Billy Liles in intensive care

Muscle-Milk-KTM
Edited Date/Time 1/9/2020 1:39pm
Just saw an instagram post saying that Billy is in intensive care with suspected legionnaires disease.

Hope he pulls through.

He’s the link, someone will be able to embed it for me

https://www.instagram.com/p/B23YioVFbtm/?igshid=e0mvchl928gm
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ledger
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ledger 9/26/2019 3:05am
9/26/2019 3:05am
Prayers sent for him. I had the pleasure of racing with him one time at a night track in Tullahoma TN. I can't begin to explain how fast he was...it was like a green and white blur passing me. Once again, prayers for him and his family. They're good people.
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JustMX
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JustMX 9/26/2019 3:24am
9/26/2019 3:24am Edited Date/Time 9/26/2019 3:32am
I was thinking about billy the other day and wondering what he was up to.

He worked at fun cycles near hickory, nc for several years about the time he stopped racing. He is a down to earth guy that you would never guess had come so close to being the 500 mx world champion.

I thought we might see an interview pop with him about his appearance on the winning USA mxon team the year it was in australia.

Hope he makes a speedy and full recovery and we can see an interview about that in the future.
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dirtworldmx 9/26/2019 3:30am
9/26/2019 3:30am Edited Date/Time 9/26/2019 3:30am
Get well soon, Billy!

I remember running the O'Neal Bullet series gear in the 80's.






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The Shop

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Sully
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Sully 9/26/2019 3:30am
9/26/2019 3:30am
Wow, here’s hoping he pulls through.
Red Crawford
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Red Crawford 9/26/2019 3:37am
9/26/2019 3:37am Edited Date/Time 9/26/2019 4:41pm
Still remember the Lile's clan pulling into a NMA National in Georgia (1976 or 1977) with an open trailer loaded with a dozen YZ80's (mx and flat-trackers). Wicked fast....

Hoping for a full and quick recovery!
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 9/26/2019 4:54am
9/26/2019 4:54am
My first bike, YZ100, came from his Dad’s Yamaha dealership in Atlanta. Seeing Liles at a local Georgia race was always a special day. Hope he gets better soon.
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Mr. Info
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Mr. Info 9/26/2019 8:15am
9/26/2019 8:15am
I am trying to get an update. Have a friend who is friends with Billy but knew nothing until this was posted. He is texting Billy to get an update. My prayers Billy gets well soon. Great guy, fun guy and not one ounce of ego.
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500guy
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500guy 9/26/2019 8:16am
9/26/2019 8:16am
Man that sucks, Get well soon Billy.
Zeke27G
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Zeke27G 9/26/2019 8:33am
9/26/2019 8:33am

Sending positive vibes his way. Be strong Billy.

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hamncheeze
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hamncheeze 9/26/2019 8:51am
9/26/2019 8:51am
Damn, get well soon Billy. Legionella is no joke, very severe pneumonia that tends to get us when we are older and weaker. Hate seeing the heroes of my childhood aging, just as much as I hate my own aging and associated problems.
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Crush
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Crush 9/26/2019 8:52am
9/26/2019 8:52am
Awful, here’s hoping he gets better!
vetmotoxer34
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vetmotoxer34 9/26/2019 9:46am
9/26/2019 9:46am
Prayers for the original "Kawboy". It was awesome to see him back in the early 80's at local Alabama and Georgia tracks pulling up in the original Team Green box van with Turpin and Jeff Chambers. good times for sure.
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Mr. Info
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Mr. Info 9/26/2019 3:57pm
9/26/2019 3:57pm
Just heard back from a friend who spoke to Billy's wife and said he is doing better today than the last 2 weeks. It seem like he got it from something at the Fair he took the family to. Until he is well enough to go home he will be in the hospital until they have no signs of the bug any longer. Keep up the prayers for Billy.
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tydog
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tydog 9/26/2019 4:06pm
9/26/2019 4:06pm
Mr. Info wrote:
Just heard back from a friend who spoke to Billy's wife and said he is doing better today than the last 2 weeks. It seem like...
Just heard back from a friend who spoke to Billy's wife and said he is doing better today than the last 2 weeks. It seem like he got it from something at the Fair he took the family to. Until he is well enough to go home he will be in the hospital until they have no signs of the bug any longer. Keep up the prayers for Billy.
That is great news and thank you for the update sir. My god that guy was fast
Prayers and positive thoughts sent his and his family’s way.
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Tonynz
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Tonynz 9/26/2019 4:57pm
9/26/2019 4:57pm
JustMX wrote:
I was thinking about billy the other day and wondering what he was up to. He worked at fun cycles near hickory, nc for several years...
I was thinking about billy the other day and wondering what he was up to.

