by Tetge » Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:33 pm
I had a new original 1968 Titan when it first introduced. That was the only year that it had the larger carbs and the radical porting and it was a real runner, except that Honda brought out the 750 four right then, and BSA the triple. But, I really liked that bike. Of course, I sold it for some reason. Some years later, I got a used 1968 Titan and it was just as strong running and as good as the first one. But, I had to sell it too. Then, even later, I found a great buy on a new later model Titan with the conservative porting and smaller carbs and it was a real disappointment. Looking at the frame, the one in the pictures is based on a later model, and, to me, it is a travesty. But, I respect the Titans, so my opinion may be biased. They did have a nice double leading shoe front brake on the originals, which I understand is still valued by vintage racers, but, it was nothing compared to today's brakes, and, because a two stroke has little engine braking, the brakes tended to fade if you used them hard. So, the brakes disappeared in Griffith Park and the bike scraped things (for instance the rear brake could not be used at times because the pedal would hit the ground), and, it took a wild and crazed rider to exploit the capabilities of the bike. Do not inquire about how I know all these things, because back then, as of now, I was never a wild and crazy rider.
I still have a soft spot for two strokes, and they sure are easy to maintain, but they are too dirty for our nice clean air society. Too bad since they are fairly light for their given displacement and they don't require valve adjustments or oil changes. They also make decent HP and torque.