Restored Rocket: Yutaka Hoshi’s Yamaha TZ 250 Factory Racer

[weeksy]

https://www.returnofthecaferacers.com/y ... les-tz250/

[cheb]

Yes, that's a good one.

[Yorick]

Very close to the originals. Just needs a brown seat

[Count Steer]

It's nice but that tail unit looks like it's been done to the wrong scale and doesn't blend visually. The rest is

[ChrisW]

Lovely looking restoration and I like the colour in spite of or maybe because of it being un-original.

Difficult to believe it's from 1982 in some ways, it seems from an earlier era.

[Yorick]

Lovely looking restoration and I like the colour in spite of or maybe because of it being un-original.

Difficult to believe it's from 1982 in some ways, it seems from an earlier era.

That's the year I started racing and it's just how they looked

[ChrisW]

Lovely looking restoration and I like the colour in spite of or maybe because of it being un-original.

Difficult to believe it's from 1982 in some ways, it seems from an earlier era.

That's the year I started racing and it's just how they looked

I'm not doubting it, it just looks so much older to me (no offence). It's not how I think of bikes looking in the eighties - I'm probably skewed to the later half of the decade.

[Screwdriver]

Looks lovely doesn't it? Well, it's not. It is an evil monster. More like a schizophrenic cat (as most cats are). Harmless, easy to be around then bang, for no reason the claws come out or it bites you.

First off the thing is as hard as a plank of wood, then after you paddle along like an idiot trying to get it going you realise you need ALL the revs and 0.1% clutch engagement for the first couple of minutes - that's just to get off the line.

Then the clutch bites, the engine bogs and you're back to square one, dip the clutch to get back to the sweet spot and then FUCK ME it suddenly comes alive, gives you a kick in the arse and leaps forwards. Then it starts literally screaming at you for the next gear. But you only just woke up in this one. Get used to it. You have to play the gearbox as a musician plays their instrument.

Not a huge amount of power in the grand scheme of things but they weigh about as much as an electric bicycle and it's going to give you all its power all in one shot. It is intoxicating. Not so much when that happens mid bend but that's half the fun. You can't ride this unless you're really paying attention. Accuracy is everything. Everything about this machine is a knife edge, one side or the other and it's a wet flannel but ride along the edge if you dare and there's really nothing like it.

[mangocrazy]

That looks proper - very nicely and sympathetically done.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

That's nice, and they take effort and skill to ride, I believe the TZ250H onwards was easier to ride than the earlier TZs as it has power valves, the engine spins in the opposite direction to the early bikes because Yamaha wanted a bigger inlet port.

A mate has a TZ250G that I'm trying to convince him to let me do a few laps on, could well happen as he wants a go on my YPVS 350.

[Skub]

Lurvery job indeed.

[Yorick]

They were horrible things to ride. The 350 was a bit easier. But both so bloody expensive to run.
That's why so many folk chose the LC350s instead. Cheaper to run and more reliable.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

They were horrible things to ride. The 350 was a bit easier. But both so bloody expensive to run.
That's why so many folk chose the LC350s instead. Cheaper to run and more reliable.

I was offered a Maxton framed TZ250 for £600 in 88 or 89, my mate bought a Rotax engined 250 Armstrong for about that, the Armstrong was fast so long as you could keep it in the power band, it's crank life was about half a seasons racing (it had two cranks), the rings needed replacing every meeting, I was doing motocross at the time and my YZ125G was much the same engine life wise.

[Screwdriver]

They were horrible things to ride. The 350 was a bit easier. But both so bloody expensive to run.
That's why so many folk chose the LC350s instead. Cheaper to run and more reliable.

That is very true, they are really for the committed racer and whereas (I am told!) a full race spec BSB is a joy to ride, these old strokers are a pain in the arse (and the wallet).

I wouldn't mind a go on one but if I had the chance to buy one, I'd buy something else!

[Yorick]

They were horrible things to ride. The 350 was a bit easier. But both so bloody expensive to run.
That's why so many folk chose the LC350s instead. Cheaper to run and more reliable.

That is very true, they are really for the committed racer and whereas (I am told!) a full race spec BSB is a joy to ride, these old strokers are a pain in the arse (and the wallet).

I wouldn't mind a go on one but if I had the chance to buy one, I'd buy something else!

The Superstock bikes are easier to ride than the full BSB jobbies. Nearly same power but a gentler package

[Bustaspoke]

Difficult to believe it's from 1982 in some ways, it seems from an earlier era.

I agree,it's hard to tell the difference between it & a TZ250C from 1976
I think the big leap forward came with Aluminium frames a few years later,or Carbon with the XR70 RG500.

[Scotsrich]

Love those old TZ’s they are my idea of ‘proper’ racers. Just my era I suppose.

Mate of mine raced 250’s and 350’s and my abiding memory is him constantly changing jets depending on the weather. It would go like a train one day and rubbish the next.

[Bustaspoke]

Love those old TZ’s they are my idea of ‘proper’ racers. Just my era I suppose.

Mate of mine raced 250’s and 350’s and my abiding memory is him constantly changing jets depending on the weather.

A dilema known to anyone who jetted a two stroke for the 'Mountain Course'

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Love those old TZ’s they are my idea of ‘proper’ racers. Just my era I suppose.

Mate of mine raced 250’s and 350’s and my abiding memory is him constantly changing jets depending on the weather.

A dilema known to anyone who jetted a two stroke for the 'Mountain Course'

Go slightly rich, pouring petrol in is easier than fitting pistons.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't remember them being horrible to ride, exhilarating for sure, but not horrible.
Although it might be a fair point, I never did very well on a TZ250, I was only ever a mid-pack racer anyway, with the occasional trophy, but on a TZ250 I struggled a bit more.

The 125's were even more tricky, you were either very fast or shit slow.
The old air-cooled MT125s (pre RS125) were knife edge power, but by crikey they went well in the very small power band they had.

The twin cylinder water cooled MBAs could wind themselves up to mid 130s mph.