The Place

Where did all the Yam TZ 4cyl engines go?? l don't need one but just thought--in late 70's and though the 80's nearly ALL outfits in top classes used them

Were are they ALL now??

Tony Wheatley still races a very tidy 750 TZ Ireson.

After a couple of years of proper racing the TZs were the worse for wear in a conventional outfit. Put the TZs into a long bike and they lasted far less. In the day a TZ would have bits renewed so often that it was a different motor at the end of a couple of seasons. As we would say in the North East, they were like fizzy bullets ( fizzy sweets).

We got 2,a lot have gone back into solos,to be used as expensive front room ornaments,and some have gone back into solos and get used.

Some of them sitting in a garage here, just waiting for the time (and some money) to get them noisy again.

Geoff, I have to disagree with you.
From my experience, if you spent the correct money and installed the proper parts (none of them Yamaha!) correctly from the start the engines were very quick and reliable, the big problem was people would just not spend the money up front to get the right bits in - Hoekle cranks (but not their rods! strangely), Omega pistons, fibre reeds, ringed and balanced heads, sleeve the bores, bore the carbs, etc.
Then just keep ringing them.
Simples.

Phil Davies wrote:Some of them sitting in a garage here, just waiting for the time (and some money) to get them noisy again.
Geoff, I have to disagree with you.

Phil - are you on FB ? - we're trying to collect as many 2 stroke sidecar enthusiasts as possible - this might interest you ?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1762764654006194/

Hello Gordon,
Thanks for the invite, but.
I don't do farcebook, never seen the need to, because of the problem of finding the good stuff in the mountains of crap there.
For slidey related stuff I only ever come to this place.
My plans for this year are (amongst other things) to get a 750 to make noise again, hopefully for me to ride again (ho ho ho, dream on Davies).
I have a 700 top end for another set of cases and an ex-Abbo non power valve 500 for yet another set, that should see me through till 2091!
Think I shall be in touch for parts supplies at some point???

BTW, your avatar, It was me that wrote that on here - You can't polish them, but you can roll them in glitter!

Hi Phil - quite understand your aversion to FB - it took me a while - still not persuaded - as you say - too much crap on there - I much prefer the forum where each conversation is kept separate from the next...
Just so you know - I started a group called 2 stroke sidecar racing group - in the hope that we could collect all that are interested into a viable number to race our bikes...
I put together a survey a while back and up to now there have been 8 responses - of which - 5 - maybe 6 are likely to actually race - I think we probably need a few more yet to say it's viable - it's quite disappointing - as I know there are bikes out there - just nobody wants to make the effort to use them - only so much I can do to encourage these bikes back out....
Sorry for pinching your turd ! - of course - when you're ready for "refreshing" your engines - give me a shout !

Phil,there is also a group on facebook for buying and selling TZ700/750 bits.You may want to make the effort its a really good resource,everything from new cases to new carb rubbers are available.

tonybsa2008 wrote:Phil,there is also a group on facebook for buying and selling TZ700/750 bits.You may want to make the effort its a really good resource,everything from new cases to new carb rubbers are available.

What group is that Tony ?

Gordon, I wish I could get the Yam outfit out tomorrow (this work thing is a real pain in the a**e), I am desperate to ride it again before they slip me into the care home!
Tony, do you mean all those years of learning how to correctly tighten down to seal warped cases have been wasted, now that new ones (presumeably sand cast) are available!!

Gents, Who is making pistons these days, pleeease don't tell me you have to use the Yam stuff.

Phil Davies wrote:Gordon, I wish I could get the Yam outfit out tomorrow (this work thing is a real pain in the a**e), I am desperate to ride it again before they slip me into the care home!

Gents, Who is making pistons these days, pleeease don't tell me you have to use the Yam stuff.

Hi Phil - I only re-started racing at the end of 2008 - a couple of meetings to see if I'd lost the disease - would have been happy to become a "normal" person if I'd been free of it - no such luck - once infected - there's no way back...
As for parts - with the 350 motor (a lot of the parts are usable in 750) the parts supply situation has never been better - thanks to the widespread use of TZ's in the ICGP solo racing series & the other classic races - the bottom end parts we use now are at least as good if not better then the Yam parts - pistons - myself & Lew Batty are importing a really good replacement 64mm piston from Italy - & we can supply the Yam pistons too if you insist. (64mm)
Pretty much all the other service items like gaskets & O rings - we can supply - barrels can be replated - heads we machine them to take removable inserts - so not a lot that presents a problem really...
Tony would be able to tell you about the 750 pistons - afraid I don't use them !
We've had good reliability since we re-started - I think because most of the stuff we are now using is better quality than back in the day - better oils too & the programmable ignition we use goes a long way to avoiding the detonation we used to get with the old ignitions...

Gordon ,the FB page is TZ750 buy swap and sell.
Phil ,pistons,Wiseco(expensive-but good for 800 miles in a sidecar),Mitaka(Better than Yam-sh**e).The parts availability for the big TZ is now the best its been since we started racing ours in 04,mainly thanks to our Australian cousins.
Phil,if you need any more info PM me and I will be happy to help if I can.

Hello Chaps,
The 750/700 in a conventional chassis (one of Loughborough John's finest) was the best fun I ever, ever had with my clothes on, the perfect engine in the perfect chassis, I just have to get the thing out there again.

Gordon,
I remember you and the Mrs in the ACU star series on your conventional all those, erm, ..days ago
"..... the Yam pistons too if you insist" - nooooooo, never - the reason why I posted about (my 750) reliability in the first place was on the basis that as much yam stuff was thrown away at the very start and replaced with properly made parts. Play-do pistons and cranks are a better product for use than the yam originals

Tony,
Thanks for the pointer, I used to use Omega pistons (only available through Paggetts), chopable for 750 or 700, way better made than the yam stuff.
I used to buy 2nd barrels and get them resleeved and get nickasil plating done to get a properly dimentioned bore that was round. Used to last ages after that - you just had to keep up with re-ringing the thing to keep the power on.

Thanks gents - I will be in touch, that's a promise for this year.

Ah Mr Derbyshire belting bloke and built great chassis he built me several and loved them all really talented bloke