He worked at fun cycles near hickory, nc for several years about the time he stopped racing. He is a down to earth guy that you would never guess had come so close to being the 500 mx world champion.

I thought we might see an interview pop with him about his appearance on the winning USA mxon team the year it was in australia.

Hope he makes a speedy and full recovery and we can see an interview about that in the future.
Back in 1998 on one of our trips to USA we were in North Carolina, drove past “ Fun Cycles” me being a KTM rider (still am), turned around a called into the store, we got talking to the guys in the store. A few minutes later someone else walked in they introduced me to him it was Billy Liles, a real nice guy.
Get well Billy.
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jemcee
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jemcee 9/26/2019 7:30pm
9/26/2019 7:30pm
After the Manjimup des Nations we found ourselves sitting a few tables from him in a McDonalds and he was holding court in his group telling stories and I reckon he could tell we were mx people and were eaves dropping cause he started to talk a bit louder so we could hear as well haha.. Seemed like a really good dude and I'm stoked he's on the up
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Uncle Tony
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Uncle Tony 9/28/2019 5:14am
9/28/2019 5:14am
Sucks, billy helped me a lot when I was racing in Europe, get well man
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hillbilly
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hillbilly 9/28/2019 1:00pm
9/28/2019 1:00pm
Dude is tuff as a pine knot

Real good memories of racing him 2000 to 2003

Tell him hillbilly Dave said get up
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motoxer68 9/28/2019 1:21pm
9/28/2019 1:21pm
I met him at a race at North Georgia Motocross (maybe in Dawsonvile?) in the Winter of 1980. We stopped at the local Georgia track on our way back to Illinois from the Gainesville round of the Florida Winter Series. Billy and his family had a very large enclosed trailer full of new Kawasaki's. The word was that they were all brand new and this was his first day riding them. I think this was the birth of Team Green, which he says he signed onto that year. He rode 4 or 5 classes and seemed to be on the track all day. I holeshotted a 125A moto and lead for a lap or so, then he came past me and was gone in a heartbeat. I had heard of him and he proved he was fast that day on 125s, 250s and open bikes. Always was a tough guy for sure. Wishing him well.
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viking24
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viking24 9/28/2019 7:38pm
9/28/2019 7:38pm
Liles and Micky Kessler battle at the 1981 KROC 80cc race was epic. Classic photo finish.

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MaxPower
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MaxPower 12/26/2019 5:45pm
12/26/2019 5:45pm
viking24 wrote:
Liles and Micky Kessler battle at the 1981 KROC 80cc race was epic. Classic photo finish. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/09/28/376449/s1200_4F1A0853_B54F_4F22_B6B3_37DB55914118.jpg[/img]
Liles and Micky Kessler battle at the 1981 KROC 80cc race was epic. Classic photo finish.

I was on the gate when that moto was going on. Kessler and Liles were on 80s but it was the best race I had ever seen in my life to this day
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SEEMEFIRST
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SEEMEFIRST 12/26/2019 6:53pm
12/26/2019 6:53pm
So who won it?

That's a bad ass photo.

Maico 80s? Kinda rare too...
APLMAN99
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APLMAN99 12/26/2019 8:38pm
12/26/2019 8:38pm
SEEMEFIRST wrote:
So who won it?

That's a bad ass photo.

Maico 80s? Kinda rare too...
I think that they were all KX80s, even if they rode another brand of bike in other classes.
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SEEMEFIRST
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SEEMEFIRST 12/26/2019 9:29pm
12/26/2019 9:29pm
But that doesn't look like a KX 80.
SEEMEFIRST
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SEEMEFIRST 12/26/2019 9:30pm
12/26/2019 9:30pm
Who won?
Sully
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Sully 12/26/2019 9:40pm
12/26/2019 9:40pm
SEEMEFIRST wrote:
But that doesn't look like a KX 80.
Langhammx wrote:
It is
The side panel on the one on the right looks like an '81, but that sure looks like a radiator shroud on the left one.
Langhammx 12/26/2019 9:43pm
12/26/2019 9:43pm Edited Date/Time 12/26/2019 9:51pm
SEEMEFIRST wrote:
But that doesn't look like a KX 80.
Langhammx wrote:
It is
Sully wrote:
The side panel on the one on the right looks like an '81, but that sure looks like a radiator shroud on the left one.
I think they were talking about the #4 (Maico Jersey)

#4 looks like ‘81 (round front plate backrounds)

#119 looks like an ‘82 front plate (square backrounds)

But it does look like a radiator shroud on the right side of it. WIERD....
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SEEMEFIRST
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SEEMEFIRST 12/26/2019 9:48pm
12/26/2019 9:48pm
Admittedly, in those days I wasn't looking at 80s.
If they are both KXs, cool, they just look different.

And I don't recall ever seeing a Maico 80.

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