42 replies to this topic

[ASternad TT Silver Member]

What about the guys that own these 360's - Can we get a ride report ?

[cwf340 TT Silver Member]

ckny, on 08 February 2012 - 06:08 AM, said:

I get partial free healthcare...and often slow at that. Minimum 6 month wait for an MRI.
Dental and eyes are not covered. We pay for drugs as well. Our issue is doctors. We dont have enough, they all go to the US ha ha.

My Dr. is from Canada. She told me when she had her practice up there that her take home pay was around $10 an hour. Thats why she came to the states.

[SMPDaddy TT Newbie]

ASternad, on 08 February 2012 - 06:31 AM, said:

What about the guys that own these 360's - Can we get a ride report ?

I think I am the only one in the thread that owns one of the 360s.

I am a 2-stroke guy. I love them and have no interest in owning a 4-stroke so this bike is exactly what I want. The bark, the smell, the power - it is motocross.

Tons of torque. Power comes on nice and smooth but definitely hard enough to let you know it's not a 250. I had taken some time off from riding so the jump from a YZ250 to the YZ360 was definitely noticeable. If you roll on the throttle you will end up on your ass. I spent a fair amount of time learning the throttle/clutch to get good starts and once you get rolling you can just hold it open and it runs away. I have some land and going to build a track on it this spring so I took the bike out there over the weekend and it left trenches when I was practicing starts. I love the power of a good 250 2-stroke so imagine that and add 40% more power...

The suspension is very good. It absorbs the bumps well and it is has felt pretty solid when I have had it in the air. Corners great. I was able to turn on a dime and it is fun doing brake slides. Braking is decent. I sometimes wonder if having all that extra power/mass causes a problem with brakes. So far it seems solid.

The only thing I would change is normal stuff like jetting and clickers.

My verdict is I would do it again. Awesome bike. George @ MPS is a great guy and he knows how to make these things run. No, I am not paid to say that lol

[SMPDaddy TT Newbie]

highflyernick, on 07 February 2012 - 03:39 PM, said:

Who else noticed the puff of smoke in that pic

Yup That is definitely a puff of smoke. I was warming it up the other morning so I could take it for a ride. it was about 37 degrees out but no snow or ice so it seemed like a good idea.

[bad72ss TT Bronze Member]

I hope to get back to building my 360 soon. As soon as its done ill get some video . I'll also try to compare it to my kx 500 . I have 2 cylinders and I don't know what one to try first . One is stock and the other is ported .

[espkul TT Member]

ckny, on 08 February 2012 - 04:20 AM, said:

Gas today for 91 octane was $1.40 a litre, or $5.30 a gallon.

In Norway, the gas price is currently around 2,5 $ a litre

[arnego2 TT Gold Member]

Well here we are at the other extreme, one of a few plus points.

[Sheriff245 TT Gold Member]

SMP, have you had the chance to ride the 360 back to back with an 05-up YZ250 or 2010-up YZ250F? I am planning on adding a used 250 to my stable next fall and recently found a nice deal on a used engine. I've ridden the newer generation of 250F's and love the feeling of the bike, but was wondering how the chassis handles with the 2 stroke engine compared to either bike.

[yzmuddereffer TT Bronze Member]

SMPDaddy: Just stumbled on this and am very intrigued. You have an awesome-looking bike!

I too am curious to hear more about how it performs compared to the stock 250, especially with regard to the handling.

One concern I've always had about any conversion is I perhaps naively assume the very smart Japanese engineers who design these things design them to handle the specifics and intricacies of the four-stroke engines with regard to everything from weight, weight distribution, rotating mass, power delivery, etc. Indeed, when some riders have been known to "tune" their handling by, say, adjusting the torque or removing cylinder head stays, for example, I guess I don't understand how dropping in an entirely different engine doesn't jack the handling all up.

Also, regarding the engine and power delivery, do you know much about the 360 kit? Maybe I'm showing my age, but I thought the Ohlin's 360 thing was a product of the late 1980s/early 1990s. Is this an old cylinder modified to fit the newer engine or is Ohlin's still building these for the modern bikes?

Thanks for any further info you can provide!

[ah665 TT Silver Member]

I don't think you can compare the value of this conversion bike with just the plastic kit that is offered overseas. You can get the plastic kit and thats all it is...body-work. At least if you purchase this bike like SMP has, you are getting a chance to ride a 2stroke motor (especially if someone is looking for more than 250cc) in the updated chassis. You get the newer frame and swing arm. A truely unique bike. The plastic kit is cool but this other bike would really be something. I'd love to ride one back to back with my 250f.

[cwtoyota TT Silver Member]

ah665, on 16 February 2012 - 06:05 AM, said:

I don't think you can compare the value of this conversion bike with just the plastic kit that is offered overseas. You can get the plastic kit and thats all it is...body-work. At least if you purchase this bike like SMP has, you are getting a chance to ride a 2stroke motor (especially if someone is looking for more than 250cc) in the updated chassis. You get the newer frame and swing arm. A truely unique bike. The plastic kit is cool but this other bike would really be something. I'd love to ride one back to back with my 250f.

The important question is weather or not a chasis and suspension designed for a 250 four stroke is better than a chassis and suspension purpose built for a two stroke engine.

