Who want's to ride a vintage Dirt Bike?

Ride a Vintage Dirt Bike

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I'm putting this idea out there to see how many inmates would be interested in riding a vintage MX or Enduro machine or two for a day.
<o></o>
I friend of mine has a fleet of well maintained vintage MX and Enduro bikes and a great vintage style MX track, in South Jersey.
He won&#8217;t let modern bikes on it, because they ruin the lines, and it's well maintained.
.
<o></o>
We're talking 70's and 80's Maico's, CZ's, Husky's, Ossa's, Bultaco's, Penton's and Japanese machines.

<o></o>
The concept is just coming together, but the idea is to ride the bike of your choice around the track for a number of laps or certain amount of time. The details have to worked out on price, what happens if it breaks or you crash it, or if you want try a different machine, but I'm sure it can be fair and fun.


We would have AMA insurance to cover the event and it would be 100% legal.

<o></o>
I owned and raced at least 10 Maico's in the early 70's and 80's and would love to ride one again, without the expense of purchasing one, maintaining it and the hard part, finding a place to ride it.

<o></o>
So, what do you think?

Happy New year

Jack
<o></o>

so it's a MX track (half) day with bikes provided. i have always wanted to swing a leg over a Bultaco

Will there be any Rickmans?

Darn elitist vintage motorcycle enthusiasts and their circle of exclusion :) Would my 97 cr500/steel ktm framed hybrid be considered vintage?

All tomfoolery aside I'd be interested.

Sounds GREAT to me!!!! Hell yes... I'd pay.

Offer on site camping, and he'll have more business than he knows what to do with.

Maico 490 sand spyder

Sounds like there would be some interest. As for me I'm to old to ride old bikes.

Hey Jack, happy new year. Sounds like a fun idea! I'd love to take a ride on some of those great old bikes that I could never afford when I was young. Keep me posted!

-Scott

I'm in!

I would love to throw a leg over one of the Tom Clark replica RT340 Rokons. My neighbor was a factory rider for them and even qualified to compete at the Isle of man. [Anyone remember Jay Cuppet?]

At the time I was a wee lad in grade school putt'n around on a little yamamha 60cc, and would of needed a step ladder to get on it.

I am in!!!!!!!! I think I might need a cigarette and a nap with the just the thought of riding the bikes of my youth again.

Definitely interested! Especially if all I'm responsible for if I break one is dealing with my own guilt (which would be immense, of course!).

Hey: Thanks for all the responses. As I mentioned this project is just in the formative stages. But the concept sounds like it will work out.
The person who owns the bikes and maintains the track is a real deal, vintage collector, mechanic and all around great guy. He's also a
regular working man and the cost of warehousing the machines is high. So this project will help him keep the collection, let us relive our
youth or let others see what they missed.

We could have the first event this spring, as far as which machines will be available and other details will be determined later.


Thanks for mentioning the Maico Spider. Here's a pic of a Maico I bought in 2005, a 1982 490. But to be honest, I didn't like it. If my memory
is correct, that was the year that Maico changed the motor from a Big Bore to a Long Stroker. The older ones I owned, 400's and 440's were
low RPM Torquer's. The high reving '82 just wasn't the same as I the bikes I owned.





Here's me in appx 1974 on a Maico 440 Radial, now that was a great bike!



Thats all for now.

Jack

I've paid a small fortune to NOT ride those bikes ever again! :huh


Neat idea for sure. I don't know how you can insure against damage on those old beasts though. I recall those dark days.

Hey: Good to hear from you and thanks.

I know what you mean though. I good friend of mine entered a "6 Day Vintage Enduro" last summer in France. He's from the US.
I said why would you travel that far, and spend that much money, to ride a bike that may only get you 10 miles?
But the vintage craze has it's place and seems to be a big niche.

Funny, I just watched the Steve Martin movie " The Jerk" last night, is that where your "name" comes from?

Regards
jack

Navin KNOWS shit from shinola!

Happy New Year Jack!

Chris

I made sure my son saw that part. Now he's ready to go out on his own, even though he's only 12.

Good to hear from you to Chris.

Regards
jack

Thankfully I found my special purpose, and I got my name in print too! I'm somebody now!!!!

Will there be any Hodakas to ride, with an endless supply of shifter cases when they break??? Every damn time that bike tipped over I needed a new shifter case! God I loath vintage dirt bikes now! I don't even CARRY tools anymore! They just run. Remember swapping 3 spark plugs on a trail ride and sanding your points clean with muddy fingers?

You'd have to pay me to ride those things!

Not really, JK, it sounds fun and creative. Having a rare bike seize during an outing would worry me though.

It's the cans he hates cans

Hey: I'll be able to send more money soon, because my girl friend said she will give me a blow job.


Anyway, I used to be a mechanic at a Maico / Hodaka / Rickman-Sachs dealer. The Hodaka transmissions had a ball shiftshaft setup that always broke. The Maico 125 had the same thing, but we only sold one. We sold dozens of Hodaka's, and I raced a Combat Wombat once, was in first till the chain came off.:eek1

We will have to use only the most reliable machines for this idea to work, but Joe's a great mechanic and has been restoring vintage bikes professionally for years. Ossa's are his specialty. At his vintage swap meet, guys are riding around all day long.

I brought Jimmy Lewis over to his shop / museum a few months ago, and Jimmy said Joe would be a millionaire if he lived in Calf.

I'm not suggesting that we will have every vintage bike in his shop available, even if it ends up having a choice of only 5 or 10 different machines, it would still be fun.

We wanted to see if there's interest first, which it looks like there is, now he can figure out which bikes would be best for the job.

Jack