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.
The little engine in a big bike, Yamaha's 1984 YZ100L.
rider opinions by ChocoRoto, Dazza.
ChocoRoto opinion
All-rounder with simple expectations, Honda's 1983 XR200RC.
rider opinions by Azza, Dazza and Hooter.
Azza opinion
Solid soldier, Honda's 1985 XR350RF.
rider opinions by Tensta.
Tentsta opinion
Lemon freshness, Suzuki's 1982 PE175Z.
rider opinions by Dazza, Tensta & Hooter.
Dazza opinion
XT easy, Yamaha's 1981 XT250H.
rider opinions by Hooter & Dazza.
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. And having a disc at the front really makes this more noticeable; the bike has considerable stopping power to those of the drum variety.
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 power delivery. Top speed is typical of the XT 2-valve engine, but if on a circuit that doesn't rely on a top speed to make ground, this bike does enough to defend its position. Another point of mention is the easy starting (decompression lever). Bloody fantastic on these bikes, as you won't wear the old knee out on starting these in the bush. 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. 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 style.
Conclusion, the bike is a great all-rounder for doing what you need, although 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.
I give this bike a rating of 
out of 10!
