My idea for re-intro of 2-strokes was this: Drop the “open” class. Lets be real here, the 250’s are faster (lap times) anyway, the open bikes are more expensive/dangerous. So…

Hi Paul. Thanks for writing. Interesting ideas. I don’t know about eliminating the Open class. Such a decision should be based on entry counts (as an indication of what people want to race,) I think. And I don’t know about those stats.

At the Pro level I think you have to keep an open class, as one of the things fans want to see is the fastest riders in the world riding the most powerful bikes. At least, that’s what I think they want to see. Of course, we really don’t have an Open class anyway. We have a 450f class. So maybe I’m all wet.

In the old days (back when I raced) the older fellows, the 30+ crowd, tended to favor the big bikes because they could sit down more. It’s hard to tell about that anymore because we don’t have the same range of choices that we did back then. And everything about the sport is different — the tracks, the obstacles, the suspensions, everything.

“Flow” is much more important with 4-bangers — big, sweeping turns, swooping jumps, etc. The angular, technical track designs of the past lost favor as the four-strokes became more popular.

Personally, I’d prefer to see the two technologies have a more level field in displacement and run against each other. I think the “Us vs. Them” battle you talk about would be more visible then, and more exciting. But it would be a hard thing to achieve. Some displacement advantage, especially at smaller displacements, would be required, methinks.

But I favor competition between technologies just as much as between brands and riders. If two-strokes were given an equal shot it would make it possible for more companies to enter the field — something none of the big factories wants (big corporations work hard at influencing legislators and rules makers to stifle competition.)

The truth is I don’t care how they do it, as long as they bring the two-stroke back into the fold in some way. Given half a chance, it will succeed and give people a cheaper, more effective racing option.

My idea for re-intro of 2-strokes was this: Drop the “open” class. Lets be real here, the 250’s are faster (lap times) anyway, the open bikes are more expensive/dangerous. So…

Why not have just 250’s, but a dedicated 4-stroke series, and dedicated 2-stroke series? The “war” Us vs Them (boomers vs ring-dings) would be good for the sport!

You know, you’re question has made me think I need to do a longer post on the whole Two-stroke FUD thing. A quick Google search on “california two-stroke ban” turned up all kinds of wild rumors and half-truths, with only a bit of real data mixed in. It’s kind of hard to find the truth anymore, which means something in and of itself. And when you get to the truth, it’s nothing like the rumors.

So I’m going to write a speculative/op-ed piece on how the two-stroke FUD got started, why it is so pervasive, and how we will move past it. It will not be definitive, and it will be subject to much correction if people point out errors. But it will be based on as much truth as I’ve been able to learn over the past year from research and personal conversations with industry people, tied together with what I know to be provable patterns of behavior in big business.

We’ll see how it turns out.

I don’t think so, Giles. There was a bill – CA Bill #2439 – called the Bowen bill in 1998 that banned two-strokes over 10bhp from use on lakes and waterways. The goal was to prevent the direct discharge of fuel and oil into the water, as well as decrease airborne emissions. There has been talk of banning two-stroke snowmobiles in some states. And there is always talk of banning two-stroke lawncare equipment. AMA District 36 was fighting CARB restrictions on two-strokes in the late 1990’s and lost. But I’m not sure of the exact details on this. I don’t know if it pertained to closed-course competition or just the public lands where you needed a Green Sticker.

But there are a few things to keep in mind about this. First, all regulations at the State and Federal level are largely written by lobbyists. And lobbyists come from business. It’s far more likely that Honda (or whatever other companies stood to gain from the move) informed CARB than vice versa. But CA’s target was outboards. Motorcycles were collateral damage. So it’s also likely that Honda merely capitalized on this and worked to influence the motorcycle ruling bodies to their own benefit.

Second, the issue is emissions, both direct and indirect. CARB used EPA data from the early 1990’s to prove that two-stroke engines produced 8x the emissions of a four-stroke. That data is now over 15 years old. And the real problem was two-fold: the dumping of fuel-oil residue into the waterways and air quality.

Third, government entities have a provable, inarguable, and astounding track record of being technical nitwits. It almost never works out when they ban specific technologies.

Here are the current Two-stroke Facts from the California Department of Boating and Waterways:

Facts About Two-Stroke Vessel Engines

* Two-stroke engines are not “banned” for use on all waterways in California, nor is there any plan to do so.
* Carbureted and electronic-injection two-stroke engines are considered high-emission engines. Generally, these engines were manufactured prior to 1999.
* A carbureted two-stroke engine can emit up to 25-30 percent of its fuel unburned into the water or atmosphere, which is why high-emission engines are prohibited on some lakes.
* There are no salt-water or river restrictions in California on high-emission two-stroke engines, excluding personal watercraft (vessels such as Jet Skis) bans in some areas. For example, San Francisco has prohibited personal watercraft within 1200 feet of its shoreline. See “Local Restrictions” on our Web page for a list of lakes.
* Direct injection two-stroke engines, made since 1999, are considered clean emission engines and can be used on every water body in California, with some exceptions not related to emission limits.
* A new direct injection two-stroke engine will normally have a label sticker (with 1 to 3 stars) on its engine cover indicating that it meets California Air Resources Board emission regulations for 2001, 2004, and 2008 for vessel engine manufacturers.

The entire two-stroke fiasco in CA was driven by outboard motors, but bled over (literally and figuratively) into motorcycles and ATVs. But even CA appears to have understood that banning specific technologies doesn’t meet their goals of cleaner air and environment. If anything, it reduces competition in developing the most environment-friendly options.

As I’ve said here before, there are already two-stroke engines on the market which pass Euro-3 standards which are, I’ve been told, more stringent than CARB.

I am not too worried about the world following CA’s lead, as there doesn’t appear to be a lead to follow – at least not in banning two-strokes. Enviro-Nazi’s are far more prone to following Europe’s lead, and there the modern two-stroke is making a comeback.

You might want to read the post I wrote yesterday about the FIM’s rule change – it has more on this topic. There is nothing wrong with cleaning up our waterways and breathing cleaner air. Modern two-stroke technology is showing signs of being every bit as enviro-friendly as four-stroke, and with the advantages of being cheaper to manufacture and maintain.

That doesn’t mean the Big 4 are going to start making two-strokes. They aren’t. But that’s ok. Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR et al didn’t want to make minicomputers. DEC and HP didn’t want to make PCs. But in the end the market decided that PCs were the thing and companies either adapted or went out of business (most went out of business.) That’s what will happen here – the market will decide.

The great thing about having two-strokes back in the racing fold is that now the smaller companies who want to make them have a place to prove their mettle. That is all we can ask for, and it’s exactly the type of disruption that Honda et al hoped to avoid.

These are exciting times…