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CLASSIC DIRT 5by FIRKO #53 The vintage movement has come a long way baby. In my twenty three years of involvement I've watched the sport evolve from being a fun yet minor fad into the multi faceted international maelstrom that it is today. I've met the coolest people, built and raced bikes that as a young racer in seventies Australia I could only have dreamed about and traveled the length of my country and the USA racing and in my latter life gig as an ace reporter, chronicling the events, racers and motorcycles that make the world of the vintage off road movement so cool.
From our friends at VMX Magazine The Saipan Soiree Sagaby P.J. Read #357 Last issue we unveiled the previously unreported tale of the 1969 reunion of motocross legends After a fortnight of reliving past escapades and getting to know the hoi poloi of Taiwanese society, it was time for us to get down to work. Hollingsworth was unusually on top of his game and had set up a state of the art R&D and race shop in what had previously been the old Mayfair Hotels extravagant ballroom. The highly polished parquet dance floor that had once seen a generation of aristocratic British expats fox trotting away to then popular dance bands such as Jack Brindle and his Trocadero All Stars, was now home to row after row of stainless steel work benches fitted out with the best tools and equipment Taiwan could produce.
VMX Club ProfileKlub Kevlar
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MR: What is your first memorable moment that involves a minibike, motorcycle, scooter?
by Stu Osborn #657
year and if you're a good racing citizen you realize that you need to get out of the NOV class sooner or later or as an Intermediate, move into Experts eventually, but when?
These bikes are 1970 and 71 Yamaha DT1 and RT1 MX's, DT 250cc and RT 360 cc first years of Yamaha's Motocross models. The differences in enduro's are 21 inch front wheels, knobby tires, high front fenders, front number plate, expansion chambers w/o any mufflers, different air boxes, cylinder porting, bigger carbs, higher compression heads and closer transmission ratios.
I started with two bikes and while chasing parts. I located others and decided to complete them all at the same time as an assembly line and take pictures as I went along. Pipes and front fenders were the tough pieces to find along with the air boxes.
questioning their real meaning - I'll offer my thoughts to you on what these words mean to me, and what may be the basic causal factors in determining collectability and value.
If you are old enough to appreciate a '74 Honda Elsinore, you probably remember the real estate agent and self-professed psychic, Jeane Dixon. Whenever she spoke, it was front-page news in the National Enquirer and the public ate it up.
Metro Racing
Now, I was not always a motorcycle person. I wasn't brought up around them and feel that I am relatively new to this sport - about 20 years or so. Aside from Evel Knievel showing up on my TV on Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoons, I didn't know Jim Pomeroy from Mert Lawwill. Then I met my husband, Don, who always had motorcycles in his blood. He had show cars when I met him. Luckily, one day at the Englishtown Car Swap Meet, we found a 1930 Indian Wall of Death bike. It reminded him of the bike that his Dad rode to get back and forth to work in Philly. So we borrowed the $1000
from Mom, which was way more money than we could think of scraping together back then, and that was it.
Listen To Me!
One of the most rewarding aspects of doing what I do is having the opportunity to meet the riders who were the kings of my motocross universe during the Wonder Years. Among others, I've interviewed and drank beer with Roger De Coster, bar hopped Santa Cruz's seedier taverns with Billy Grossi and drank Margaritas with Jim Pomeroy and Brad Lackey. I've discussed Maicos and prostates with Super Hunky and spent a weekend with Bugsy Mann. To a man, all of these icons have been genuinely nice people, all proud of their achievements but refreshingly normal. In April I added another legend to that list. I finally met the motocross icon to top them all, the great Joel Robert.
PJ Read, Nigel Holingsworth and their money man Trent Farlowe in far away Taiwan and the birth of their plan to bring pride back to the Taiwanese motocross industry (and themselves) with the Saipan GTR-X ‘Read Replica' 250 and Gemini NH360 projects... The story continues.
The former cloak room now housed an engine dyno and the ladies toilet had become the quaintly named “Dremel Room” in which former Equipo Madre Trato tuning wizard Enrique del Vasquez Jr. wielded his exceptional spanner skills on race engine assembly. I took on the task of hand picking the race shop employees and I left no stone unturned in finding the best people.
