wera people: after many seasons racing a boringly reliable gs500, i'm thinking of buying a two-stroke (again). honda is it for 125s, but what about the 250 class? is a honda a little more reliable than a tz? do the 250s last longer between top-end and crank rebuilds than the 125s? for my first* 2-stroke i think i'd rather spend more time learning to ride it than working on it. what is your experience? thanks in advance. *we won't discuss my '80 TZ250G, too sad a story.... -rob LRRS #779
Depends on the year. Early 90's the yamaha has the edge. 97 rs250 shifted the balance to hondas camp. '00tz brought it back to yamaha, but there have been some reliability problems. Most of these have been addressed in the '01 tz. They are both very good machines.
If cost is a consideration you will want to look at the early 90's TZ. Not a 91 but a 92 and up. 92 to 95 are basically the same and no real premium should be paid for the 95. 96 was a VERY good year for the TZ. It is still desirable. Hondas are also very good and started to get the edge back in the late 90's. They are expensive and I really don't think they have the advantage unless you really know how to use it. Most of us do not. The maintenance is the same for both however you can get TZ parts from your local yamaha dealer and with the Honda you have to go to HRC.. Rising sun etc. My sponsor Action yamaha will give you cost + 10% for the asking and ship you anything you need. It really adds up. Whatever you get you will love it. It is a great time to be riding grand prix equipment.. Bill Cole WERA#72
Bill..... Got a contact phone number/email address for Action? Are they prompt at ordering/shipping parts? Charlie McCullough tz250 WERA #90 Ex
