Today I learned that Vy hates the smell of two-stroke exhaust, because as soon I as got home from this year’s Two Stroke Extravaganza, she said “oh my god, you stink.”
To be fair, I was covered in it, thanks to moments like the Smoke Out, in which everyone at the show that has a running bike fires it up and reminds the government of California why they made a big deal of banning two-strokes back in the 80s:
The event was hosted at Wolf Creek Brewery in Santa Clarita, California, so I spent most of my time staring at bikes with a beer in hand. Occasionally I put the beer down to take a photo – here’s some of my favorite bikes at the show:
Bikes on display ranged from bone stock to heavily modified, and my personal favorites were the transplants – 4-stroke motorcycles that have had 2-stroke hearts swapped into them. For example, here’s a Yamaha MT-07. It normally has a <700cc four stroke parallel twin, but not this one!
The builder of this bike kept it in the family with a Yamaha 2-stroke engine – I believe it’s from a Blaster ATV but was not able to confirm, sorry. Still, the work looked incredibly clean and the lack of cosmetic modifications made it look like a factory job from only a few feet away.
Yamaha engines found their way into bikes made by other manufacturers, as well:
Speaking of lovely Yamahas, here’s a SDR200. These were originally only sold in the Japanese Domestic Market, and it gives me baby Ducati Monster vibes with the distinctive trellis frame.
The SDR featured a two-stroke single cylinder engine with Yamaha’s YPVS technology. The 195cc engine was good for 34 horsepower, and the motorcycle had a 6-speed transmission. All of that came in a package that weighed just 253 pounds, enabling a claimed top speed of 99 miles per hour.
1930 Scott Flying Squirrel. It’s astonishing how ahead of its time this bike was – this bike is over 80 years old and it featured liquid cooling as well as an oil injection system so you didn’t have to premix anything.
One of my favorite stock bikes was this 1963 Batavus Bilonet. Turns out I featured it for sale back in May!
The Bilonet was the first moped built by Batavus of Holland.
This is the “Super Sport” variant, which featured a 49cc JLO two-stroke engine with a 3-speed transmission and kick start.
This bike ended up winning first place in the “Best Exotic” category.
Second place in that same category went to a Bultaco Sherpa, but it was another Bultaco that caught my eye – this Metralla with the “America” racing kit.
A restomodded Kawasaki H1 Mach III, which grants the rider the fun two-stroke hit but with modern suspension and brakes.
A couple of guys brought out a pair of land speed racers. The first is a Bultaco Sherpa S that set (and still holds) a 100-M-CG (Modified production Classic Gasoline) class record in 2019.
The other is a “Aprilia-Rotax-Italkit 140cc.” The seller had a small sign on display which said, “After 38 successful tuning runs on my local 1 miles runway, the float bowl ran dry at the 1.3 mile point on its initial Bonneville visit…like having the kill button. The fueling problems will be resolved.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum was this bicycle with a motor strapped to the front wheel.
It’s a Berini M13 engine (made by Pluvier, a Dutch company) It’s either 25.7 or 32cc.
There were a ton of Yamaha YSR50/80s present.
This one was said to have every part that Daytona made for the YSR.
The back yard of the brewery was dominated by off-roaders.
I enjoyed this 1995 Honda CR500, which was customized as a replica of the 1992 Pro Circuit/Peak Antifreeze race bike. It’s for sale for $8,000, if you’re interested…
I’m very familiar with the Slingshot carbs on Suzuki GSX-Rs, but I didn’t know until today that Suzuki put a slingshot Mikuni carb in a dirtbike (and branded the bike that way).
Bonus Picture Intermission inside of a Picture Intermission – here’s three shirts and a hat that I enjoyed:
I know this was a two-stroke show (and you were only allowed to ride inside the gate if you were riding a smoker), but these Bosozoku-style Suzukis parked right outside and I had to get a closer look. The owners did the requisite rev-bombing on their way out.
Another interesting four-stroke machine parked outside was this Mi-Val (Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompia). They were known for high quality small displacement two-strokes, but they are hard to find even in Italy.
Lastly, one of the craziest bikes at the show was a 2020 Honda Grom with a 345cc 2-stroke engine, which won 2nd Place in the Best Honda category. The builder is Dean Stunts, and he says that the engine makes 64 horsepower!
After the show was over, Dean took it for a quick spin and pulled a wheelie.
A friend of the show went up in his plane and left a message for everyone to look up to. I love two-strokes, too! By the end of the show, I wanted one for a weekend rider – hopefully this makes you feel the same way. See you next year!
