How many of you R owners have ever rode a Tri-Z

[TimSr]

Z's just suck..Any 3wheeler mag you read talks about how the R would destroy a Z stock or mod sooooooooo whats the problem here?

The problem with this whole message board is that too many people are way too quick to chime in giving bogus information on things they know nothing about so that people seeking good information have difficulty in separating good information from all the trash talk crap coming from people who read too much and ride too little, or dont ride at all. Im half temped to post the list of techno-wannabes (to warn the public) who Im really getting sick of dishing out "technical advice" on things they obviously know nothing about, and in the process causing the person posting the questions to screw things up worse than when they started, or spend all kinds of money on things they dont need, all because somebody wants people to think they know something. Ignorance doesnt bother me, unless its coupled with arrogance, and then it becomes dangerous. READ THE TITLE OF THIS THREAD. IF THATS NOT YOU, THEN DONT POST IN IT! We created a nonsense trash talk forum (which should have the "garbage" disclaimer added) called "This vs That" below for the sole purpose of keeping this garbage off the main forums. Somebody has posted a serious question and is looking for INTELLIGENT answers to a specific question. I too am very interested in serious intelligent answers to this question without having to wade through a bunch of garbage to find them.

[CHAINSAW]

Well said Tim. You are blessed with the gift of words my friend. I get all torqued, and tend to just tick people off.

[Jeb]

Tim, we may just need to start removing these types of posts, no questions asked.

My Z sure doesn't suck. And I'm an 86 KXT-250 Tecate rider which can destroy 250Rs at will. My Z is not stock. I have an 85 R which doesn't currently run and have spent lots of time on an 85 in the past.

[atckowalski]

Yeah, that sounds like a dude I know.He tells me that his tri z powered banshee will smoke my Tecate, as he is trying to start it, with no chain or sprocket, front end all tweeked sideways. By the way, it didnt start either. If he ever gets it running I will go teach him not to fart out his mouth.

[J La]

I would have to say it is definately personal prefferance. I've owned both. I bought an '85 Z after selling an '85 R. The Z was not for me. I loved the motor but I didn't like the handling. I never could get comfortable with it. I sold it and bought another R.

[threewheelin-feelin]

Id let smokinwrench ride my 86, and I know his theory would be blown outta the water. The only problem is, Im afraid he'll wreck it!!

[x.system]

whats a tri-z?

[mywifeknowseverything]

whats a tri-z?

They are Yellow and Black African Bumble Bees that will Sting ya if your not Careful

[ATCwithdrawals]

I have both 86's and both are stock and they both have different characteristics.The Z seems to have the better low end to me.

[smokinp]

atcwithdrawels,WOW!you have a lot of trikes!!

[Fox250R]

Ill race your little wussy Tecate or Tri-Z or WHATEVER YOU GOT!!! Bring it cupcake lets see what you got!!

[mywifeknowseverything]

Ill race your little wussy Tecate or Tri-Z or WHATEVER YOU GOT!!! Bring it cupcake lets see what you got!!

Hmmmmm,,,,To Whom are you Talking???? Or are you just talking...This is your 3rd bash post....

[kryppy]

1987 200x all original
1987 Big Red all original
1986 250R all original{on its 2 tank of gas}
1986 Tecate {almost restored}
1986 Tri-Z 250 {needs restoring}
1986 Big Red all 0riginal
1985 Big Red been restored
1985 Big Red Daily driver
1985 250sx been restored
1982 185s all original
1983 110{Blue} all original
1971 US90 Red all original
1971 US90 Parrot Green{still restoring}
1971 US90 Blue{needs restoring}
1985 Polaris 250es{still restoring}

When I got here I thought I had too many trikes, now I realise I need MORE!

Good thread, I want a tri-z now. Hahaha

[TimSr]

I was waiting to weigh in because I really wanted to see what other people honestly thought, and see if they had the same observations I did. I see a lot of similarities from both the guys who like them and dont like them, and personal taste belongs to the individual. A few things grabbed me. One was the mention of vibration, and thats the first thing I noticed on the R was how much less it vibrated. I concluded that those counter balancers really do work! The R powerband is a lot smoother and linear, and much more top end oriented. The Z has a lot more low end grunt, and seems to turn on a lot quicker down at the bottom, and then just kind of taper off at the top. This was what I preferred about it for my riding. Especially when it comes to hillclimbing, the Z powerband is much better suited.

The geometry of the two are greatly differnet, and I can understand how Honda guys might not feel at home on the Z. Its an aquired taste! The Z has everything father back, and higher in the front, and feels more like riding a chopper or something. I found it more comfortable for trail riding and such, but these same comfort qualities made it handle poorly on the track. I did fnd that in studying the R, I was able to setup my Z more like the R, for a much better handling machine. By simply sliding the forks up a couple inches track handling was immensly improved, and I have no trouble now being competitive with R driver of similar skills on the track. Even with the tweaking though, Id give the R geometry the edge on the track, but I find the Z more comfortable for long trail rides.

Id give the R and edge in the reliability area. Especially the Yamaha impeller is so poorly designed, and frequent cooling system failures make the cylinder life of the Z consistantly shorter. I do think Honda could learn a lesson about chain guides from Yamaha, though.

Suspension between the two are very similar, with neither showing any major advantages over the other. The TriZ stock suspension is lighter, which may have to be changed for heavier guys, but would be better for lighter guys. Its about right for the 165-175 lb rider. The R is somewhat heavier. The life span of a Yamaha rear shock is significantly less than the Honda shocks.

Ive never had any trouble getting Z parts, but there are certainly a lot more off the shelf and aftermarket R parts available. That can be a double edge sword though, especially on used parts. An example is buying 250R motor parts on ebay. You wont buy an 86 250R motor on ebay for $350 like you can for a Z. You're competing with quad riders for parts.

Both are very fine classic machines, and neither is deserving of any of the ridculous nonsense trash talk I keep hearing, mostly from people who have no personal knowledge other than parroting what they heard from somebody who heard from somebody else who thought they read something. My own preference is for the TriZ, not because its any better but because it better suits my taste and needs. There are probably more people who prefer the R, but thats because it more suits their tastes and needs, but that does not make it a better machine, just a better choice for them.

[smokinwrench]

What I have read so far seems to make me think the Z is better handling for tight trails riding and the R is better for dunes and MX. This is just from what I have read here.

I do like the wider tank on the R compared to the narrow airbox on the Z, but I'm sure that is just from being a R rider compared to a guy that has just riden a Z a small amount in the last few years.

I plan on riding Chainsaw's Z next dune trip if he gets it running right. It will be nice to compare both machines with both of them having about identical mods ( I won't crash it).

Chainsaw's drag bike can't be used in the comparison, I think the plastic is the only stock parts on the entire machine.

This is a very good thread, I just wish the stupid posts could be removed. I work a lot of hours and have a family, I don't need to waste my time reading stupid stuff.