Eccentric Bike Mods

PDiddy241
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PDiddy241
Nearly 20 years ago now (holy crap!) I tipped over my bike (a ’99 YZ 250) and bent the front brake lever up. It ended up being kinda like how David Vuillemin ran his front brake lever. Anyhow, I rode for a while like that and decided that I liked it.

Here are some pictures I found of DV’s bike from back in the day in case you don't remember:



His '05 YZ 250:



After playing around with the front brake lever location on my ’16 YZ 250 I decided to bend it up a bit like the good ‘ol days (I bought a YZ 250 two-stroke for the nostalgia so I might as well go further down that path, right?). So far I seem to like it!

What eccentric things have you done to your bikes because of a pro/friend/MXA? And did any of them stick around until present day?
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Sidecar
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GB
Sidecar 1/30/2017 1:57pm
1/30/2017 1:57pm
I don't bend my levers up but I sure do run them high still, because DV looked bad ass with his up and I still roll my jersey sleves cuff up to the elbow and then pull the sleeve half way down my fore arm, like Greg Albertijn used to do, I'm stuck in the 90s really.....Laughing
newmann
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newmann 1/30/2017 2:00pm
1/30/2017 2:00pm
Those bell bottom forks....tis tasty.
2slow4u
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2slow4u 1/30/2017 3:09pm
1/30/2017 3:09pm
Ryan Mills was king of the goon levers, he ran them almost straight up for awhile.
Monk
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Monk 1/30/2017 3:24pm
1/30/2017 3:24pm Edited Date/Time 1/30/2017 3:31pm
Paid $10k (cnd) for a new bike because I 'thought' it made me faster... About as dumb as you can get when it comes to bike mods...

The Shop

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ga_pike
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Valdosta, GA, USA
ga_pike 1/30/2017 3:29pm
1/30/2017 3:29pm
The radiator shroud on the 80's and early 90's RM 80 were horrible and bent out like a giant wing. We used to store mine with bungee cords bending the shroud inwards to train it to be straight or slightly curved inward. Worked pretty well honestly.
2slow4u
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2slow4u 1/30/2017 3:29pm
1/30/2017 3:29pm
Monk wrote:
Paid $10k (cnd) for a new bike because I 'thought' it made me faster... About as dumb as you can get when it comes to bike...
Paid $10k (cnd) for a new bike because I 'thought' it made me faster... About as dumb as you can get when it comes to bike mods...
a new been?
Monk
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Monk 1/30/2017 3:32pm
1/30/2017 3:32pm
Monk wrote:
Paid $10k (cnd) for a new bike because I 'thought' it made me faster... About as dumb as you can get when it comes to bike...
Paid $10k (cnd) for a new bike because I 'thought' it made me faster... About as dumb as you can get when it comes to bike mods...
2slow4u wrote:
a new been?
Fixed
Turbojez
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PL
Turbojez 2/1/2017 2:31am
2/1/2017 2:31am
PDiddy241 wrote:
Nearly 20 years ago now (holy crap!) I tipped over my bike (a ’99 YZ 250) and bent the front brake lever up. It ended up...
Nearly 20 years ago now (holy crap!) I tipped over my bike (a ’99 YZ 250) and bent the front brake lever up. It ended up being kinda like how David Vuillemin ran his front brake lever. Anyhow, I rode for a while like that and decided that I liked it.

Here are some pictures I found of DV’s bike from back in the day in case you don't remember:



His '05 YZ 250:



After playing around with the front brake lever location on my ’16 YZ 250 I decided to bend it up a bit like the good ‘ol days (I bought a YZ 250 two-stroke for the nostalgia so I might as well go further down that path, right?). So far I seem to like it!

What eccentric things have you done to your bikes because of a pro/friend/MXA? And did any of them stick around until present day?
Was there a reason DV ran his brake lever like this? To avoid getting his fingers crushed by the lever in the crash maybe? I had my share of that recently...
smashingpumpkins167 2/1/2017 3:48am
2/1/2017 3:48am
Today I am going to have my pipe sand blasted and I'm going to take a torch to it to try to get that blue color that only comes when you are fast.

Jamal#440
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Jamal#440 2/1/2017 5:13am
2/1/2017 5:13am
I'm considering a flex-bars/Dampener combo and may even throw a stabilzer in there unless somebody can convince me not to..

Does anyone have a similar set-up?
Ray_MXS
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SE
Ray_MXS 2/1/2017 5:20am
2/1/2017 5:20am
That really is one of the best looking bikes ever made. Laughing

