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| The Artist |
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The Artist
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 Posted: 15:42 - 23 Mar 2009  Post subject: Clutch on a 125 and RGV 250's |
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Righto, 2 questions so I will put em in the same thread 
1. On my GS125, when pulling out onto a big fast mean road, I like to set off in 1st, get to just before red line, change and then slip the clutch a bit in 2nd so I can pull away a bit faster than normal.
Is this ok for the clutch? I know it is wet but reading Kawashimas post made me wonder. I only do it for a couple of seconds till the clutch engages fully.
2. RGV 250, I want one as my next bike. Anyone here had one? Any good/bad experiences. I have heard they go like fvck and miss the smell of 2smokeyness already. |
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| Wafer_Thin_Ham |
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Wafer_Thin_Ham
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Posted: 16:15 - 23 Mar 2009  Post subject: |
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MarJay has(/had) an RGV250.
The power valve design is crap and the blades disintergrate and fall into the motor, they are also rubbish for anything resembling town work.
Strictly a bike for the track and twisties.
By the way I don't know how much experience you have, but it's certainly not a good first big bike, or a bike for those with limited experience.
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| MarJay |
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MarJay
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Posted: 16:23 - 23 Mar 2009  Post subject: Re: Clutch on a 125 and RGV 250's |
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| allymoss wrote: | 2. RGV 250, I want one as my next bike. Anyone here had one? Any good/bad experiences. I have heard they go like fvck and miss the smell of 2smokeyness already. |
Yes I had one. They are very very good bikes, but I wouldn't have one as an every day bike.
Mine was very quick but extraordinarily hard to ride at low speed. I rode it through town once to get petrol and regretted it. If I had have gone any further I would have burned out my clutch. No bike that I have ridden has matched the lunacy of the RGV. It suited my size and shape (I'm rather small) but made me ride like a twat. There is no other way of riding it. Mine shattered a piston after its third trackday because the bores had been worn oval. This was shortly after a rebuild. Mine had Aprilia RS250 powervalves fitted which are more solid than the crappy OE Suzuki items. The VJ22 RGV powervalves contain a centre pin which is made out of a rolled sheet of stamped steel, which corrodes easily and then the powervalves drop into the engine. This is not good.
Are you on a 33bhp license? if you are then there are hundreds if not thousands of better bikes to choose. They will all be more reliable, cheaper to maintain and many of them will be faster derestricted. None will be as loony as an RGV, but if you restrict it anyway it becomes pointless.
The RGV is very good when the conditions suit (on a track, on a clear twisty A or B road) but its a total dog when they don't (most of the time on the road especially in town). They are also terrifically uncomfortable and need expensive oil and they drink petrol.
If you want a practical two stroke I'd go for an RD350 YPVS or something along those lines. Don't buy an RGV unless its a second 'toy' bike, and certainly don't buy it just because its a 250 and that is the next step. I'd reccomend something like a Hornet 600 or a Suzuki SV650 as the next step up from a 125. They both take restriction well (certainly better than an RGV!) and they are both a trillion times more reliable and more practical. The SV is actually comparable in performance to the RGV and the Hornet is faster. If you've got a full derestricted license then you can ignore this bit.
To add to this tale of woe, I'd be surprised if you found a cheap running RGV around. The good ones are all cherished by their owners and the rest have blown up and need expensive rebuild work. I would always be wary of a 'cheap' RGV.
If you do need an RGV I would suggest a freshly rebuilt VJ21 which seem to be more reliable than the prettier VJ22 model. Overall, the Aprilia RS250 is a better choice as a toy. Its a little bit more comfy, it is a little bit easier to get parts and it has the best design of powervalves. Even so, it has the same engine as the VJ22 RGV, and is rather complex with its powervalve design.
The RD350 YPVS on the other hand is really simple and easy to work on. It makes about the same sort of power as the RGV and weighs a little more. Its also more comfortable, more reliable and cheaper to run.
In my opinion Yamaha should have built a TZR350 YPVS in the early nineties. It would have blown the competition into the weeds IMO. Which reminds me, the Yamaha TZR250 2MA/1KT makes a bit less power than an RGV, and isn't quite as pretty but is much more reliable and just as fun (if not more so) to ride. I have owned both, and personally I think I'd rather have the TZR back. It was a great bike.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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| ms51ves3 |
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ms51ves3
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| Posted: 18:03 - 23 Mar 2009 Post subject: |
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Like Marjay said, the TZR250 2MA/1KT is a more reliable bike. Get one in blue and yellow and then we can go for a ride and look really cool   |
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| The Artist |
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The Artist
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| Posted: 21:11 - 23 Mar 2009 Post subject: |
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Oh right I see. After watching some videos and reading Marjays post they do seem a bit of a handful.
Still gonna have a look and try and get a go on one 
Anyone know about the clutch thing? |
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| MarJay |
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MarJay
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 16 years, 155 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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