Fun and games on a couple of vintage two strokes

[citabjockey]

I and my SC500 were challenged to a shootout by a buddy of mine. He has a 71 Yamaha 360 enduro that he has heavily modified -- lowered frame, ported engine, high compression, chamber, etc). Here are the results. These bikes are a blast to ride!

Holeshot competition:
 Holeshot Shootout

LeMans Start, Hillclimb, Heat 1:
Race Up the Wall, Backwards LeMans Start

LeMans Start, Hillclimb, Heat 2:
Race up the Wall, Heat 2

As above but through the GoPro:
Race Up The Wall, Rider POV

[Coop]

That hill looks fun  .

[VintageBlueSmoke]

You might be a little faster without the passenger on board!  

Gotta love a 500cc teddy bear hauler!

[SachsGS]

As a kid in the 70's I can still remember Larry next door leaving for work every morning on his DT360 - braaaaaaap,braaaaaaaaaaap,braaaaaaaaaaaaaap,braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa........

[Turquine]

The SC500 was never very good at starts. My friends on a '76 Yamaha TT 500 (4stroke) and '78 RM400 (2stroke) would both murder me off the line. Get a long straight and a throttle roll-on though, and the SC would beat either of them no problem. It really starts kicking in in 3rd and 4th. Until it really gets going in 3rd gear, it will get beat by most older open class dirtbikes.  Definitely not a holeshot machine. But once it gets going in 3rd, there were few bikes pre 1980, that could hang with it. Try your race again at say, about a 30 mph roll-on. Unless your buddy's 360 is super tricked out, once that SC hits the afterburners in 3rd, it will be adios amigo!  Assuming you don't hold back. The SC can be intimidating. Make sure it's a very smooth straight so you don't have to hold back and can give it everything it's got.

[citabjockey]

The SC500 was never very good at starts. My friends on a '76 Yamaha TT 500 (4stroke) and '78 RM400 (2stroke) would both murder me off the line. Get a long straight and a throttle roll-on though, and the SC would beat either of them no problem. It really starts kicking in in 3rd and 4th. Until it really gets going in 3rd gear, it will get beat by most older open class dirtbikes.  Definitely not a holeshot machine. But once it gets going in 3rd, there were few bikes pre 1980, that could hang with it. Try your race again at say, about a 30 mph roll-on. Unless your buddy's 360 is super tricked out, once that SC hits the afterburners in 3rd, it will be adios amigo!  Assuming you don't hold back. The SC can be intimidating. Make sure it's a very smooth straight so you don't have to hold back and can give it everything it's got.

Yes, the hill race pretty much proved your point. Sheer HP and Torque had the beast running away from the RT. And this is with a CDI that is starting to misfire on top end. That said the RT is running REALLY well. There are a bunch of vintage yamaha guys at our group and they all gave that engine big thumbs up. The owner does lots of engine porting/tuning/experiments and it shows. It actually feels stronger than an RM250 I used to own and with far more low end. Coupled with a 5 speed it was quicker off the line without too much trouble. Oh, and my SC is geared really high (when I rebuilt it I only had a 17t sprocket on the shelf for it) but the engine lugs so nicely that I never bothered to change it. Really fun bikes.

[Turquine]

Yeah, the gearing on the SC left a lot to be desired. Why on earth they gave it a 4 speed I'll never know. With more gears and the proper spacing that bike could have been unbeatable. Well, up until the 465 YZ came out anyhow. Ah well, with all its faults, I've never owned a bike that gave me such an adrenaline rush as the SC when it came on the pipe in 3rd and 4th. Man, that was addictive! And steep, sand dune hills, that bike just ate 'em alive - until the motor got hot anyhow. Been many years but I can still feel the thrill you must be getting every time you crack that throttle open hard, lol. The SC 500 was evil, wicked, mean and nasty, but fun as hell!

[Mr Tibbs911]

...Ah well, with all its faults, I've never owned a bike that gave me such an adrenaline rush as the SC when it came on the pipe in 3rd and 4th. Man, that was addictive! And steep, sand dune hills, that bike just ate 'em alive - until the motor got hot anyhow. Been many years but I can still feel the thrill you must be getting every time you crack that throttle open hard, lol. The SC 500 was evil, wicked, mean and nasty, but fun as hell!

This is why dirt biking is so much fun. This basically shows why more people should ride, the pure fun and joy provided by these machines is almost un-matchable.