reed induction along with flatslides. The 6 speed trans is typical Yamaha and shifts very well, a special close ratio gearset was available for track use. The clutch is light action and works fine with stock horsepower.

The powerband is fairly normal for a electronic YPVS variable exhaust engine. It's soft below 5 grand and starts to build quickly above 6 grand. At 8 grand it's really in the thick of the power. The unrestricted CDI curve of the 1 KT makes its best power from 7 thru 9 grand....about 50 HP.

There are several CDI curves with the different boxes, and these effect the power quite a bit.

They are typical watercool system, with a thin radiator and no backup cooling fan. Not really a problem unless in very heavy gridlock traffic. No worse than a air cooler, prolly a little bit better under these circumstances.

The exhaust note is very quiet for what it is with the stock pipes, and the ground clearance is superb with stock dimension tires. The footpegs are not adjustable, but are good placement for anything short of full on race slicks and extreme track lean angles.

The bike has a VERY narrow profile, way thinner than you would expect. The thinwall aluminum delta box frame is so solid and flex free, it adds a precise feel to the whole chassis package. Its light years beyond a steel tube frame. The steering geometry is crisp, but not as nervous as a TZ. It does however react way faster and lighter than a RZ. They can be ridden on the street without concentrating constantly on whats coming up like on a street converted TZ.

The clip on position can be used both above or below the top triple clamp. This gives you street sport options or full track positioning. I would imagine if you are over 6 feet tall, you will dwarf the small dimensions. But at 5 foot 7 inches They fit like a glove. The bike is very small and compact, much more than a RD or RZ.

The brakes are astounding for their year. The front rotor is same as one side of a FZR 1000, along with the caliper. Quite adequate for street tires. The rear brake system is similar to a FZR 400. Again quite adequate for the bike. They kept the weight down as much as they could, and there is no need for dual disks, as the whole bike is so light, it's not needed. Some of us have installed a R6 blue dot caliper with EBC "HH" compound pads. This along with braided stainless brake lines will give you all the brake you ever need, even if running full race slicks at track speeds.

Brake modulation is very forgiving when stock, and with the mods, a bit more care in slippery conditions is needed due to the extra brakeing power.

The monoshock only adjusts for preload, and the forks the same. They work OK, better than older bikes for sure, but come up short on todays suspensions. A updated rear shock and emulators in the forks would help. At least the fork tubes are a thick 40mm and have no flex for the bikes weight.

All controls are in a logical placement, and easy to reach. The 1 KT has a euro style headlight dipper switch to flash the high beam to let folks know your passing. The oil tank warning light has a progressive glow that lets you know as your getting low on injector oil, not just on / off , but a gradual brightening as the level gets lower. It also has a speed warning light that comes on at about 45 MPH......this was the national speed limit in Japan when the bike was made !

The turnsignals are a sort of flushmount unlike some of the conventional stalk types found on other market bikes. The rears are sunken into the rear cowls with see thru windows to side view them in the body panels. Dual seat is standard, with a optional rear seat cover cowling.

They have 17 inch wheels that are very light, prolly half the weight of RD 400 wheels !!!

The drawback today is tire availability in the USA. The 17 inch rims are very narrow, and replacement tire sizes are non existant. Wide tires give the bike poor handleing and slow the light reaction of the steering down. You can resolve the rear with a wider rim, but this throws off the balance alot, since there is no easy cure for the front. Older generation radial slicks off 125 GP bikes make it handle ENTIRELY different than bias ply tires !!!!!

It's like a completely different bike with B compound slicks. Took several days to relearn how to ride it !! Made the bike incredible on the track, but sadly, due to the lower than stock profile, I was soon dragging exhaust underbelly's and fairing lowers.

They have no steering dampner, and honestly after all these track miles and road touring, it has never done a tankslap or headshake....EVER ! :thumbsup:

The reliability of the whole machine is amazingly high. I never fouled a sparkplug, and they run very clean with good fuel mileage, much better than most 2 strokers. Easily 4 times the MPG than a Kawi H1 .

My personal opinion, is, these are the most user friendly of the TZR series and the most simple. The engines are bombproof and if kept serviced will run a real long time without rebuilds. There's a reason they were so highly reguarded as a production racer. Dependability, reliability, and simple design besides the superb accuracy of their overall balanced performance package.

Other than the narrow wheels, I cant think of any weak link in the bikes design parameters. Soon to be a quarter century old, that seems like a logical classic for a former club racer to me ! :haw:


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