Here at BikeBound, we’re big fans of two-strokes — the sound, smell, and sometimes scary power bands of these two-wheeled smokers just move our blood. 2022 was a particularly strong year for two-strokes on BikeBound, so we decided to follow up our Best Customs of 2022 with a 2T-only list.
As with our previous Top 10 lists, your visits, likes, and engagement served as votes, so these bikes were selected according to their popularity among our readership. This is the most objective ranking we could achieve.
Without further ado, here’s our list of the Top 10 Two-Strokes of 2022, in alphabetical order by builder:
• Joe Banks: 421cc Banshee Framer
• Black Cycles Australia: KTM 300 EXC
• Nathan Chasseray: Kawasaki KX125
• Simon Cheras: NSR-D Project
• Jake Drummond: Yamaha RD350
• Mark Goulding: Yamaha “RD443LC”
• Langen Motorcycles: The Langen
• SALT Motorcycles: KTM 300
• Smyth Innovations: Yamaha “RD427”
• Tough Tracker: Suzuki GT250
• Honorable Mention: Monsieur Dakar’s “YZ535”
Our feature of Stéphane Peterhansel’s Yamaha “YZ535” Supermoto hit it big, but considering that Team Sonauto Yamaha actually built the bike 33 years ago — in 1989 — we didn’t think it was fair to stack it up against these contemporary builds. Still, it deserves a honorable mention as one of our most popular two-strokes of 2022!
The Latest Two Strokes…
People’s Choice: 1972 Kawasaki S2 350 Drag Bike - Two-Stroke Drag Machine from Matt Kopp of Vintage Auto and Cycle… In 1971, Kawasaki introduced two siblings to the infamous 500cc H1 Mach III, both of them two-stroke triples like the original “Widowmaker.” One was […]
Czech Mate: Liquid-Cooled Jawa 350 Restomod - Roman Juriš fulfills a two-wheeled dream of his youth… For the latter half of the 20th century, many of us took for granted that we could acquire and ride some of the hottest, most iconic […]
The Gromlin: 28-hp Street-Legal Two-Stroke Minibike - Dan Corkin’s home-built, 134-lb mini street tracker… Since the introduction of the Honda Grom (MSX125) in 2014, we’ve seen a resurgence in the popularity of street-legal minibikes. Honda’s “miniMOTO” lineup now includes the Monkey 125, […]
The Good Kind of Dangerous: Full Carbon Yamaha RD350 YPVS - From Brothers Garage: “Black Widow” 300-lb Yamaha RD350 Restomod… In 1983, Yamaha released the RD350 YPVS — aka RZ350 or RD350LC II — a two-stroke giant-killer destined to become one of the most iconic and […]
Suter MMX 500: 195-HP Two-Stroke GP Bike - 195 Horsepower, 280 Pounds, Two Strokes: The Spirit of the 500cc “Unrideables” Reborn… For a generation of motorcycle racing fans, the 500cc two-stroke Grand Prix bike represents something close to the ultimate racing motorcycle. The […]
ATK 700 Intimidator: The 78-hp 700cc Two-Stroke Dirt Bike - 685cc, 78 Horsepower, 238 Pounds: One of the most outrageous production dirt bikes ever offered in America… There was a time when a 500cc two-stroke motocross bike was the king of the dirt. Honda’s CR500 […]
Bimota Vdue: 500cc Two-Stroke GP Bike for the Road - Bimota’s first homegrown engine powered one of the wildest superbikes of the 1990s: a featherweight 500cc V-twin smoker with direct fuel injection, carbon bodywork, and GP aspirations… Imagine walking into a motorcycle dealership in the […]
Street Devil: Yamaha RX-King 135 Enduro - “It’d be way cooler if it had a two-stroke engine…” Some builders focus more on the art and fabrication of a build, some the performance, and some concentrate on what’s arguably the most important part […]
Pure Fun Survivor: Yamaha RD400 Daytona Special - Purists Beware: Tim Coughlin’s 1990s-Style RD400 Road Ripper… In 1979, with the motorcycle world hurtling fast toward four-stroke dominance, Yamaha released the Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special — a lightweight, giant-killing smoker that would be one […]
Five-Cylinder Smoker: 1972 Kawasaki S2 415 - Up for Auction: 1972 Kawasaki S2 415 with Allen Millyard Engine… Allen Millyard has a gift for making the impossible look factory. That has always been part of his magic. Many builders can build a […]
Veloce Ethereal: 500cc Two-Stroke Café Racer - 145-hp 500cc Two-Stroke Ethereal from Veloce Motorcycles… In the modern world, a 500cc two-stroke intended for road use seems almost unthinkable. However, that’s exactly what Oxfordshire-based Veloce Motorcycles is promising with the Ethereal — a […]
Veloce Aperion: 280-BHP 1000cc Two-Stroke Café Racer! - Veloce Motorcycles unveils a 1000cc X8 two-stroke café racer! Built by Oxfordshire-based Veloce Motorcycles, the Aperion is a 1000cc, eight-cylinder, two-stroke naked bike — or perhaps more accurately, an engineering provocation with lights, wheels, and […]
“Is Pepsi Okay?” Suzuki RGV250 Kevin Schwantz Tribute - Nabspeed Moto’s Kevin Schwantz Pepsi RGV Replica… The legendary Kevin Schwantz earned the title of “Wheelie King” at the 1988 Macau Grand Prix, where he shaved an incredible 7 seconds off the outright lap record […]
Back from the Dead: 1973 Wassell Antelope - 1984sc resurrects a circa ’73 Wassell Antelope after 30 years in a basement… Today, Wassell Limited is a leading supplier of classic British motorcycle parts, but the company’s origin story traces back to one man: […]
Seventies Smokeshow: Spondon Kawasaki H1 500 Triple - Tarty Two-Stroke: Manx Road Racer and Toolmaker Builds a 70s-Style Smoker… No street bike is as infamous as the Kawasaki Triple. For the 1969 model year, the original H1 Mach III 500 came howling and […]
They still make 2 strokes? Call me surprised. I thought that ended years ago