Grand Prix Spirits!

250cc race-replicas were the stuff of Grand Prix dreams. Suddenly, in a ‘two’-stroke, we were aping our heroes out on track

- Jeff Ware

These are two of the bikes that changed the lives of thousands of Grand Prix fans all over the world.

Hugely popular in Australia, Asia, Europe and with you rev-heads in the UK, these small, but powerful two-strokes were the last of the true race-replica era, so I thought you might like to hear about my recent experience riding them 20-years on. I’m older and fatter, but these bikes sure made me feel young again for a day!

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of two-strokes. Sure, I own a few four-strokes and most of my racebikes have had valves and cams, but my roots are firmly planted in two-stroke territory. My first dozen or so bikes were oilers and I went from D to A grade Down Under racing RGV250s in the mid1990s. Believe it or not, I’d not ridden an RGV since 1996, so when this offer came up I was absolutely stoked. I knew it was going to be a highlight of my riding and journalistic career to date. So much so that I decided to lock in a day at the proving ground I use called The Farm to really make it special: two riders and two of the coolest bikes ever on the world’s most exclusive private testing facility – pure boy racer nirvana. Now there’s a band that comes to mind when I think back to my RGV days… I was acting like a kid three days before Christmas in the lead-up to the test, hanging to feel 19 again, getting that powerband rush, inhaling the luscious two stroke fumes…

Rocking up to The Farm on a perfect sunny day to find an immaculate RGV250 and an equally stunning Honda NSR250 is a mind-blowing experience. Close to four miles of tarmac perfection, brand new tyres, fresh knee sliders and full fuel tanks meant the day was going to be serious fun, not to mention an absolute blast from the past.

If only I could have found my Pearl Jam 1992 tour shirts to wear!