My gut feeling tells me that the four stroke suspension would be a HUGE step backward while the chassis change may improve things (or at the very least break even) due to the learning curve with aluminum frames over the past decade.

Either way, that 360cc engine has got to be pumping out some awesome power. Maybe even enough to run with a 450F?

[SMPDaddy TT Newbie]

cwtoyota, on 16 February 2012 - 06:36 AM, said:

The important question is weather or not a chasis and suspension designed for a 250 four stroke is better than a chassis and suspension purpose built for a two stroke engine.

My gut feeling tells me that the four stroke suspension would be a HUGE step backward while the chassis change may improve things (or at the very least break even) due to the learning curve with aluminum frames over the past decade.

Either way, that 360cc engine has got to be pumping out some awesome power. Maybe even enough to run with a 450F?

I have no doubt my bike would hang with a 450F. I can't say the same about myself right now but once I get more time in on it this year I should be able to show some F's what a 2-stroke can do. I haven't put enough time on it to have a complete opinion but I am very happy with it so far.

[ah665 TT Silver Member]

cwtoyota, on 16 February 2012 - 06:36 AM, said:

The important question is weather or not a chasis and suspension designed for a 250 four stroke is better than a chassis and suspension purpose built for a two stroke engine.

My gut feeling tells me that the four stroke suspension would be a HUGE step backward while the chassis change may improve things (or at the very least break even) due to the learning curve with aluminum frames over the past decade.

Either way, that 360cc engine has got to be pumping out some awesome power. Maybe even enough to run with a 450F?

Yes, that is 1 thing that would be interesting to see. I guess since the YZ250 and YZ250f weigh about the same, I would think the suspension might not be that far off? Having owned and ridden a lot of the Yamaha 2stroke and 4strokes, I personally feel like the newest 250f chassis is the best of the bunch, in terms of handling. That is why I would be so curious to see how that would transfer over with a 2stoke motor translanted into it. The 1 thing about that newer 250f frame is that it seems to keep the center of gravity very low, which plays right into the 2stroke motor transplant.

[bryawn TT Bronze Member]

I'm sure the suspension settings can be worked out. The challenge might be in the way the frame flexes with the 2T motor vs. the 4T. Still, I would love to rip around on a 360 like that. Very cool. Any concerns about durability?

[Sheriff245 TT Gold Member]

This thread gave me some ideas...

[loves2ride TT Member]

SMPDaddy, on 05 February 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

This is my YZ360AF. Took the picture earlier today right before I rode it.

Very nice! I also purchased a MPS CR 500AF from George but was really disappointed with the build quality! Never again, i truly hope and pray you have better luck with his stuff then i did! Not trying to be a D*ck just a heads up to future buyers to research before buying. His welds and headstay design was junk and don't even get me started on the rest of the turd bucket i bought. Nice bike and hope you have good luck with it?

[originalmonk TT Gold Member]

ah665, on 16 February 2012 - 06:05 AM, said:

I don't think you can compare the value of this conversion bike with just the plastic kit that is offered overseas. You can get the plastic kit and thats all it is...body-work. At least if you purchase this bike like SMP has, you are getting a chance to ride a 2stroke motor (especially if someone is looking for more than 250cc) in the updated chassis. You get the newer frame and swing arm. A truely unique bike. The plastic kit is cool but this other bike would really be something. I'd love to ride one back to back with my 250f.

I dont think you looked at the kit hard enough. Its more then a "plastic kit". Its the whole rear end of a 250f (subframe, airbox, fender, side panels), combined with completely new tank and all the brackets for fitting new shrouds on properly, not just some jimmy rig system. Though I imagine the characteristics remain the same as a orginal YZ, the feeling of the body would be different as well as the look. The YZ 250s are one of the best handling bikes around so thats not a bad thing. The motors between the 2 bikes will be the same. The work into either bike is going to be simular also as its not like building a one-off tank is easy. Or buliding a subframe. The fact is, to say its "just a plastic kit: is a understatment.

[ah665 TT Silver Member]

True, maybe I did down-play the kit by saying that. What I meant was that no moving parts are really any different. If I was gonna spend that type of money, I would either put it towards having the 2stroke motor in a completly new chassis (including bodywork) or just ride the YZ 2strokes how they are with the plastic that they come with. To me, that is way too much money to drop on bodywork. When I first saw that kit, I wanted to do it to my 125, until I saw the price. For that money, I'd rather upgrade the bike itself (gytr 144 kit, etc). But buying a 2stroke motor transplanted into the new chassis would be something worth considering, for me. To each their own.

[joshua_inigo TT Silver Member]

Won't the 360 kit look way better plugged to the current model YZ250 chassis rather than to the Chinese Husky-looking YZ250F frame?

Just a thought, no pun intended here....

[xcountryfreak TT Member]

Dude - Move to the US, you only have to wait a month or two for an MRI and they only charge you $800 out of pocket if you have good insurance. If you don't have any insurance, well lets just say if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. I find that the only people who bitch about obama care in the us and put down the Canadian health care system are people who don't have health problems or don't know what they are talking about. The only people who will benefit from NOT revising the US health care system are the health insurance companies. Go out and catch a good disease like cancer and you will find out real quick how bad health care is in the US. Oh yeah, and stay away from those dirt bikes unless you can afford to get hurt. I have lots of friends in Canada who say they don't have any problem with the health care and long delays.

Stay Healthy!