Dirt Bike History 101

[vintagemxr]

Originally Posted by ChopSuey

I love this picture and the story that goes with it!

In the article about finding Joel Roberts World Champion bike, given your comments above, was the author possibly mistaken then about assuming the frame was cracked due to Stephen Beamish racing it for a couple of years before parking it in his barn?

That was a great story! Robert and DeCoster were about as close as I came to hero worship with racers. To me they are all great but Joel Robert especially, was amazing. I got to see he and DeCoster race at Saddleback Park and Carlsbad raceway. They made going fast look so easy. I wanted to be just like him. All I lacked was superhuman talent.

Doug

[ChopSuey]

Originally Posted by TLtrials

There are still some areas, but nowhere near what there was back in the 80's. Lot's of new developments, people around the country have found the beauty of the NC Mountains and are buying up all of the land at a high premium from us hillbillies. We ride at Brown Mountain OHV area, Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park, private land that is still in some of the local families, and race the local hare scramble series to give us more options on riding. We can still ride the dual sports on various areas that we rode as kids, but need the D/S to link up an all day ride. NCHP has never been lenient to non-tagged dirt bikes on the roads.... don't ask me how I know this....

Okay, I won't ask how you know - lol! Well that's a bummer. Georgia seems to have a fair amount of designated trials, but not as many in NC or TN unless it's on USFS land? You certainly do live in God's country though for anything on two wheels!

Originally Posted by TLtrials

I since have fixed up barn finds every so often, a 75 TM400, 80 PE 250, and I had a really slick Montesa 247 that I just sold this winter.

So how did you come across your barn finds? More and more I find myself fanaticizing about going to a yard sale or estate sale and finding some cool old collectible dirt bike for next to nothing. Dream on right?

[TLtrials]

So how did you come across your barn finds? More and more I find myself fanaticizing about going to a yard sale or estate sale and finding some cool old collectible dirt bike for next to nothing. Dream on right?

Just talking to people mostly, but it has been harder to find stuff since people have found out they can sell anything on the internet. I and a few friends have been tracking them down for the past 10 or so years. Some things we keep and some we sell off. I think that a lot of it is the hunt, we are always looking for the holy grail, but mostly find rusted up junk piles that we spend too much time and $ to get them right.
One of the guy's is the local Suzuki dealer; they have been in business for over 30 years. So he knows a lot of the older guys come into his shop because he worked there as a teenager, a lot of times he starts off a conversation of "what ever happened to that old ______?" Then it gets people talking.
We have also found a few in the local paper classifieds, there is an "IWanna" paper that is somewhat local and has free classifieds, and we have found a few in these.
I found the TL and TM by word of mouth, I bought the Montesa in the motocross pits at Mid-Ohio in 2005, and I found the PE in Charlotte through the AHRMA classifieds.

I have 3 bikes in the corner now waiting to get going. A 73 CB 450 that was found from the Iwanna paper, it is in good shape. It is a battery and case polishing away from being ridden. The guy properly stored the bike, so everything is ready to go.

I also found a one owner Bultaco Model 71 El Montadero 360 with the original NC title. It needs quite a bit of work, but mostly from sitting in a dirt floor shed. Nothing is really damaged; it just has a lot of rust. Kicks over and has fire, so it is a good start. I really want to get it going next, it will be cool to have a neat little vintage D/S. The same guy had a Harley/Aremachi Z 90 with the original title (one owner), in the same condition. So it took it home too. Both of these bikes came from a guy we have rode with, his Father bought them new. They were cleaning out the old shed and called us to see if we were interested. The guy knew we fixed up old stuff and wanted to one of us to buy them and get them going.

[roadholder]

Originally Posted by ChopSuey

Yikes!

Of course...trials sections have changed a lot now that the bikes weigh half that of the early ones!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czK7DGm1uCQ

[ChopSuey]

Originally Posted by onanysunday

As far as motorcycles the mattered heres a few:

1968 Tilkens Monoshock CZ
1975 CZ Falta Replica
74.5 GP Maico
75 GP 250 Can Am
77 Can Am MX3
1969 CZ Sidepipe
1972 Husky
1974 Husky
1973 Honda Elsinore
1975 Yamaha Monoshock (available in Canada in '73)
1976 Suzuki RM
1976 Yamaha OW 125 (first watercooler)

[nachtflug]

http://www.siegecraftnw.com/hammer.htm

[roadholder]

Here's an interesting B50 MX project lightened down to 231 pounds using period Honda CR and CCM components...
years before Husabergs or modern era YZF400/450 thumpers and the like.

[RoughReady]

Took this pic in 1970 or 1971 at Widowmaker Hillclimb near Salt Lake City. It was my understanding (as far as I can remember) that this guy was the first to top Widowmaker. Could be wrong or he may have been the first to top it at this particular part of the hill. Only one to top it that day.

[ChopSuey]

Originally Posted by roadholder

Of course...trials sections have changed a lot now that the bikes weigh half that of the early ones!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czK7DGm1uCQ

Pretty unbelievable what can be done on the trials bikes! Have you seen the urban trials bike riding on youtube?

Another question on trials bike tires: Are they now made out of a very soft and tacky rubber or is that just the ability of the riders to make the bike stick so well?

Originally Posted by roadholder

Here's an interesting B50 MX project lightened down to 231 pounds using period Honda CR and CCM components...
years before Husabergs or modern era YZF400/450 thumpers and the like.

That is an interesting looking bike! Do you know what year it is - 1974 maybe?

[ChopSuey]

Originally Posted by RoughReady

Took this pic in 1970 or 1971 at Widowmaker Hillclimb near Salt Lake City. It was my understanding (as far as I can remember) that this guy was the first to top Widowmaker. Could be wrong or he may have been the first to top it at this particular part of the hill. Only one to top it that day.

That's a cool picture RR!

[dan-c]

Originally Posted by roadholder

Here's an interesting B50 MX project lightened down to 231 pounds using period Honda CR and CCM components...
years before Husabergs or modern era YZF400/450 thumpers and the like.

Looks like Clews had his claws on that B50 Looks more like a CCM500 with a Beezer tank

[roadholder]

Originally Posted by dan-c

Looks like Clews had his claws on that B50 .Looks more like a CCM500 with a Beezer tank

It's definitely tricker then a standard B50 MX (top picture) but apparantly
not a full CCM, although some obvious CCM-inspired mods.

http://www.b50.org/mx.htm

Found the link.....a lot of it is period Honda CR stuff as well, which at
231 lbs makes you wonder what could have been done years before
Yamaha "invented" the lightweight MX thumper at the factory level!

[Sal Paradise]

Originally Posted by roadholder

Here's an interesting B50 MX project lightened down to 231 pounds using period Honda CR and CCM components...
years before Husabergs or modern era YZF400/450 thumpers and the like.

Drop the forks and put a slick on the back it would kill anything in the quarter mile, except a snowmobile of course...

[Trailing Jack]

Check this out in the Flea Market

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=326374

[nachtflug]

Originally Posted by nachtflug

poor condition 250's bring very decent money and the 360's are even hotter has been my observation on ebay.

nachtflug. prophet. oracle. seer of all things dirty.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamah...QQcmdZViewItem