MCN's guide to affordable two-strokes

Back in 2004, I flogged my Suzuki RGV250M. It was in good nick, had a complete spare engine in a box, and I got £1000. Since then two-stroke values have gone wild, and replacing it today in 2022 would cost £8000.

Rose-tinted nostalgia means all stinkwheels are expensive now… well, almost all. Buy wisely and there are still strokers that are desirable, tug at heart strings, are great to ride – and aren’t yet daft money.

Affordable two-strokes in 2022

• Yamaha R1-Z
• Aprilia RS 125
• Suzuki GT200 X5
• MZ ETZ250
• Suzuki TV250 Wolf

Yamaha R1-Z, £3000-£6000

Spec 45bhp, 247cc, 755mm seat height, 133kg

Yamaha’s RD250/350LC and YPVS delivered wild road fun in the 1980s, but by the end of the decade the class had evolved into ever sharper and more focused 250 race reps. So Yam released the R1-Z in 1990 to rediscover thrills on the road, not track.

Yes, with a TZR motor, RD350N headlight and switchgear, SZR mudguard and wheels as used on many models, the trellis-framed R1-Z is a bitsa – but it’s a properly usable road bike. It’s also about half what a TZR, NSR or RGV costs…

Buyer beware

• The engine’s from the TZR/TDR – it hasn’t the top-end zip of racier bikes but makes up for it with flexibility and reliability. Right-side covers weep oil but it’s no biggie.
• Ask for evidence of servicing and engine work; rings and rebore by a reputable firm is good, but tuned barrels aren’t.
• The funky stacked pipes like to rust and are hard to find (and expensive) – many bikes use aftermarket pipes, often one each side, or TZR parts on modified mountings.
• Check the frame and swingarm for rust spots, including under the seat.
• Brake calipers seize, and the soft-from-new suspension can get baggy.

Aprilia RS 125, £1500-£3000

Spec 12bhp, 125cc, 810mm seat height, 115kg

Who cares it’s an eighth-litre single? Aprilia’s RS 125 might have targeted learners but exudes much of the GP-derived class of its far pricier RS 250 sibling. It’s also brilliantly absorbing to ride.

The engine is crisp and eager, the chassis is super accurate and hits huge lean, and zinging down a lane – tucked in, chasing every last rev and em-pee-aitch – can be intoxicating. And all at legal (ish) speeds.

Buyer beware 

• Go for a 1999-2011 version – it’s a better engine than the earlier RS. Put your ear against the Rotax motor and listen out for bottom-end bangs or a slapping piston.
• Derestriction doubles the power but involves the ECU, powervalve, carb, cat… 
• Full-power bikes are also far more fragile, so require posh oil and a considerate owner.
• Poor wiring can cause problems with the dash, lights and horn. Check all over for crash damage. And then check it all over again.

Suzuki GT200 X5, £1750-£3000

Spec 22bhp, 196cc, 750mm seat height, 131kg

Fancy some cheap classic smoking? Buy an X5. Its big brother, the GT250 X7, was the first proddie 250 to top 100mph and good ones can fetch as much as £9k. The smaller X5 was always in its shadow, and so this means it’s still affordable.

Yes, it’s slower and hasn’t the kudos, but the 200 has the same cool period look, emits the same air-cooled wail, and is top fun on Sunday morning spins.

Buyer beware 

• Suzuki built torquey strokers and the twin is no exception. It’s reliable enough, but if it’s been stored for a while expect the crank seals to be shot or even for the crank to be rusty. 
• Period go-faster parts (expansion chambers, foam filters) sound ace but can mean rough running – so make sure you get the airbox too.  
• Inspect the chassis for scruffiness. Check the side panels and seat unit for splits and see if the seat is wonky. 
• Don’t get sucked in – even the best X5 is only worth rough X7 money.

MZ ETZ250, £1000-£2000

Spec 18bhp, 249cc, 750mm seat height, 150kg

Ring-a-dinging past lines of stupid modern cars on an antique from the Eastern Bloc is hilarious. It’s also stress free. Sure, MZs have long been joke material, but the singles are actually well engineered, reliable, and still capable of providing simple, cheery, cheap transport.

• Related: Go racing with the MZ Experience

Though not as cheap as they were (and still should be), a sorted ETZ is a great way to brighten up your daily ride.

Buyer beware

• Spares are readily available and cheap, the bike’s a doddle to maintain, and there’s loads of online support.
• If the engine won’t rev cleanly it’s usually electrical, not the carb (though these can be a pig to set up). The left-side kickstart needs a well-practised technique, but you’ll still never fire it up on the first prod. 
• You’ll probably be buying a well-used workhorse so don’t frown at replacement parts and bodged bits.  
• Exhausts rust (often painted over)and the front brake is… er, rubbish.

Suzuki TV250 Wolf, £3000-£5000

Spec 45bhp, 249cc, 766mm seat height, 128kg

Suzuki launched the rare RGV250H in Japan in ’87, before the instant-hit 250K in ’88. Light, fast, sexy, a minter now costs £7k, but there was a naked version for their home market called the Wolf.

Virtually identical bar the single front disc, shorter gearing and no fairing, it didn’t come to the UK so doesn’t have the RGV’s following – and so is way cheaper. Revised 1989-on bikes are the ones to hunt out.

Buyer beware

• The 249cc V-twin makes 45bhp for Japanese regs. It’s reliable if it’s serviced properly and fed high-quality two-stroke oil. Avoid anything that’s been ‘tuned by my mate Filer’. 
• Exhaust powervalves have three moving parts but aren’t lubricated and so wear. If the centre pin becomes loose then parts fall into the cylinder. 
• Buy a Wolf that’s used regularly. As with any stroker, the crank seals can perish on bikes that sit for ages. Big job. 
• Suspension was soft when new; 30-odd years of wear won’t have helped.

Watch our Langen Two Stroke video review here: