Turning it to 11 --The Two-Stroke Experience: Part 3 - Why don’t we see more two strokes on the road today?

“That is an unfortunate political decision reflecting these times... Politics, man. If you're hanging onto a rising balloon, you're presented with a difficult decision - let go before it's too late or hang on and keep getting higher, posing the question: how long can you keep a grip on the rope? They're selling hippie wigs in Woolworths, man. The greatest decade in the history of mankind is over. And, as Presuming Ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black.”

• “Danny” in Withnail & I

They were fast. They were lite. They delivered a rush to the cerebral cortex. They were easy to maintain. So, why don’t we see two-stroke motorcycles when we are on our way to buy groceries?

Well, they weren’t that fast when compared to bigger-bore four-strokes (although Rossi won his 1st GP title on a 500cc, Honda NSR in 2001; different class/regulations back then). In addition, all that buzzing around came with a higher price tag given two-strokes’ voracious thirst for fuel. Then, the ease of maintenance, while a benefit to the rider, was a shot in the foot for any revenue model that included servicing motorcycle engines.

The main reason, though, was their environmental impact. The US Environmental Protection Agency was not amused by all that noise and smoke; and this had a tremendous impact on the market.

Imagine being the head of one of Japan’s Big 4 in the two-stroke era: You could choose to continue developing two-stroke-powered motorcycles, and risk not being able to sell to your largest market—two-strokes were banned in California—or continue developing four-stroke motorcycles that didn’t run afoul with emissions regulators, could carry a bigger displacement number—and larger price tag—on their side (at their peak, production two-stroke capacity maxed out at 750cc) and, unlike the easy-to-maintain two-stroke engines, assured ongoing revenue from parts and maintenance (all those valves and shims and cams and timing chains). What would you do?

So it was that, after reaching a peak in the mid 1970s, the era of the blue smoke rider began to wane. There was a brief resurgence in the mid 1980s, from all but Kawasaki: Suzuki produced the RG500 with its square-four engine from 1985 - 1987; Yamaha had its RZ500 from 1984 - 1986; and, never one to be left out of the game, Honda came out with the NSR500, in 1984, which it continued to produce until 2002.

One can’t help but wonder, though, what the rider reaction must have been back in the day. I mean, this was a time when four-stroke 650s were considered big bikes. Then, along come these 500cc and 750cc, two-stroke monsters that you could hear and briefly see before they disappeared in a blue haze. My God! The Power!

The two stroke production era may have ended; however, the stink wheels spirit continues to thrive through groups such as the Toronto Smoke Riders and a plethora of Internet groups. Finally, if you were fortunate enough to have owned one of these two-wheeled beasts and sold it (you fool!), you can relive those memories in the comfort of your living room with a two-stroke-scented candle from from Flying Tiger Motorcycles:

[cid=166508,https://dn3bmh8yk8vvw.cloudfront.net/v3zxsRItle3SvHiO4aClDPZyUlk=/fit-in/600x600/Eq0c7RO2SuqoKCF1HPC3_Two-Stroke-Candle.jpg]