Thinking of making my own RZ350

Tell me what you guys think.... I just sold my 02 RC51, and have an itch to do something a little different.

I'm thinking about picking up a Kawasaki Ninja 250 frame (found an 08 with no engine / fairings but otherwise complete for $800). Add in a 2 stroke Yamaha Banshee engine ($600-800) and I think I would be well on my way towards smelling like a chainsaw.

So far, I can't come up with any reason why a modern chassis, 250 lbs, and 45 hp wouldn't be fun.....

I've thought about this, but if your going to do it you might as well use a cr500 power plant(stupid 2 stroke power with honda reliability)

The ultimate two stroke engine swap: http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/04/21/tul-aris-two-stroke-racer/ The Tularis has a 700cc, 140hp Polaris snowmobile engine.

The swap was done with an air cooled RD engine a few years back. From what I remember, it actually fit really easily; the hardest part was modifying the pipes IIRC. After a quick search, I can't find anything but a few youtube videos of it.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=rooskie#p/u/36/qRk11WBCfDc

stuart in mn wrote: The ultimate two stroke engine swap: http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/04/21/tul-aris-two-stroke-racer/ The Tularis has a 700cc, 140hp Polaris snowmobile engine.

As long as you have a machine shop to mate the transmission that's not supplied with the Polaris it's doable.

I'm leaning towards the banshee engine instead of a CR500 for gas mileage + you just can't beat how a 2 stroke twin sounds...

I got rear ended a couple weeks ago and I'm pretty sure when that check comes in it will be going to getting that 08 ninja 250 frame.

Confusing canoe? Informative, but....wha?

hahaha, I know! I don't know if this canoe is evil, it's quite informative, slightly off the mark but informative.

I think if any Canoe is going to stick around, it might as well be "random chunks of useful information" guy.

I guess the question is: whats the catch?

I think it's supposed to be guerrilla marketing for Bing. Look! It worked!

Arren is a robot. Not the computer kind of robot, but an android (like Data from Star Trek). He is the one and only true author of Wikipedia. Ask him a paradoxical question, then duck.

airwerks wrote: Tell me what you guys think.... I just sold my 02 RC51, and have an itch to do something a little different. I'm thinking about picking up a Kawasaki Ninja 250 frame (found an 08 with no engine / fairings but otherwise complete for $800). Add in a 2 stroke Yamaha Banshee engine ($600-800) and I think I would be well on my way towards smelling like a chainsaw. So far, I can't come up with any reason why a modern chassis, 250 lbs, and 45 hp wouldn't be fun.....

This sounds like an awesome idea! Of course you know that 45 hp is pretty stock-ish for a Banshee. A good set of pipes, some decent port work and some good carbs will bump that up north of 60, and 80-85 is pretty doable (reliably) depending on your budget. A friend of mine that I ride with rides a Banshee. Lots of times I just sit at the bottom of a hill, shut my machine off, and listen to that thing wail when he's climbing. Gives me goosebumps everytime.

I'm just hoping to get it together first.... then play with hopping it up.

I have always wanted to learn how to fiberglass.... I think I'm going to experiment with making the fairings and such for it..... I'm thinking of theming it along an RC212v.

Surprisingly, the fiance is all for it. She figures I just got rid of a 1000cc bike and I'm going to build a 350cc bike so it will be safer.

This really sounds like a winner of an idea. I had a customer a while back that let me ride his RG500 Gamma, and I got bit by the 2 stroke bug pretty hard. (The late '90s KX500 didn't help matters. Nor did the Kaw Mach 3.) He also recommended the Banshee motor as a good place to start, with lots of aftermarket support.

What's your source of inspiration for this madness? Any links with good stuff for me to drool over?

If you are going to all the trouble of a two stroke engine swap you might as well go big and try to find a RZ-500 motor. If a twin is good, a 2 stroke v-4 will be awsome.

I would use an older "R" (GSX-R, CBR RR, ZX-xR, R1, R6, etc) frame vs a Ninja 250. Might as well do this project in a chassis designed for 100 horsepower.

66healey: RZ500 would be awesome... but it is hard enough to find a banshee 350 let alone a RZ350 engine... My goal for the whole project is to keep it under $2k- and an RZ350/500 engine would blow through that from what I have seen.

Alex: The banshee engine has HUGE aftermarket support like you said, so that was the main reason. 2 stroke, twin, and I will be able to buy parts for reasonable $$ for the forseable future.

Links? Wish there was no music on this one, but: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2f0ohXy2Jc&feature=related

And here is a pic of the 212v that I want to model the body after. I LOVE the short tail section. I will probably want to make a shorter / tighter rear hugger though. And waaaay more mild paint scheme.

And the bike I just sold. Going to miss it.

gsx turbo: I thought about that, but the Ninja 250 is retarded light comparable to those, and the 08' up bikes actually have a respectable chassis / brakes compared to the older ones. The thing that sold me on it, is that even though I'm going to end up with a little more power, I'm going to be dumping a BUNCH of weight. Banshee engine itself is way lighter (no valvetrain, 1/8 the cylinder head) not to mention the fact I will be ditching a battery, starter motor, electronic controls and a chunk of the wiring, the sub frame from the seat back, and having all fiberglass body work.

How long does it take to get a check from an insurance claim!?! I'm getting antsy already! This is the first time I have ever filed a claim so I don't know how long this process usually takes.

45hp into a 250lb bike sounds like a winner. I just saw a ratty old vespa in Frisco yesterday and it was belching smoke like my buell blast and I think a fleet of smoky bikes is just what the city needs.

Good idea and good luck!

Hey man, I've got an '84 Kenny Roberts RZ rolling chassis I've been threatening to put a XT550 thumper in. Wanna talk trade? Check my profile for a pic(My illiteracy keeps me from posting a pic on here-sorry) I'm in TN.

OH!, just saw that was an '08 ninja frame, and the prospect of a trade was kinda insulting. Unintentional, I swear.

psteav wrote: Confusing canoe? Informative, but....wha?

Did I miss something?

Yes, the Canoe cannon knocked a spambot clear out of this thread and into a different dimension, thus saving humanity.

So long as you are factoring in an infinite mount of your time for free, and don't quantify the "gains" it's a great idea.

I've shined my ass plenty on all manner of 2 strokes (and I'm about finished putting my RD400 Daytona Special together) and I'll offer that an RZ350 has plenty of chassis for the motor or vice-versa.

If you happen to have a Banshee motor on hand then put it in a chassis with room to grow, and with real suspension, not a weedy, built-to-a-price EX250. There's plenty of 600 chassis available cheap and they're a hoot when you dial the power back by 60%.

Un-highside-able!

That's why I love, love, love my KTM 690 SMC - 64 HP in a 290# bike with 120/160 DOT race tires out of the crate.