I used to own one of those and like DV I´m also a tall dude (6:4) and I also liked having my levers like that for some reason.
aharper33
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Laramie, WY, USA
aharper33 2/1/2017 5:31am
2/1/2017 5:31am
Turbojez wrote:
Was there a reason DV ran his brake lever like this? To avoid getting his fingers crushed by the lever in the crash maybe? I had...
Was there a reason DV ran his brake lever like this? To avoid getting his fingers crushed by the lever in the crash maybe? I had my share of that recently...
I thought I heard back in the day he did it because at some time he had a wrist injury and that was the position that worked for him.
JW381
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JW381 2/1/2017 5:34am
2/1/2017 5:34am
newmann wrote:
Those bell bottom forks....tis tasty.
I hear reference to said forks. What are they?
omalley
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omalley 2/1/2017 5:54am
2/1/2017 5:54am
I remember one of the Pros running a stinger on his 125's silencer that was about 6-8" long at a PAC-West race in the early/mid 90's. If memory serves it was Chaun (sp) McAllister.
Wandell
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Cairo, GA, USA
Wandell 2/1/2017 7:21am
2/1/2017 7:21am
Back in the 1980's, I ran my levers low because all the pros did. It helped when you're in the "attack" position. I still run them low but I've slowly raised them over the years because I've gotten old and lazy and sit down a lot more! LOL
Pete The Fisherman 2/1/2017 7:25am
2/1/2017 7:25am
Sometimes I put black rims on my bikes because it adds 5hp minimum.
buggz
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Out Riding, ID, USA
buggz 2/1/2017 8:18am
2/1/2017 8:18am
smashingpumpkins167 wrote:
Today I am going to have my pipe sand blasted and I'm going to take a torch to it to try to get that blue color...
Today I am going to have my pipe sand blasted and I'm going to take a torch to it to try to get that blue color that only comes when you are fast.

Run MRXO2 and get it jetted correctly. Done.

You will get that color all the way to the muffler.

Although your way is much cheaper Laughing
Bruce372
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Bruce372 2/1/2017 8:30am
2/1/2017 8:30am Edited Date/Time 2/1/2017 8:31am
I always cut the mesh lining out of all my riding pants

Pit Row

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smashingpumpkins167 2/1/2017 8:32am
2/1/2017 8:32am Edited Date/Time 2/1/2017 8:33am
buggz wrote:
Run MRXO2 and get it jetted correctly. Done.

You will get that color all the way to the muffler.

Although your way is much cheaper Laughing
I mix 100 octane vp, but there is no way I could justify running it straight. The smell would be amazing
PDiddy241
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PDiddy241 2/1/2017 8:37am
2/1/2017 8:37am Edited Date/Time 2/1/2017 9:59am
Jamal#440 wrote:
I'm considering a flex-bars/Dampener combo and may even throw a stabilzer in there unless somebody can convince me not to..

Does anyone have a similar set-up?
I put Twisted Engineering bars on my YZ this year and really like them. Much less vibration and when you come up short (or go long) on a jump they're like insurance for your wrists.

https://twistedengineering.com/
bh84
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bh84 2/1/2017 9:40am
2/1/2017 9:40am
I used to stretch pantyhose over my rad louvers at sand tracks to keep my rad from plugging up. Thats about as eccentric as I ever got
RbR
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Saint Paul, MN, USA
RbR 2/1/2017 9:54am
2/1/2017 9:54am


I'm no engineer, but I never understood the thinking behind this eccentric mod, but hey, it worked for Dungey.
Skerby
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Mayes County, OK, USA
Skerby 2/1/2017 12:58pm
2/1/2017 12:58pm
I used to run my steering bearing crazy tight so as to act like a steering stabilizer I guess. Ended up wearing out a lot of those bearings lol.
IceMan446
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Sacramento, CA, USA
IceMan446 2/1/2017 1:58pm
2/1/2017 1:58pm Edited Date/Time 2/1/2017 2:19pm
I cut the waffle off of my grip only in the thumb area.

I run a rolled up piece of paper towel with a little bit of grease on it behind the dust seal on my forks.
Titan1
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Titan1 2/1/2017 2:17pm
2/1/2017 2:17pm
Jamal#440 wrote:
I'm considering a flex-bars/Dampener combo and may even throw a stabilzer in there unless somebody can convince me not to..

Does anyone have a similar set-up?
I Run flex bars and a GPRv4 (I'm racing off road though). I really like it...but I think Flex bars are overrated. I got a great deal on these (nearly half off), I don't think they are worth the money and I'd never pay full price for them.

The ONE thing I do really like about them is that they are tough! I can't believe all the abuse they've taken and have bent.
FWYT
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FWYT 2/1/2017 3:00pm
2/1/2017 3:00pm
I used to weld another row of teeth on top of the existing back row on my pegs. The idea
being that it gave it a forward angle, because that your feet are most of the time anyway.

Some people make pegs like that now and myself, I settled on the the rounded versions. I like those.
cable
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Rockford, MI, USA
cable 2/1/2017 3:11pm
2/1/2017 3:11pm
2slow4u wrote:
Ryan Mills was king of the goon levers, he ran them almost straight up for awhile.
Higher than shae bentley? His were pretty crazy
C-Rock
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C-Rock 2/1/2017 3:13pm
2/1/2017 3:13pm
Ugliest piece of crap ever.
Sick


BobPA
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BobPA 2/1/2017 3:36pm
2/1/2017 3:36pm
I run handguards on all my bikes, not bark busters, just normal guards. Not eccentric but certainly not in the norm. Bike feels naked without them.
TripleFive 2/1/2017 3:56pm
2/1/2017 3:56pm
newmann wrote:
Those bell bottom forks....tis tasty.
JW381 wrote:
I hear reference to said forks. What are they?
Factory Yamaha had forks that were fat on the bottom and tapered upwards.



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