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With the countershaft 3 inches in front of the swingarm pivot it has more mechanical advantage when the suspension is compressed.
When I raced the cagiva 250s I could not get the rear shock to feel they way I wanted. So I removed the shocks from the 3 bikes I was racing,the 125 ,250 and 430. Then put a floorjack under the rear tire and started measuring wheel travel versus shock length and found the 250 to be a straight rate. On all bikes today more shock is used at the end of the stroke than the beginning.
About a quarter inch of shock per inch of wheel travel at the beginning of stroke and a half inch of shock at the end of stroke.
That is why I broke swingarms so much till I put a spring on that would hold up a bus. The whitepower on the 250 was a bad design with a preload spring on the rebound side of the piston. Took a while but Igot it dialed ok.
My first race bike
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Here is my 1961 Greeves 250 MCS Dave Bickers (RIP) Replica. I just restored it about a year ago.
I have ridden a few others but bon't have any digital pics of them like a 1973 Montessa Capra 250 MX, 1976 Yamaha TT500, 1964 Honda CB160, 1974 Honda XL350, 1953 Triumph Tiger Cub 200. All of these were set up for MX. Some were ok most were terrible.
'77 Can-Am 250 MX-3
The most rare bike for sure is the '78 Sachs MC-GS. One of only 5 imported into North America, basically a works bike.
I also owned an '86 Cagiva 125WMX, far and away the worst bike I have ever owned. It seized every time I rode it, I think it had a porous crankcase casting causing an air leak but I never could find it. I finally sold it after 6 months and bought a Honda CR125.
Rickman MK4 full build BSA with extremely rare Weslake kit 500cc one of the first ten bikes imported into the USA in 1968.... Purchased from the Steens Importer in California. Sat in his showroom for many years prior to me owning it...Rare peice of MX history... This is unrestored and in original condition. Fully documented and original Cycle News article included.
Presently For Sale .
This little red bike was a rocket
1968 BSA 441 Square Barrel with trick Ceriani forks and Koni rear shocks. In late 1971.
Not sure how rare they were back in the day but by the late 80s I didn't see many of them around.
Pit Row
Yamaha never sold an air-cooled PowerValve motor. But I had one. When Jeff Jennings contract was up with Yamaha at the end of 1982 and it was time to turn in his equipment Yamaha management told him that any bikes he wanted to keep could be had for the princely sum of $750.
So JJ and I picked over all of the best stuff and put together this bike. We used the works crowns with titanium fasteners that he had and slid in the fork legs and front wheel of the 490 he had that had only been ridden a couple of times. The frame was a specially modified one that had the steering angle kicked out a degree (the stockers were kind of skittish). The rear shock was a Wayne Mooradian/PEP modified model with a White Bros oversize reservoir. The rear suspension linkage was a White Bros prototype that had threaded struts to adjusts the rear ride height and Wayne had installed Zerk fittings so that the linkage pivots could be lubed without disassembling them. The footpegs were special Wayne modified ones that were bigger and higher than stock. The crank end had been machined to accept a YZ60 ignition that gave the powerband a quick zing. And the trickest thing of all, we used the air-cooled OW cylinder that the factory had made when their riders complained about the '82 YZ radiator mounted on the forks behind the numberplate.These cylinders were meant for Supercross with the logic being that overheating isn't as likely in a short race run at night as compared to a 45 minute moto in the heat of the day.
As cool as it was a stock '83 Honda CR250 was sooooo much better. My YZ did have a quick-revving motor that was easy to control, but even at its best the rear suspension was unpredictable. I rode it for a few years and raced it a few times and then in '87 a friend of JJ's borrowed it and never returned it.
I found that very bike some years ago on the internet. A vintage guy in Missouri has it and oddly enough he loaned it to Mike Bell for a vintage race. Mike is JJ's cousin and 1982 Yamaha teammate.
Or was it an 86? Can't recall for sure. I think my first one was an 84. Got it from cagiva n America. Tom Anderson made the deal with my dad and had it shipped to ks by train. Lol. Ron turner was killing it on them at Indian dunes when I saw it first time.
I have raced this bike many times. I start off in second gear , shift once to third and never shift again. I lugs down low and put like a 100 HP John Deere tractor. Not many bikes can hang with for more than half a start straight. It's the most fun bike to ride ever and being so rare and on the track makes it unique no matter where I take it. It's a .Very cool bike and I will miss it dearly once sold. I had a few high dollar offers from the VMX boys down under but with its history , I can't let it leaves the states yet, hoping for an American buyer..All reasonable offers considered. It's the only one of these full build BSA weslake conversion bikes most will ever see. And certainly being one of the first ten full builds Rickmans into the USA with documentation holds its place forever in USA MX history dating back to the beginning...My failing health is the only reason I am selling it. I can only hope someone who really appreciates it has the opportunity to enjoy it as much as I have...
Post a reply to: Rare or ununsual bikes you've ridden or owned?