Hard to believe it's been almost 15 years since the last AMA 250 race

55 seasons. Wow. Way to go, sir!

 

It's Friday, here's another 250 race to watch (and the following Pro Thunder race, missing the last lap sadly)

 

True story.
Was working tech @ CycleJam when Robbie's machine came through my line.
Trying my best to not break down in awe, I touched the usual locations,checking for safety wire.
Got done and stared at the engine, looking around and thinking "WOW".
Mechanic asked if there was anything wrong. I said, "No, just making sure I don't need to wipe any drool off the bike."
Dude had a good laugh and said he would pass that along.

Few minutes later, Oliver's bike appeared in my line. Laughed when I recognized the same mechanic bringing the bike through.
He grinned, said "You deserve a second shot."

 

My dad bought Sorensons bike last year. Went through it and has been running it at some Ahrma races. Cool piece of racing history .

 

JUST A HEAD'S UP GUYS:

If you're an old timer and you're holding onto your old 2T raceybikes somewhere and thinking about throwing in the towel, Mattology or myself will gladly take them off your hands, and we'll give them a good home, and keep them alive and cozy and in good health, and hug them, and promise to keep the brappps brappin' in your memory. Feel free to think of one of us first.

(god i've been trying to snag one of my friend's dad's RS250 he's had sitting collecting dust for literally like 15 years since it last moved, and he's a hoarder, and he'll probably die with 20 bikes tucked all around his shop one day, and it makes me sad every time i think about it.)

 

Never got to ride one. I do rember a guy letting me sit on one and it felt like a bicycle compared to my 600.

 

TZ250 turn 8 at Willow Springs bumpy and windy, about to be tossed off, 6th gear WOT, knee on the ground. Survive turn 9, loft the front coming on to the front straight at 110 mph. I can't think of anything that can beat that feeling.

 

I bought a TZ250 this off-season and i'll be running it this year... I get to 'learn to ride' again and I can't wait .

 

i only have a few production racer aprilia cup bikes... a thorobred 250 grand prix bike is far too rich for my blood...

but dear god do i love looking at them

 

Awesome! Looks great!!!

 

That rotisserie chicken though...is truly legendary

 

I pity those who have never raced a performance two stroke.....

 

Especially the "Mother of all" two strokes, the TZ750!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good luck! The prices have jumped up quite a bit in the last year, I was trying to find one but gave up. The 250 replicas are going for $7k-10k, and the GP 250's are going for $10k-12k.

 

I've never had the chance to ride one

 

yea or worse. i may or may not jump on one at some point, but i got other plans for 2T projects regardless, so we'll just see what pops up. i'll just lay back in the cut and hope/wish/wait for some old guy to just want to see the dream live on and let something go for a reasonable price, to a good home, rather than trying to max profit. i got rid of my drift car that way... and it wasn't even that special. sold it to a good friend who would do it right at a steal rather than some vape nerd shithead kid. maybe it'll happen, maybe not, but whatevs. there's still deals around if you look hard enough, but there's also people getting nuts. surprisingly, there's a bunch of talk on here of things going overseas for primo bucks, but i've found a good amount of 250's FROM overseas for pretty reasonable amounts. but then you get the: $15k for rolling chassis, $25-30k for an NXA, $65k for a RSW... i love them, but not quite that much haha. its one thing too if you're getting a real deal GP bike with all the goodies... billet Brembos, GP Ohlins, telemetry, carbon bits, etc... but i'm not paying some insane-o amount for like a B-kit or A-kit bike with axial Nissin calipers and off the production line stuff.

 

Hope you do.

1991: owned a TZ 250C, first years of the Monoshock. At least the fame was. Engine was a TZ350 top end married to a - no lie - RD350 lower end. Rods were TZ, crank and trans was RD. Came with a TZ375 top end; in other words, half a TZ750. Some other goodies completed the kit. It was my V5 machine that season

Tuned it to best of my ability, rode it to the business campus just to "see wottle she do." Unknowingly, I found the powerband; the front wheel came off the ground while still leaned over a tad on acceleration out of a hard 90 right turn. No one saw it, but I'm sure I had a wide-eyed "holy §shit" look on my face. Ran it at Summit and Nelson, trying to figure out how to ride it

Then came the Pocono WERA National. Lots of open space. I still bogged the engine in some corners, but had some "great sweet baby Jesus" moments accelerating out of others and was amazed at how easy it was to turn. It pulled hard when it came on the pipe. 2nd practice session, I found a violent engine vibration in top end of powerband in top gears. Parked it in tech after last practice, hands were shaking. Kurt Hall saw me, asked what was wrong. I said "That was the most violent ride I've ever had." Kurt laughed.

Later found that the TZ hp was causing the RD crank to flex, thus the engine vibrations. Can't remember if it was Jim Bonner or Bill Himmelsbach that told me that.

Mongo knew and loved this machine, known as The Screaming Yellow Zonker. He followed me all the way from Devil's Elbow to the chicane.

 

whats the story with the front fender?