Roadtests

No...Dirttests!

Who the hell would want to hear the opinions of us and what we think of bikes in the way they perform and handle? We'll take a guess and go with most of you, as most of you are at our level, riding every now & again on the occasional trail-ride, Vinduro, VMX or just in the paddock on a Sunday afternoon. We are all that, proof in the pudding (and we have some pudding especially us older guys, usually around the middle!)

So, enough crapping on as you get plenty of that from your facebook friends. Have a read of what we think of our motorcycles and others.

Note: Take heed when you see a *, this will mean the machine is modified from stock and may perform better than original?

ChocoRoto opinion

Hi everyone my name is Michael and I'll be telling you about my experience with a 1984 YZ100.

Now when I first decided to get into riding dirt bikes I was about 24. I never had the chance to do it until this time. I had always wanted to but never got around to it. But when the chance came up to get this 84 YZ100 I jumped at it. Being told It was a good bike to learn on for me and this bike is perfect for a beginner. It doesn't have too much power like the 2 strokes now that will throw you off if you look at it sideways. Though it still has plenty to give you enough thrills until you get the urge for something a bit faster.

With a nice soft ride and big cushy seat the YZ100 will take you almost anywhere except big hill climbs. I have tried and tried the big hill climbs but it just runs out of puff. Average hills are the go. Braking is good, with drums front and rear it still pulls up fine, not being a heavy bike. Now to the sound of the 2 stroke. Love it... love it a lot. It's great going on a ride and hearing it scream over the thumping of the 4's. Definitely unmistakable. Overall I would recommend this old school cool bike to learners.

Easy to ride, fast enough and plenty of fun.

Dazza's opinion

One thing that must be said firstly is that I am near 100kg at the time of writing and this bike is 100cc - on the plate not the cylinder for you picky people. So one would think that this bike would struggle with heavy sack of potatoes on it, not in the slightest. It is a great bike to ride and handles really well as one would expect from a motocrosser. Sure you will lose on the top end to larger capacity "real bikes", I say real bikes as on one particular day I did ride a chinese 250cc as well, the power difference was significant, considering that the Chinese version may not have the innards of a jap motorcycle. We can not ignore that it does have almost 150cc more, even in slack terms that is pretty shithouse performance when you think about it and we won't go into handling difference as you can understand why. But believe us when we say It is nice to have something new, but when old will kick it's ass, why bother.

Back to the 100 Yamaha, like all small capacity two strokes you have to push the top to keep them moving. So for a 2 stroke orientated rider I found this is what was needed. I agree with ChocoRoto when he mentions this is a fun bike. There is something about riding the smaller capacity bikes that make you push harder at the start and with this drive they will return some great riding experiences.

The YZ100 is a recommended steed for fun.

Tentsta opinion

1985 XR350 Rider Review.
Facebook status updates... Check!

Now time for a review of the sadly deceased Honda Xr350. I retired this bike due to wear on the Little end of the conrod which would have been too costly to repair so It was sold on as spare parts.
The 1985 Honda Xr 350 was my first trail/enduro bike and it served me well for many years despite being pretty close to worn out when I purchased it.

The 350cc engine produces plenty of power, noticeably more than the 250cc comparison, which is good for the bigger lads among us (pushing 100kg). For the type of riding I do which mainly consists of hunting and trail riding, I found it to have plenty of top end speed and acceleration while using only a bit more fuel than the 250cc guys that I ride with.

Suspension on the Honda was also very comfortable combining a large seat with something that modern bikes seem to be missing. Padding! Riding this bike around all day was a pleasure, from poking around in first gear on hunting trips, cruising or flat out on trail rides, the suspension soaked up the bumps nicely.
Summing up this bike it was a good all-rounder. Racing around tight tracks like the quarry or truck depot at Pratten, it was a little heavy and a bit behind the nimble 250’s and 175’. However give it a little room to clear the throat and take advantage of the legs like our long circuit of Gammie mountain, and it was a clear winner. Trail riding and hunting was a breeze for this bike, which I would say it was more suited to than flat out racing.

I would definitely recommend owning one of these if the opportunity presents itself.

Dazza opinion

I've ridden this bike on a few occasions during the years that Hooter has owned it. On the couple of scenarios that I have ridden the bike in, (a test lap of Conondale & a group trail ride out at Pratten) one thing I found in particular with this bike is the unbalanced suspension rates - the rear being too hard causes the front to dive causing washout. And having a disc at the front really makes this more noticeable; the bike has considerable stopping power to those of the drum variety and is an upgrade on this bike. Forks of this diameter are prone to getting slightly bent in a tumble to avoid this, dont stack!... a little hard being of average rider skill I know, but if they can bend easy, you can also straighten them easy when on the trail!

Power delivery is very smooth and linear making it easy to manage; the bike's delivery of the power makes it a very good candidate for someone who likes a consistent delivery and also a no-hassle engine design. This model design was kept along side the later 4 valve version and didn't change much until it's end in the early 90's, making it an easy resto choice.

Top speed is typical of the XT 2-valve engine (17-18hp), but if on a circuit that doesn't rely on a top speed to make ground, this bike does enough to defend position. Another point of mention is the easy starting (decompression lever). Bloody fantastic on these bikes, can be kicked from the comfort of your seat. You won't wear the old knee out on starting these in the bush after many k's riding.

One of my biggest dislikes of these bikes in general was the metal tank; any riding that chances a tumble you can bet that you'll throw a knee into the tank with ease, as was the case with Hooter on a couple of occasions. I know metal tanks have a chance of being damaged, but in my experience some models are more prone to getting dented and this is one of them. My advice: if possible try to replace with a plastic tank either from a TT of the era (hard to get) or something else that will fit the bike and if style?

Conclusion, the bike is a great all-rounder for doing what you need, although this suspension does require work and may be addressed in the half-resto of this bike. Once this is done, I would have to say that with power being down in comparison of 2 strokes of similar capacity, but when in equal terms with 4 strokes this bike can be there once the suspension issue is addressed, keeping in mind rider weight is in the 100kg mark... shut up I like pizza's!

I give this bike a rating of out of 10!, (riding 2.5, racing 2, restoring 3).

If 'Rambo' rides one, they must be A-OK?

Dazza opinion