In 1960, former Ducati factory racer and designer Leopoldo Tartarini founded Italjet in Bologna, Italy. In 1952, at just 20 years of age, Tartarini had won the sidecar class of the grueling 18-hour Milano-Taranto race […]
Tag: Two-Stroke
American Smoker: Harley-Davidson SX175 Flat Tracker
From Kaleb Zink: Harley-Davidson Tracker for Flat Out Friday… In the early 1960s, Harley-Davidson saw the rising popularity of smaller displacement bikes like Honda’s OHC twins and cut a deal to purchase half of Italian […]
Top 10 Two Strokes of 2023
Here at BikeBound, we’re big fans of two-strokes — the sound, smell, and sometimes scary powerbands of these two-wheeled smokers just move our blood. 2023 was a particularly strong year for two-strokes on BikeBound, so […]
Rookie of the Year: MZ Streamliner
Custombike Show 2023: Sebastian Brandt’s award-winning MZ Streamliner… In the 1960s, MZ (Motorradwerk Zschopau) was best known for their two-stroke racers developed by genius engineer Walter Kaaden — machines that managed to be competitive despite […]
Smoky Sprinter: Kawasaki Ninja 150R Street Tracker
Two-Stroke Ninja from Batakastem Workshop… While two-stroke streetbikes have been phased out of the North American market since the 1980s, you might be surprised to learn that modern, small-displacement smokers have remained available from major […]
Rock’t Roller: 407cc / 88-hp 1958 Vespa Drag Racer!
Two-Stroke Scooter Racing with Rocket Race Club… While our focus here at BikeBound might be motorcycles, we have a soft spot for just anything with two wheels — especially if it’s fast. In our coverage […]
Naked Gamma: Custom Suzuki RG500
“A screaming riot of two-stroke lunacy” from ETTO Motorcycles… Introduced in 1985, the Suzuki RG500 Gamma was closely patterned after Suzuki’s 500cc Grand Prix bikes, which had earned four world titles and 50 GP victories […]
Yellow Addiction: Yamaha R5 Street Tracker
Scott Pickett’s “Classic American Street Tracker”… Introduced in 1970, the Yamaha R5 350 was the predecessor of the storied RD twins that smoked their way into the hearts of a generation. While the RD series […]
Project Suzonda: “WTF200/2” Street Tracker
400/4 ➞ 200/2: Two-Stroke Mashup from Colin Davies… Introduced in 1974, the Honda CB400F was one of the sweetest little machines of the 1970s. While it didn’t have the outright power of larger siblings like […]
MEGASGAS: 700cc Two-Stroke Supermoto!
GasGas “EC700” Supermoto from Sib Mustard… For most of us, the Honda CR500 and Kawasaki KX500 represent something akin to the apex predators of the two-stroke dirt bike world — 500cc smokers infamous for […]