The name concept came to fruition at the second VMX Classic Dirt event in Kyneton, Victoria during a much earned between ride beer break. While sitting around whining and complaining about the disgraceful state of our beloved modern motocross and the downfall of vintage racing since they started allowing bikes with actual suspension, Freddy Mercury lookalike Alan Jones strolled into our beautifully appointed pit wearing his shiny new black Rickman Kevlar riding pants. Our old New Zealander mate Mike Jolly, ever quick to throw a sexual innuendo hardball, accused Alan of looking like a gay street crawler cruising for some tough boy leather bar action in his lovely black race pants. Alan quickly retaliated that he was actually looking for a Kevlar Bar. We all had a bit of a laugh, took another sip of Kozel and before the bottles were empty, Klub Kevlar was born.
In the previous bearing article we discussed the importance of using quality bearings and where to find them. In this installment I'll explain how to decode the numbering system currently used in rolling element bearings and provide some installation tips.
It is no secret that the cost of racing has gotten a whole lot more expensive this season. At no other time has there been such a spike in race related costs. There are suddenly, “no close” tracks anymore, and one must decide to forego other expenses to just make it to the course. Many have cut back, and the regional and national attendance numbers reflect this reality. And it is not just AHRMA, it's everyone. “Practice Day” numbers are much lower, due to riders not being able to afford making it to the track during the week, and then again on Sunday. Modern events are down sharply, as well, and some folks who ride three classes, are now riding only one. At the modern nationals, attendance has dropped off a cliff. The combination of gas, the escalating gate fees, and the lack of competition, have forced the NPG to regroup. In 2009, these folks will see night races, and a possible one moto format.McCookRacing Caption Contest |
Caption Contest WinnerTom DeSantis is the winner of the Cool CZ Racing Jersey! |
Caption: For Sale - Sight glass "eye" for autolube tank. |
Congrats Tom! |
Memories
by Stephen Gautreau #999
A large thank you goes out for the invitation to pollute his fine VMX Magazine known as McCookRacing.com with my old school, east coast up-yours attitude and foul sense of humor.
After pondering a suitable topic to violate, I settled on memories of riding, the camaraderie and racing (applied loosely) what were then current state of the art motocross bikes and now considered "Vintage". The thrill of racing back in the day was the actual riding and bar banging that we all took a turn at. Some of the other rider/racers we made friends, other's we attempted every time on the track to use them for a berm. Back then we all seemed to live to ride. If we weren't in school, at our part time jobs or sleeping, we were riding. And in the winter we "worked" on our bikes to stay in tune with it and to be sure it was ready as soon as Spring sprung.
I'm sure a number of us started out hanging around the local M/C shop, getting in the way, taking home way to many sales brochures (now worth good money) and generally being a pest. Then being asked to sweep the floor, empty the trash, go for lunch. The usual stuff that we all ended up doing to become accepted at the shop. Eventually being allowed to change tires and oil, under the watchful eye of someone like Al Doane.
OMG... The MG Girls!
I'll give you fifty bucks for it
by Raphael 'Tag' Hargrove III #366
This editorial comes from a number of years of dealing with nice people, ignorant people, folks with no morals whatsoever and last but certainly not least, out and out villains and scum.
I speak of the eternal quest; the hope springs eternal treasure hunt known as finding that rare, priceless gem of a vintage bike for cheap. We've all been there; the Illustrious Mr. Clark even has a name for it that he shared with us in one of his previous columns.
Over the years of buying, selling and collecting stuff, namely vintage dirt bikes given the venue here, I have seen just about every kind and type of shady character, low life, low-baller, take advantage of someone when there down scum looking to buy what you have or sell you something You don't have for either way to little or way to much. Ever notice when you own it and a so-called expert contacts you, it's pretty much worthless. Two weeks later and a coat of Armor-all you see it for sale yet again on some international stage for crazy stupid money. What gives? (I won't mention any names but you people know who you are)
| Kathleen Hutson age 17 on a tricked out '69 Suzuki TS250... She was kind enough to Sponsor me at the Nepean Charity Flat Track Race in Oz. What a Sweetheart! Thanks Kathleen!... and to all the Mates who made my stay a total Trip! Photos by VMX's Ken Smith. |
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McCookRacing.com Contributing Editors: |
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Chuck Davis #40
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Stephen Gautreau #999
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