| Had an RGV250 L and used to rebuild it every 1,000 miles due to those damn power valves dropping into the barrel and making contact with the pistons! It got to the point where I was on first name terms with Stan Stephens...
The problem was that the exhaust valves used to coke, then they'd start to stick, then they'd simply break up (especially the earlier multi-part ones) and drop into the barrel. I read somewhere that there is now a modification to the valves to stop this, and it certainly sounded worth doing. Following on from the sticky valves you end up with burnt out actuator motors, stretched cables, ovaled pulleys, etc, etc. Not cheap to replace!
They were great bikes, handled well and wicked 2-stroke power curve on them. But having ridden the RVG250 and the RVF400 back to back (and also side by side up the dual carriageway!) the RVF wins it every time. |