Previous & Present Bike History.
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Yamaha FS1E DX:
Second Hand Cost £200. |
The first motorbike I ever owned was actually a 49cc moped , a "Competition Yellow" Yamaha FS1E DX fondly referred to as a "Fizzy" due to it's model letter number reference. The DX apparently stood for deluxe and in this instance the only difference to the basic FS1E was the inclusion of a front disc brake instead of a drum brake. The one I had was on a late "P" plate which made the year of manufacture around the 1975 - 1976 era. This particular moped did not fall into the restriction laws introduced in 1977, (30 mph - 48 km/h) and was good for speeds up to about 45mph. The engine was a two stroke single cylinder rotary disc valve induction engine running on two star petrol with a 20:1 manual mix of petrol / two stroke oil, (Later models had an automatic lube system). The gearbox comprised of 4 gears. The Yamaha FS1E DX had the ability to be powered like a push bike with pedals, (hence the name moped, motor pedal). This was a legal requirement for mopeds in the United Kingdom at the time. |
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Honda XL250S:
Second Hand Cost £420. |
I bought the Honda XL250S as soon as I was old enough to ride a larger cc motorbike on "L" plates, the law at the time was that you were allowed to ride a bike up to 250cc on a provisional license. It was during the time of owning this bike that the law changed to allow only up to 125cc with other restrictions and it was this that forced my hand to take my bike test for a full license which did me a favor as it is valid until my 70th birthday and taking the new revised test today would be a lot harder and a lot more expensive. The Honda XL250S was classed as an Enduro / Off road or Trail bike. The front wheel was a bit of an anomaly as it was 23 inches in diameter where by most standard wheels where 21 inches in diameter, as a consequence tires where expensive. I had a lot of trouble with this bike with timing chain tensioners and camshaft bearings wearing out excessively quickly. The final straw was when the engine let go and destroyed the gearbox and other engine parts. Not the best bike I ever owned! |
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Yamaha DT175MX:
Second Hand Cost £300. |
I bought this bike from a friend as I knew the history of it knowing it had been well looked after. I wanted something I could play around with by way of tuning it up a bit and two stroke engines were easier to work on. I did the usual standard stuff like fitting K&N air filters and a larger up-jetted carburetor. I also was able to do a few machining modifications such as skimming the cylinder head by 0.5mm, opening up the reed valve stops, knife edging and flowing the transfer ports and adjusting the intake and exhaust ports. The result was a change in power band point and the ability to rev a little higher but to be honest the difference was negligible for all the work done. Apart from putting a hole in the piston which was down to me, (forgot to replace the air filter) this was quite a reliable little bike on and of road which is how it was designed to be used. |
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Kawasaki KL250:
Swapped For Yamaha DT175MX. |
I got the KL250 from another of my friends and got quite a bargain in the deal. He liked my Yamaha DT175MX modifications and offered to swap it for his Kawasaki KL250. The Kawasaki was newer and in better condition than my Yamaha plus it was higher in cc and a much more forgiving engine that did not have to be revved all the time to get any power out of it so ownership papers were exchanged. It was pretty good off road as well, the lacking of rev ability did not affect it's performance off road as the gear ratios were well suited to these conditions. Similar but much better in design to the Honda XL250S this bike was really easy to work on as well, everything just seemed to be so much easier to do compared to the Honda. The only trouble I had was a slipping clutch that was easily remedied by fitting new clutch plates and springs and using a slightly thicker oil, (15W-50 which was listed as an alternative in the handbook) as opposed to the recommended 10W-40. This was by far the best bike I had owned to date. |
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Kawasaki Z250 Scorpion:
Second Hand Cost £400. |
Having had Enduro / Off Road bikes up to this point I thought it was time to get something a bit more sensible for the road as trail bikes with knobbly tires were OK off road but not so much fun on the road especially in the wet. Having been impressed with Kawasaki previously I decided to buy another one, this one came on the market within my price range so I decided to buy it. Like the previous Kawasaki it was really easy to work on and was a very reliable engine. Much more suited to the road this bike was much better at handling than the previously owned trail bikes which was what I expected but obviously it could not be used off road as it was not designed for this purpose. I had to reluctantly let this bike go when I finally passed my car test in 1985 as I could not afford to keep it and get a car. Cars are better in the bad weather but by no means as much fun as a Motorbike. Looking forward to when I can afford both! |
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Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2:
Second Hand Cost £4480.
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Missing the old days this is my current bike after a break of some twenty four years from biking. Deciding that I could finally afford both a car and bike now I thought I would see if I could still handle a bike in my current condition, (the years have not been kind) and if I could I would see about getting another one. The result was this Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2, I got a good deal in the shop as it was pre-registered and I saved about £1500 over the cost of a brand new one. The bikes of today have got much more power that what I was ever used to, the largest bike I ever rode back in the day was an old Suzuki GS1000 that I borrowed off of my friend from time to time. This Yamaha 600cc seems to have even more power than the Suzuki 1000cc, it definitely revs higher, I was surprised that it revs higher than any of the old two stroke bikes that I remember. What this means to me is that although I have ridden bikes in the past it looks like I am going to have to learn again on this Yamaha! I have been enjoying riding this bike but I think a back to biking refresher course is in order. |
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